Elephant Ear questions...

[lesa]

I just love the huge, tropical leaves of the Elephant Ear. However, with my short growing season- they are just looking great about 5 minutes before our first frost. So, I am wondering about planting them in pots (in the house, in the greenhouse?) How soon could I start them? Would they stand the transplant into the garden? I don't need to have a huge plant to put in the ground, but a bulb with some roots and a couple green shoots, would be a good start. What do you think?

 

[canesisters]

Sounds like a good idea. I got a bunch from a trade on BYC last year - they did GREAT! We've had a mostly mild winter - but there were a few REALLY cold days/nights and I'm hoping that they survived to sprout again this year.

 

[secuono]

We have a house up the road that has a 6ft+ palm, they put up a wood and tarp enclosure every year. They open one half of the front panel when it's sunny and not windy, it's closed up the rest of the time for winter.
Maybe you could do that?

 

[thistlebloom]

Elephant ears are decidedly tropical Lesa, but you can certainly do as you described. I think they need a dormant period, so you would bring them in at fall and treat them like a dahlia. Every year your tuber would get bigger and more fantastic!

 

[Durgan]

I just love the huge, tropical leaves of the Elephant Ear. However, with my short growing season- they are just looking great about 5 minutes before our first frost. So, I am wondering about planting them in pots (in the house, in the greenhouse?) How soon could I start them? Would they stand the transplant into the garden? I don't need to have a huge plant to put in the ground, but a bulb with some roots and a couple green shoots, would be a good start. What do you think?

Put the root in a gallon pot and let it grow. It starts off very slowly and takes a couple of months. When planting out doors there should be a couple of horns showing. It is a fun plant. I am also in zone 5.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?YHZZR 22 August 2006 Elephant Ear

This was my first effort. It was placed in the outdoor garden about the end of May after growing indoors for about three months. I treated it like an annual, since it is so difficult to dig up, and takes a lot of storage room.

 

[thistlebloom]

You can grow it in a large nursery pot and just sink the whole pot in the garden for the summer. You wouldn't even have to sink it, just grow it behind some plants that would hide the container. Then dump the tuber out of the pot in the fall and store until spring.

 

[lesa]

Thanks everybody! I have the dug tubers from last year- they are resting comfortably in the basement, as we speak. I think I am going to throw some dirt in a pot and see what happens! I have a huge container full of them- how far can I go wrong? Thistle, I have grown them in container gardens before, they just don't get quite as large. 43 days until spring!!

 

[thistlebloom]

Well, it sounds like you already know what you're doing Lesa! I know when we had them in container gardens at the nursery, they were started in the greenhouse early. You're garden must be beautiful with so many of them out there. Do you have any of the dark ones?

 

[lesa]

I thought for sure I had some pics with the Elephant Ears in them, but I can't find one. They really do make a statement! I don't have any of the dark leafed ones, maybe I should add a few to my collection?

 

[thistlebloom]

I thought for sure I had some pics with the Elephant Ears in them, but I can't find one. They really do make a statement! I don't have any of the dark leafed ones, maybe I should add a few to my collection?

Oh definitely!