Like most in the San Antonio area, the recent hard freezes have hit my yard hard. My question is how severly should I prune my elephant ears and the many split leaves I have in my yard. I have heard everything from simply removing the dead leaves to cutting them back to the ground. Any help will be appreciated!
Hard freeze damage to elephant ears and split leaves
Oh, yes, I'd like to know if EE's can survive a temp under 13°...I'm guess they won't, but maybe I'm wrong. I had one in a pot, which is even worse, I guess.
I HAD many giant split leaf philadendrons in New Braunfels until the 12 degree freeze. They were all five years old and very beautiful. Wes, owner of Plant Haus, told me to cut just the leaves and some of the stalk and WAIT. The EE were all mush on the ground so I cleaned them up too. Today was a beautiful day.......but, I believe winter has a way to go this year. Coldest winter in 20 years!
I just mention on the Vitex thread what I have been seeing around town, tall Palms and huge Agaves are all mush... they had to way old! There is a huge landscape of these kind of plants at the Compass bank in my area and the Agave are banked by these huge rocks and its a mess. One I got some seeds from them one and I am just now remembering where I got those seeds.
remove whats dead is your best bet..
I have had EE and banana and several other tropicals for 5 years. They are always mush but I leave everything right where it is until I am reasonably sure that we will not have more freeze. Clean them up to the ground and they come back bigger than ever. Best not to clean up too soon or they will continue to freeze further down the stalk.
Christi
Christi, THANKS! Mine are mush too, along with just about everything else in the yard! (Hawaiian Scheffelera were huge! !)
The freeze just about wiped out all of the foliage that were in pots on the patio as well. We went out this afternoon and put up additional plastic to try to protect the plumerias and few hibiscus that are out there. Most everything else has been wiped out. It is devastating to look at.
I am going to focus on buying Hardy Hibscus to replace whatever does not come back.
Jeanne
Jeanne, we have never, ever had this much cold. Supposed to be below 28 for the next few nights and then snow. Nothing like average. This spring will be a big surprise if any of the tropicals make it.
In addition to putting up more plastic and securing what was there, we took sheets and covered the things on the patio plus I took socks and panty hose and covered the tips of my plumeria trees. It looks so funny, but hopefully it'll help keep them from getting any more damage.
I covered my geraiums, bay leaf tree and the huge elephant ear thats in a pot tonight in hopes of saving them one more time...lol Ill admit the stuff I had in pots that I thought for sure were garbage after it being so cold last month are now showing new growth. the pots are not big either. I had them on my brick patio.. the brick absorbs the heat from the sun and then gaves it back so I think its abit warmer than other places around the house..
My EE turned turn brown and die back, but this year they are mush!
Raven where you get a Bay Leaf tree, it sound very interesting.
I found it at the antique rose emporium in san antonio in Oct of 08.. I paid full price for it (Gasp) which was 10.00.. I rarely pay full price for anything except for my bills...lol.. but I had to have it. It was in a 6in pot when I got it and I moved it into a 9 in and that little plant just took off, its doubled in size in a year. They say are a bit tender for this area but since they can be grown in pots I thought I might have a chance with it... Many people have them in ground and I may do that someday .They can grow into tree size up to 25 ft tall and Im told they make good houseplants too..
I dug up my split leaf's this year and brought them into the house because the person who gave them to me told me they had to be dug up every year here...It was sure a hassle. Am I understanding here that they can be left in the ground in my area?
Dark Moon, Of course you can. You are in the same zone as Christi and I and we dont have any problems. I made a promise to myself to never buy anything that I got to move come winter.
Karen!!! glad to see you online again... havent seen much of you lately... you were missed!!!