If you’re wondering, I’m not talking about growing the actual fleshy elephant ears in your garden, it is impossible. I’m talking about the huge leafy plants known as Elephant Ears. If you’re wondering how to plant Elephant Ears, then you’re going to love today’s article!
Elephant Ears are tropical, large, and very pleasant vibe-giving plants. You can plant them in moist and rich soil, underneath a full sun. Plant the bulb in a pot, and then transfer it to your garden once the frosting season is gone. Water them well and watch the beautiful Elephant Ears grow.
Here you will learn about how you can plant elephant ear bulbs in detail, how you can take care of them, and the uses of elephant ears as well.
So let’s get gardening!
This is How to Plant Elephant Ears Bulbs
1. Get healthy bulbs and plant them
To plant Elephant Ears, the first and most important thing you would need is Elephant Ears bulbs. Without them, there is no way to grow Elephant Ears at all, you can click here and buy some planting bulbs.
As soon as you have the Elephant Ears bulbs, you can plant them in a pot approximately 8 weeks before the frosting season ends and let them grow indoors for around 8 until the frosting season is gone.
2. Hardening
Once the frosting season is gone, you can start hardening them for a week. The hardening process is simple, you have to expose the pot to the outdoor environment for a few minutes on the first day and then increase the time in sunlight as days’ pass.
Starting with a few minutes, you can start keeping the pot at your window, balcony, or anywhere under direct sunlight for a few hours later on.
3. Transplant into the garden
After week of hardening, your Elephant Ear plant should be ready to move to the garden soil. Make sure to get some organically rich and moist soil to help your Elephant Ears grow well.
Once the frosting season is gone, you can have a sip of fresh lemonade (I prefer some mints and black peppers too, it’s refreshing) and start digging your garden, taking place for the Elephant Ears.
You have to plant the Elephant Ear tubes, formerly bulbs, at least 2 to 3 inches deep in the ground and make sure they’re blunt.
Then comes the time for caring for your tubes and see them sprout and grow into big, beautiful plants. Like many I have seen so far, they’re surely very aesthetically pleasing, sight for sore eyes.
If you are thinking about how you can take care of the Elephant Ear plants, then don’t worry. Stay with me, I am going to give you all the tips to help you grow Elephant Ears without any hassle!
Tips for Taking Care of Elephant Ear Plants
Every plant has its properties and requirements, and the same goes for the Elephant Ears, they don’t require too much care but it doesn’t mean you can just leave them be. Here are a few tips to take care of your Elephant Ear plants.
Watering
During the dry season, you should water the Elephant Ears regularly and don’t let the soil get completely dry. Make sure to keep it as moist as possible. Elephant Ear plants needs regular watering more than anything, so give them that!
Fertilizer application
Make sure to apply liquid fertilizers once every 2 or 3 weeks to ensure your Elephant Ear plants stay beautiful as they are meant to be.
It is not mandatory but is recommended and necessary to apply some slow-release fertilizer such as this all-purpose slow-release plant food to the soil periodically. Slow-release fertilizer can eliminate the risk of fertilizer burn and lasts longer in the soil. You won’t need to use feed your plants for the next few months if you use some good quality slow-release fertilizers.
Deadheading
During the growing season, Elephant Ears keep on producing new leaves and the old leaves eventually die off. You should remove the dead leave and maintain your Elephant Ear plants neat and clean. You may also be interested in learning why you should deadhead daffodils after they bloom.
Overwintering
You should know that Elephant Ears can’t survive frosting season or freezing temperatures. To prevent them from getting damaged, you need to dig the Elephant Ear plants and store them indoors during the frosting season.
How to overwinter the elephant ears plant
cut the foliage back to about a few inches, approximately 5 centimeters when it starts to frost in your region, and dig out the plant.
Dry the Elephant Ears tuber to dry out for a few days, then store them in peat shavings or moss. You can place the Elephant Ears indoors, or in your basement where the temperature doesn’t go down to the freezing point.
These are important tips that can help you grow Elephant Ear plants and make them dance in your garden like majestic leaves they are.
With these tips you’ll be able to take care of the Elephant Ear plants without any hassles. Having said that, let’s turn to the benefits of planting Elephant Ears in your garden, or in pots in your house.
Benefits of Elephant Ear Plants
What if I tell you that Elephant Ears are more than just an aesthetic display in your garden?
It might shock you but you can actually eat the Elephant Ear plants with proper precautions and procedures. In addition to that, Elephant Ears are also used for medicinal purposes as well.
So stay with me and learn about how you can reap the benefits from the Elephant Ears. First I will tell you about the culinary uses of Elephant Ears and then medicinal uses, so, let’s get into it!
- The corms grown on the Elephant Ear plant as well as its leaves are edible. Before you go on chewing raw Elephant Ear leaves, let me tell you that uncooked and unprepared Elephant Ear leaves can actually make your throat, mouth, and lips itch… badly.
- Make sure to remove the veins of the leaves and remove the skin of the corms and steep the corms in cold water overnight before cooking them.
- It is recommended to pre-boil Elephant Ear leaves and corms before mixing them with other ingredients to cook them into a stir fry, soup, curry, casserole, or any other similar dish. The domain is yours to explore.
- You can add the stem of the Elephant Ear plants to any dish to add an attractive texture to it.
- Cut the corms into chips and roast them or boil them and enjoy them by cooking them with the spices or condiments of your choice. You can also add the corms to spicy dishes as well.
Let’s have a look at how Elephant Ear plant is used for medicinal purposes:
- Rub the stem leaf of the Elephant Ear plant on an insect sting to prevent swelling or pain.
- It is rich in Vitamin C and can help you get rid of free radicals as well as prevent scurvy too.
- It is also used in treating insomnia, and cramps. In addition to that, Elephant Ears are also used in preventing heart ailments as well as Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
It is used around the world for different remedies and is very beneficial in many different aspects of health.
Now that you know a few of the benefits of growing Elephant Ears, you might want to get them as soon as possible.
Before I say farewell, I have answered a few of the most asked questions about Elephant Ears that can help you as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the color of the Elephant Ear plant?
The leaves of the Elephant Ear plants are most commonly seen as a rich emerald green plant but there are other colors found in Elephant Ear plants as well. The leaves of the Elephant Ear plants can be black, brown, and chartreuse gold including many different shades around them.
Do Elephant Ears need shade or sun?
Although they are not very sensitive to sunlight, it is recommended to keep them in bright but indirect sunlight. Extended exposure to the sunlight can cause the leaves to burn, in contrast, too little sunlight can make the leaves yellow.
How often should I water Elephant Ears?
The Elephant Ears love water. You should water them 2 to 3 inches of water once a week so they stay moist and grow well.
Where Elephant Ear plants grow the best?
These plants can grow well in sun as well as shade. Although the darker colored Elephant Ear plants require more sunlight to grow majestically into full size.
How do I know if my Elephant Ear plant is withering or dying?
It is no rocket science. If your Elephant Ear plant is not getting enough nutrients or sunlight. It will start turning brown displaying that it is dying. You can contact an arborist or a professional to help you restore the dying Elephant Ear plant.
Conclusion
The Elephant Ears are aesthetically pleasing as well as rich in nutrients. You can plant them in your garden just for display and cook them to eat as well. They don’t require much care, water them enough and they will keep on growing, adding the volume to your garden!
So what are you waiting for? Start digging and plant the Elephant Ear bulbs at your earliest opportune time!