HOW TO GROW ELEPHANT EAR PLANTS IN POTS AND IN GROUND | GARDEN ZONE 5B

Summary

This video offers a comprehensive guide to caring for elephant ear plants, covering soil mix, fertilization, and pest control. It distinguishes between the three types of true elephant ears: Colocasia, Alocasia, and Xanthosoma. The host shares tips on pot and ground planting, including using compost and granular fertilizer for slow and quick nutrient release. Shade considerations for hot climates and spider mite treatments are also discussed. Additionally, the video addresses common issues like yellowing leaves and provides a step-by-step guide for preparing these plants for winter, ensuring they thrive year after year.

Takeaways

• 🌱 There are three types of true elephant ears: Colicasia, Alocasia, and Xanthosoma.
• 🌿 When planting in pots, use a good soil mix and consider the price range.
• 🌳 Add compost and granular fertilizer to the soil mix for a balanced nutrient supply.
• 🌞 For potted plants, a combination of slow-release (compost) and quick-release (granular fertilizer) nutrients is beneficial.
• 🏡 When planting in-ground, dig a hole twice as wide and deep as the plant and add compost or granular fertilizer at the bottom.
• 🌞 Elephant ears prefer part sun, especially in hotter climates, to avoid sunburn.
• 🌳 In-ground plants can rely on soil nutrients and slow-release fertilizers, while potted plants benefit from weekly liquid fertilizer.
• 🐛 Spider mites are a common pest for elephant ears and should be controlled with regular spraying and washing.
• 🍂 Yellowing leaves can be due to various factors including overwatering, sun exposure, pests, or fertilization issues.
• 🌬️ To prepare for winter, dig up the plants, cut off roots and foliage, and store the bulbs in a cool, dry place.
• 🌱 For those in climates with frost, keep the plants in the ground or pots until the first frost to maximize energy storage in the bulbs.

Q & A

What are the three types of true elephant ears mentioned in the video?

The three types of true elephant ears mentioned are Colicasia, Alocasia, and Xanthosoma.

What is the recommended soil mix for planting elephant ears in pots?

The video suggests using a good soil mix within your price range, emphasizing that the best quality in that range is appreciated by the plants.

Why is it important to add compost and granular fertilizer when planting elephant ears in pots?

Compost and granular fertilizer are important because they provide a slow feed for the plants. This is combined with a quick feed from liquid fertilizers for a balanced nutrient supply.

How should you prepare the planting hole for in-ground elephant ears?

The hole should be twice as wide and deep as the plant, with compost or granular fertilizer added at the bottom before planting.

What is the recommended sunlight exposure for elephant ears in Ohio zone 5b?

In Ohio zone 5b, the video recommends part sun, meaning morning sun and afternoon shade for the elephant ears.

How can you prevent spider mites on your elephant ears?

To prevent spider mites, the video suggests spraying the plants weekly with Captain Jack's Dead Bug and hosing the leaves off to maintain a moist-free environment.

What are the common issues that can cause elephant ear leaves to turn yellow?

Yellowing leaves can be caused by over-fertilization, too much or too little water, too much or not enough sun, pest issues, or simply the natural aging of older leaves.

How should you prepare your elephant ears for winter storage?

The plants should be dug up, roots and foliage cut off, and the bulbs allowed to dry. Once mostly dry, they are stored in paper bags in a cool, dry, and low humidity space.

When is the best time to wake the elephant ears from their winter storage?

The best time to wake the elephant ears from their winter storage is in February, according to the video.

What should you do if you want to store your elephant ears in pots for the winter?

If storing in pots, ensure the soil dries out completely before cutting off the foliage and storing the pot in a cool, dry place.

Why are elephant ears a desirable addition to a garden according to the video?

Elephant ears are desirable because they are a striking plant that, once experienced, gardeners often choose to grow year after year.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Elephant Ear Plant Care Basics

This paragraph introduces the video's focus on elephant ear plant care, both in pots and in the ground. It highlights the three true types of elephant ears: colicasia, alocasia, and xanthosima. The speaker shares their experience with colicasia and mentions having alocasia and xanthosima in their home. Key tips include using a good soil mix for potted plants, adding compost and granular fertilizer, and the importance of a balanced nutrient intake through both slow and quick feeds. For in-ground planting, the advice is to dig a hole twice as wide and deep as the plant, adding compost or granular fertilizer at the bottom. The speaker also discusses the use of liquid fertilizer for potted plants and the ideal sunlight conditions for elephant ears, emphasizing the need for part sun in areas with hot summers to prevent burning.

05:01

🌞 Dealing with Elephant Ears in Extreme Heat and Winter

This paragraph delves into the challenges of caring for elephant ears in extreme heat and preparing them for winter. The speaker advises that in regions with intense summer heat, such as Texas or Florida, plants should be placed in part shade or full shade to prevent sunburn. Common issues like spider mites are addressed, with recommendations for proactive treatment using Captain Jack's Dead Bug spray and other methods like hosing off leaves to maintain a humid environment. The speaker also discusses the causes of yellowing leaves in elephant ears, suggesting it could be due to overwatering, sun exposure, pest issues, or over-fertilization. For winter preparation, the process involves digging up the plants, cutting off roots and foliage, allowing the bulbs to dry, and storing them in paper bags in a cool, dry space. The speaker emphasizes the importance of allowing the plants to store energy in the bulbs before the first frost and provides advice on reusing bulbs in cooler climates.

Keywords

💡Elephant Ears

Elephant Ears refer to a type of plant with large, distinctive leaves that resemble an elephant's ear. In the video's theme, they are the central subject of care and cultivation. The script mentions three types: Colicasia, Alocasia, and Xanthosima, which are the 'true' elephant ears, differentiating them from other plants with similar foliage.

💡Colicasia

Colicasia is one of the three types of 'true' elephant ears mentioned in the script. It is a specific genus of plants that are characterized by their large, ear-shaped leaves. The video discusses the care of Colicasia as part of its broader topic on elephant ear plants.

💡Alocasia

Alocasia is another genus of plants that are considered true elephant ears. The video script uses Alocasia as an example to illustrate the types of plants that can be grown in pots and in the ground, emphasizing the importance of proper soil mix and care for these plants.

💡Xanthosima

Xanthosima, also known as Xanthosoma, is the third type of 'true' elephant ear mentioned in the script. It is used to show the variety within the category of elephant ears and to demonstrate that there are different species that share the common characteristic of large, leafy foliage.

💡Soil Mix

Soil mix is an essential component for planting elephant ears in pots, as highlighted in the video. A good soil mix provides the necessary nutrients and structure for plant growth. The script emphasizes the importance of choosing the best soil mix within one's budget for the health of the plants.

💡Compost

Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and is used to enrich soil. In the context of the video, compost is recommended to be added to the soil mix when planting elephant ears, as it provides slow-release nutrients that benefit the plants over time.

💡Granular Fertilizer

Granular fertilizer is a type of fertilizer that comes in solid颗粒 form and is spread over the soil. The script mentions its use in combination with compost, providing a slow feed of nutrients to the elephant ears, which is important for their long-term growth and health.

💡Quick Feed

Quick feed refers to nutrients that plants can absorb rapidly, such as liquid fertilizers. In the video, it is contrasted with slow feed sources like granular fertilizer or compost. The script suggests using a combination of both to ensure the plants receive nutrients in a timely manner and over an extended period.

💡Spider Mites

Spider mites are tiny pests that can infest and damage plants, as mentioned in the script. They are a common issue for elephant ears, and the video recommends proactive treatment with products like Captain Jack's Dead Bug to prevent infestations from spreading to other plants in the garden.

💡Over-Fertilization

Over-fertilization occurs when too much fertilizer is applied, which can harm the plant. The script addresses this issue as a potential cause of yellowing leaves in elephant ears, advising viewers to be mindful of the amount of fertilizer used.

💡Winterizing

Winterizing refers to the process of preparing plants for the winter season. In the context of the video, it involves digging up the elephant ear plants, removing the roots and foliage, and storing the bulbs in a cool, dry place. This process is crucial for the survival and health of the plants in regions with freezing temperatures.

Highlights

Elephant ears are one of three types: Colicasia, Alocasia, or Xanthosima.

When planting in pots, use a good soil mix within your budget's best option.

Add compost and granular fertilizer to the soil mix for a balanced nutrient intake.

Granular fertilizer and compost offer slow feed, while liquid fertilizer provides quick nutrients.

For in-ground planting, dig a hole twice as wide and deep as the plant and add compost or granular fertilizer at the bottom.

Liquid fertilizer can be applied weekly for potted elephant ears to promote growth.

Elephant ears in Ohio zone 5b are planted in part sun for morning sun and afternoon shade.

In very hot climates, ensure plants are in part shade or full shade to prevent burning.

Spider mites are a common issue; regular spraying with Captain Jack's Dead Bug is recommended.

Spider mites can spread to other plants, so proactive treatment is essential.

Yellowing leaves in elephant ears can be due to various factors like overwatering, sun exposure, or pests.

Older leaves naturally turn yellow and die off, which is a normal process.

For winter preparation, dig up the plants, cut off roots and foliage, and allow bulbs to dry.

Store dried bulbs in paper bags in a cool, dry, and low humidity space for winter.

Wake the bulbs from winter slumber in February to restart the growing process.

Allow elephant ears to stay in the ground or pots until the first frost to maximize energy storage.

If storing in a pot, ensure the soil dries out completely before cutting off foliage and storing.

Elephant ears are a rewarding addition to the garden, often grown year after year.

Transcripts

hey guys thank you so much for watching

today's video is all about elephant ear

care in pots and in ground there are

three different types of true elephant

ears while there are a lot of plants

that grow foliage very similar

they may not be elephant ears elephant

ears are either colicasia alocasia or

xanthosima this here is a colicasia and

then i will show you some allocations

and then i will show you a xanthosuma

that i keep in my house i hope this

video is informative leave me some

questions or comments if i did not

answer all of the questions that you may

have so let's go ahead and get started

so i'm holding my mic like this because

i don't have a good place to clip it

so that's why it looks like this

um anyways so my first tip would be when

you're planting in pots to use a good

soil mix now

this can be whatever

you can afford in your price range buy

the best in that price range they

appreciate a decent soil mix

tip number two when you are planting

them in that soil mix make sure that you

add in compost and then also add in a

granular fertilizer

for several of my pots i planted them in

and i used worm casings and then just a

basic granular all-purpose fertilizer

any liquid fertilizer is going to be a

quick feed for the plant

granular fertilizer or a compost is

going to be a slow feed for the plant

quick feeds means that the plant can

utilize the nutrients in that fertilizer

much faster than a granular or

any other sort of compost because those

things have to break down over time

which is why you want to do a

two-piece combo i guess so you want to

have a slow feed and a quick feed

if you're planting your elephant ears in

ground you want to dig a hole that is

twice as wide and deep as the plant and

then you want to add a compost or a

granular fertilizer in at the bottom of

that hole

and then plant your plant in that hole

if you choose to fertilize

a liquid feed throughout the season you

are definitely welcome to do that that

will also help your plant grow big i

don't do that for my in-ground plants

just because it's just one extra thing

to do they do just fine in the ground

with

you know the nutrients that they can

pull from the soil and the

slow feed that i put in the hole

so it's kind of up to you what you

um have the time for

anything that is potted will

be very happy to get a liquid fertilizer

weekly

so i garden in ohio zone 5b

and i plant my elephant ears in part sun

meaning that they get morning sun

and then they get afternoon shade if you

live in an area of the world or country

where you have a very very hot sun

hot summer

hot sun and summer you will want to make

sure that your plants are either in

part shade or full shade so i'm talking

like

you know texas heat florida heat you

want to make sure that your plants are

getting a lot of shade or else they may

burn

so one of the common issues that i have

with my elephant ears are spider mites

spider mites are just nasty little

creatures that look like tiny little

spiders and they will quickly take over

if you are not proactive with your

treatment so every week i spray my

elephant ears down with captain jack's

dead bug

and this year we are having a big

spider-mite issue in the garden spider

mites do spread to other plants so i

have a lot of plants in the garden that

are suffering from spider mites i am

continuing to spray and stay on top of

it so if you happen to see a spider my

issue on your elephant ears make sure

that you are

taking

control of that situation because it can

spread to

everything else in your garden

along with spraying your plants with

like a neem based insecticide you can

also just hose the leaves off every week

spider mites do not enjoy

moist or humid conditions so that is one

way to keep their numbers low so one of

the questions i get asked most often is

why are my elephant ear leaves turning

yellow

this is a loaded question because it can

be just about anything it can be

fertilizer it can be too much water it

can be too little water it could be too

much sun it could be not enough sun it

could be a pest issue it could be an

over fertilization issue

just so many things so one of the things

that i always ask people is how do you

take care of it

and then you kind of get a list and you

kind of go through that list am i you

know am i over watering it am i is it in

too much sun

did i over fertilize it um

is there a pest issue is this an older

leaf because older leaves do die off

it's normal for

those to turn yellow and fade so another

question that i got is when do you

break these plants down for winter what

do you do when winter time comes what i

do is i dig them up i cut off all of the

roots and the foliage and i allow the

bulbs to dry out

and once they are dry or mostly dry i

put them in paper bags like you would

like a paper

you know lunch bag or like a grocery

paper bag i store them in there and then

i put them in a space that stays cool

kind of like a basement or in a closet

and stays cool and dry so you want it to

be in a space that is not getting a ton

of humidity and a space that is not

you know

moist

so once february comes that's when i

start to wake my elephant ears back up

from their winter slumber and then we

start that process all over again

so my suggestion is if you want to keep

reusing your bulbs every year and you

live in a cooler climate a climate that

experiences frost and hard frost you

will want to leave those elephant ears

in the ground or in pots until that

first frost or close to it just to give

them as long of season as possible to

store energy in the bulb

once you have that first frost or you

get close to it

go ahead and cut that plant back if you

want to store

your plant in the pot you definitely can

do that make sure that that soil dries

out

all the way before you cut off the

foliage and store that pot

so you guys already know how amazing

elephant ears are and having them in the

garden once you get your first one you

will always grow them in your garden

year after year so thank you guys so

much for watching if there were

questions that i did not answer feel

free to leave them below i am so happy

to help you guys with this many of you

have reached out on instagram or in the

comments section and i really appreciate

that i am

happy to help you so if you have a

question ask it

alright guys thank you so much for

watching have a good day bye

you