Can You Keep Elephant Ears Indoors

CARE INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Environment: A large space and large container for your Elephant Ear plant are ideal.
2. Sunlight: Put near bright sun (south or west window), but not in direct sunlight.
3. Ideal temperatures: 60-80 degrees.
4. Humidity is important: Place plant on a saucer with pebbles and water to create a humid ambiance.

Can you keep elephant ears inside during the winter?

Option 1: Bring Them Indoors Elephant ears can be moved indoors and grown as a houseplant during the winter months. To give it the best growing conditions place it in a bright, south-facing window. They also need warm temperatures in the 70s and plenty of water. Also, elephant ears require humid growing conditions.

Can elephant ear live indoors?

Growing Elephant Ears Indoors There are a few things to keep in mind: Make sure you have a large pot and an ample indoor space in mind for these plants. They grow one new leaf per week, even indoors. Their leaves die back, but each dead leaf is replaced by a bigger leaf throughout its growing season.

What to do with elephant ears in the winter?

Put the tubers in a grocery bag, plastic pot or bulb rate and cover with a mix of peat moss and soil. Add water to the container and store it in a cool, dark place to ensure the tuber stays dormant throughout the winter. Keep your Elephant Ears moist but not wet.

How often do you water elephant ears indoors?

Water your Elephant Ear per week, especially during the growing season. Above-average humidity is ideal for your Elephant Ear plant. Elephant Ear prefers temperatures between 65°F and 75°F.

Do elephant ear plants grow well in pots?

If you decide you don't want to plant your elephant ear plants in the ground, container growing is perfectly acceptable for these plants. Elephant ears do well in containers so long as you provide them with the right sized container, proper soil, and adequate sunlight.

Will potted elephant ears grow back?

Are elephant ear plants perennials? Most are perennials in Zone 9 and warmer, where they will come back each summer. If gardening in cooler zones, you can treat them as annuals or dig up the tubers before the first frost and keep them in a cool, dry place over winter.

How do you store elephant ear bulbs over the winter?

When the temperature gets cool enough, depending on your variety of elephant ears, it will drop its leaves and go into dormancy. Trim the stems back to two to four inches above the soil line. Then, cover with a couple of inches of shredded leaves or mulch to protect the tuber (or corm) from the coldest temperatures.

Do elephant ear bulbs come back every year?

Most elephant's ears are perennials and will come back every summer in the Lower, Coastal, and Tropical South. Some are perennials in the lower part of the Middle South. They like the soil to be relatively dry in winter.

How big do elephant ears get indoors?

You can't expect your elephant ear plant to grow as large indoors as it would outside, but that's probably a good thing considering a single leaf can grow to be two feet wide, and stems can reach five or more feet, depending on the variety.

Are elephant ears toxic to touch?

Elephant Ear Plant Safety The leaves and stems are the most toxic parts of the plants. Even touching them can cause skin irritation and itching, and if you get the sap in your eyes, your eyes will sting and burn for several hours.

Are elephant ears hard to keep alive?

Growing elephant ear plants is easy. Most of these plants prefer rich, moist soil and can be grown in full sun, but they generally prefer partial shade.

Will elephant ears survive a freeze?

Elephant ears are only hardy in zones 9-11 and do not survive freezing temperatures if left alone. In colder zones you can treat your elephant ears as annuals or store the tubers indoors and replant during the next spring.

Should I cut back my elephant ears for winter?

Once the first frost has arrived you will need to cut the stems of your elephant ear plant down to 6” in height. Then gently dig the tubers from the ground. Be careful not to cause any damage as this could impact their survival rate. Damaged tubers are much more likely to rot over the winter months.

Can you leave elephant ears in the ground year round?

In USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 11, elephant ears can be left outside year-round and are treated as perennials. In colder climates, they are typically treated as annuals and discarded at the end of the growing season.

Should I cut off yellow elephant ear leaves?

Pruning Elephant Ears Drooping leaves can be cut off with a sharp blade. Yellowing or brown leaves can be cut off at the stem. Disinfect the blade with each cut to prevent the spread of disease. This will give the plant more energy to put towards new growing leaves.

What causes elephant ear leaves to turn yellow?

Too much or too little water can cause leaves to turn yellow or brown. One other factor to consider when your elephant ear plant becomes discolored is watering frequency. Both over-watering and under-watering can cause the leaves of any plant to form yellow spots, before the color takes over the whole leaf.

Should you mist elephant ears?

How to water the Elephant Ear. Water your plant about once a week to keep soil evenly moist but never soggy. Mist between waterings to provide humidity.

How long does an elephant ear plant last?

Special Note: Begonia tubers gradually get better each year for about 8 years, and then die. Replace with newly purchased tubers. Lift: Before hard frost as the leaves decline (typically October). Special Note: Storage works well for 2-3 years, after that corms will begin to decline and you will need to buy new corms.

What kills elephant ears?

Liquid glyphosate formulations have been effective on elephant ear above the water line, but ineffective on plants in the water. They are broad spectrum, systemic herbicides. Systemic herbicides are absorbed and move within the plant to the site of action.