Elephant Ear Bulb Sprout

Care for them properly with frequent watering and fertilizing to watch them flourish.

Elephant ear bulb sprout.

Elephant ear plants grow from a swollen stem similar to a bulb but known as a corm. Alocasia odora learn more hawaiian punch elephant ears is a gorgeous cultivar. Both have bulbs though the more accurate term is a corm. In fact elephant ears are an important food source in warm climates around the world.

Fertilize the plant with a slow release fertilizer worked into the top 2 inches of soil. After you plant an elephant ear bulb in temps from 60 degrees to 85 degrees how long does it take for the shoots to start coming up. Freezing temperatures kill foliage and damage tubers. Elephant ear plants grow from either thick tuberous roots or underground stems called rhizomes depending on the variety.

Also which side should i plant facing up. The elephant ear does best in semi shady locations. Move the plant to a room with indirect lighting after the sprout appears. Elephant ear bulbs create a dramatic whimsical look both planted in the garden and in containers.

Therefore in areas with harsh cold winters like those in northernmost regions the plants must be dug up and stored indoors. Use the amount recommended by the manufacturer. This bulb is extremely easy to grow and ideal for containers. Huge unique foliage is beautiful on its own or planted as a backdrop for your favorite blooms.

Select a location in full sun or part sun with a good rich moist organic soil. If you grow your elephant ear parent plant outdoors in the ground and the temperature drops below 40 f 4 c where you live dig them up in the fall and store the bulbs indoors during the winter. Prepare the bed for elephant ears by turning the soil. The elephant ear colocasia is a tropical plant that grows up to 9 feet 2 7 m tall and sprouts large arrow shaped leaves that resemble the ears on an elephant.

Cut the foliage back to about a couple of inches after the first frost in your area and then carefully dig up the plants. How to plant elephant ear tubers. Once planted these plants grow fairly quickly and can double or even triple in size if they are taken care of properly. Plant elephant ear bulbs outside after all danger of frost has passed and daytime temperatures remain above 70 degrees elephant ears are tropical plants and cannot tolerate any frost they only emerge when the soil is warm.

This is our first time growing one and i don t know how long to wait before i start to worry that it won t grow. Elephant ears cannot survive winter outdoors. The plants get their name from their leaves which. Upright elephant ears are called alocasias whereas elephant ears that go dormant are called colocasias.

To grow these stunning plants plant the bulbs in the early spring with the right soil conditions. Elephant ears species name esculentia is the same term that gives us the word esculent meaning edible.