Q&A for How to Grow Elephant Ear Plants

Elephant ears prefer shady conditions, so it's best to plant them in part sun or part shade.

It depends on your local climate. Elephant ears will not survive in frost or frozen soil. If your area's weather drops below {{convert|50|F|C}} for several days in a row during winter, then it's best to dig them up and replant them in the spring.

Elephant ears are good at self-propagating, which they do by growing in clusters (which you can separate by hand) or sending out runners. So, if you plant one bulb, there is a good chance you’ll end up with multiple plants!

Elephant ears can live in full sun, but they generally do better in filtered sunlight or partial shade. If you live in a very hot or dry climate, full sun may be too harsh for your elephant ear.

They are easy to grow as long as you can offer rich soil, plenty of sun, and relatively warm weather! Once the plant is established, check the soil regularly and water it if it starts to dry out. If you live in an area where the weather gets below freezing, dig the plant up in the winter and bring it indoors.

Yes! Especially in winter. Anything below 50 degrees is too cold for them. Pots are perfect as they can be brought indoors for the winter and then brought back outside for the summer.

Start your tuber in a large pot indoors in mid-late April. Transfer the started plant outside when night temperatures are over 50 degrees.

If you live in a climate zone where there's no danger of the tuber freezing, or you can insure that it has enough mulch covering it to make freezing a non-issue, then you can leave it in the ground. On the other hand, if you live in an area where it's sub-freezing for an extended period of time and the tuber, even 2" deep, could freeze, you'll lose it if you leave it in the ground. Your choice.

Droopy leaves mean you need to water the plant. And yes, you can grown elephant ear plants as indoor houseplants. When potted, it can go outside in the summer and inside for the winter.

One reader kept this plant in a 5 gallon container for close to 20 years. It can be a house plant in the winter and summer with some time spent outside in warm weather, helping to prolong its life.

Yes they can.

Yes.

Elephant ear is highly toxic to cats and dogs, but depending on your pet's tendencies to chew on houseplants, you may be able to pull it off. Please be careful!

Find a place with nutrient-rich, moist soil, preferably outside. If it is winter, however, you must plant them indoors. The plants will do fine in full sun, but they will do even better in partial shade.

Trim off all the yellowing leaves as well as part of the stem that the yellowing leaves are attached to. New growth should shoot up from the center of the plant. Also, consider letting the soil to dry out between watering; yellowing leaves are often a sign of over-watering. Lastly, consider fertilizing your plant with a suitable fertilizer once a month.

Elephant ears grow very fast, so expect it to come during the warmer months or days, around May.

No. As the article says, you need average garden soil.

Yes. Trim off all brown places on the elephant ears. As for the brown on the trim, it could be underwatering.

Short answer: No. Long answer: Elephant ear plants can cause significant damage to pets including severe oral pain, vomiting, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite, excessive drooling, and swelling around the mouth and neck. If you suspect your pet has consumed some of the plant, contact a veterinarian immediately.

They are seeds. When they mature, you can use them to grow more.

No. It is too heavy to be a hanging plant. Be sure to replant it in a 5 gallon container or plant it in nutrient rich soil outside. Follow rules for cold weather conditions.

If an individual tuber contains enough stored energy and nutrients to support development of a root system and top growth, then the answer to your question is yes. Small tubers may not have sufficient resources to support both activities at the same time. If the small tuber doesn't have enough resources to create its own root system, then it will die.

In the early stages, it is possible, but it is not recommended, as elephant ears become very big. Start growing it in a large pot.

It depends on what caused the leaf to turn brown. If it is sunburn, then trimming away the dead part would be fine, provided it is not more than 50% of the leaf. However, if the cause of the browning is bacterial, fungal, or viral, then not only should the whole leaf be removed, but an examination of the stem should be conducted. If the stem shows any signs of color change, then that should be pruned, too. Keep in mind, if you see signs of disease on the stem, you must prune at least an inch beyond the visible damage (into what looks like healthy stem). Also, be sure to dip your tools in bleach to prevent spreading disease.

I have found that the elephant ears do especially well when planted below the gutter down spouts. They love to drink all that water. My family is originally from the Azores; there, you will find them growing in large flooded fields.

Use a 5 gallon pot or pail. Elephant ears need space and sturdiness.

The new small leaves will grow into the bigger leaves eventually. Give a lot of sun and water, and it'll be fine.

The bulbs reproduce underground and they grow next to the "Mother" elephant ear. So, if you want dig up your elephant ear and remove the bulbs, it'll work if you replant them. For the most part they will do fine.

This is not an ideal plant for windy conditions as the large leaves catch the wind and can tear or snap. It's better to find a plant with lacy leaves or slender foliage that allows the air to pass through or around.

Yes, you will see a new leaf appear from what looks like the middle of the leaf that is already open.