Is it ok to cut back my elephant ears now, or should I wait until after a freeze? They are still pretty, but I have grandsons here today to work, so I'd like to get it done if it doesn't matter. Seems I've heard that with all bulbs you need to wait until they die good so the nutrients go back down into the bulb. Please tell me that's an old wives tale.
This message was edited Nov 17, 2010 11:57 AM
This message was edited Nov 17, 2010 11:58 AM
elephant ears
Hi sybram :) My EE's still look great too. Still sending up new leaves and flowering. I always leave mine to do their own thing unless I'm shipping them. I've always heard the same about bulbs. Not sure if it's a wive's tale or not but it sure does make sense.
It really does not matter, it's not that you can do it any harm. If it is an Alocasia I would dig it up and store for the Winter, that way it gets bigger each year.
Lordy, if mine get any bigger I they will eat the house! hahaha I just let mine die down and be their own cover for most of the winter. Early spring I cut them off.
Yep, LouC, that's how I've been doing it, and it has worked well for me. I just thought that's one more thing I could get the boys to do while they were here. As it turned out, we had more projects than time (sound familiar), so we wouldn't have gotten to it anyway. It's suppose to get down to 37º here tonight, so we'll see what the EEs look like in the morning.
I cut my EEs back after the first frost, but I don't think it would hurt them in any way for them to be cut back a few weeks early. If the bed has leaves or mulch the bulbs should continue to grow. I don't believe I have ever lost any in FW to the freezes.
I want to make sure the brown leaved little one can survive outside, can it?
C
Brown leaved? ...what do you have?
honestly I do not know, it was some variety called mocha. I don't know much about these plants.
C
This is not my plant but what it looks like.
Cheryl
Cheryl, that looks like my black ones. It should be fine over the winter. Mine do fine and come back every year.
I am going to leave it and see. I planted the green and extremely aggressive type too and that is going to be dug up! It is taking over the whole bed. The little brown leaved one has been well behaved and quite lovely.
C
It should be fine, but if for some reason you loose it over the winter I would be happy to share some of mine with you at the spring RU. JLMK
Yes, the more common variety is definately a spreader. I have to keep those in check, but I love to have some around. The others I have aren't as agressive but all will return in the summer if kept watered occassionally. If it potted I would bring it in.
It's in a bed so it will stay. I will have some EE tubers for the spring RU LOL. I am not keeping a plant that sends out that many runners.
C
Oh, the first year after someone gave them to me, I put them in my pond and they began pushing the rocks away from the liner on the ledge...I had to really work that next year to get them out.
I am not keeping that kind, even though the giant leaves are amazing.
A lot of Colacasias send out runners and will take over a yard if allowed. That is why we should use botanical name so we can find out growing conditions. Alocasias get much larger than Colacasias or Xanthasomas and do not run. Xanthasomas spread underground but are easy to control than Colocasias.
This Alocasia was 9' in the picture and got to 10' before Fall;
I think mine might be an Alocasia. I need to look it up as I lost the ID.
C
Ken, I have been sharing these EEs but had no id on them when given to me. Do you recognize them?
