Planting Elephant Ear

Hi Julie!

So glad to hear that you have success with starting your EE indoors and growing them in pots. Thats what I plan on doing for next summer. I wonder if I'll get any "babies" or "bulblets" (if thats the proper term) this year? It sure is gonna be hard to chop it down in another month but I'm also curious to see if it's grown any bigger!

The Nicotiana is such an easy and dependable plant to grow in my opinion. I've grown it from seed and it just takes off from the time it germinates! I especially like the way the white flowers almost glow in the early evening.

I'll post pics on "EE chopping/digging day" :( I love the change of seasons but man oh man is it sad to cut everything down and clear it out at the end of summer!

Toni

Welcome Julie! I'm so glad to hear the nicotiana will do well in the shade. I used them in the sunnier areas of the garden this year and have loved them and am loving the idea of adding some to shadier areas where the white will really pop.

I think you had a great idea using black pots and lining them up along a south wall. The sun on the black pots gave your EEs the warm soil they require to get going; I'm gonna remember that next spring!

Toni, a friend of mine grows what looks to be the same type of EE as you, and finds little bulblets in the soil that he uses to start more. He gave me one that has grown well this year and looks like it will be quite large next summer, so keep your eyes open for them when you take it up this fall.

Hi Toni...yep! I know just what you mean about the love/hate relationships with the change of seasons while having to deal with cutting down our plants. I had to do it last year with my cannas, caladiums, and begonias. But they are all very willing to come back for me.

I was wondering whether or not these Nico sylvestris would self seed in our zones. I think I had some of the small border variety (Saratoga Red) volunteer from last year's hanging baskets. There were plants in the area that matched with my IBLF (seed sown 'Indoors Before Last Frost) seedlings, but I didn't want them where they were growing so I yanked them before they big enough to know for sure.

I picked one ripe seed pod from the sylvestris and was thoroughly amazed at the number of seeds! So if you need some...hehehehe

Thanks for the welcome g.sage! I tried the 'black pot/south side' bit with my caladium bulbs, too. But those weren't started indoors. The caladiums gained about 2 weeks on the time it took to get them going last year. So I guess I'll be potting a lot more stuff indoors and setting it in the sunshine next spring. If I had enough room, you can bet I'd be starting the cannas inside, too. ;-)

~julie~

I plant in black pots and put those into black plastic bags.
Keeps the humidity and the heat in.
We gain about 3 weeks that way.

Then just roll the bags down as needed.

Ric

This message was edited Aug 11, 2005 12:24 PM

What would be an appropriate size pot to grow the EE in outside after it's sprouted?

BIG! lol

Ric! That's a GREAT idea! (Hope I remember it next spring!)
"BIG" LOL ...yep!
~julie~

toni,
Sorry I couldn't resist that.
We usually start out in a pot about 2 to 4 times larger than the bulb is wide.

Then go up to a minimum 12" pot for the final Summer pot.

For the sproutings (babies and runners we winter over) and popcorn bulbs I just take a 18 x 13 x 2" deep pan, add about 1" soil, and spread them out.
Cover w/ about 1/2" of soil. I keep the soil slightly moist.

Don't just keep the runner tips.
Each segment of runner can produce a plant in the Colocasias t least.

I took about 30 small 'Big Dipper' plants to the Roundup this Spring all from runner segments. I still had 40 or more at home.

Ric

Hi Ric!

I've got a few jumbo sized plastic pots to pick from so I'll be set for next year. It sure would be nice to get some bulblets this year.

Well, this is what it looks like after 6 months. I'm so sad b/c it's almost time to chop it down.

Question: What are these two "buds"? Didn't have that last year.

Those are the female section of spathes.
Looks like it was flowering.
There may be seeds forming in there.

Ric

Good morning Ric!

You mean I missed the flowers? I had so much stuff growing in front of it that I didn't notice them until I started the fall clean-up. Is there anything I should do or wait for?

All advice sincerely appreciated!

Toni

Morning Toni!

If it's an A. odora there could be seeds.
They are self fertile.
If it's a macro or most others (and you don't have any others flowering) odds are no seeds.
Others here have FAR more knowledge of the seeding habits.

Ric

Hey toni! Your monster is amazing! How tall is it? When that mama starts making babies, keep me in mind :) .Be sure to post a pic of the bulb when you bring it in this year; you may need help lifting it!

Neal

Hi Neal!

I'm really surprised how big it got since it took so long to sprout. The fence is 4ft. so the EE is about 6ft. DH will be digging for a long time to get that puppy out! As far as babies, you were my first trade on DG so you're #1!

Neal, can you tell whether this EE is an A. odora or a macro like Ric mentions in his post? I googled both terms and I still don't know beans!

toni

toni, this is my first year with Alocasias, so I'll have to leave that to one of the many great pools of knowlege here on DG. Post a pic with the question on Tropicals forum, you'll know fast!

I've started the digging and storing, and have determined that I've gone quite mad! This zone envy-can't so no to any tropical or tender bulb craziness is taking over the house! But just looking at those labled bags of peat and bulbs this winter will make me think of summer. So, I reckon it's worth it :) Neal.

wow, toni, your EE is very regal. can't believe it's almost time to cut them back again. mine, though not giants will lose their leaves soon and will grow again in the spring. thank goodness i don't have to dig them up.

Toni,
I posted a link to this thread over in Tropicals for you.
I can usually tell ID if I have it in hand but am lousy from photos.

I'm thinking macro..............so that's probably not right. lol

Ric

Neal, I understand your "zone envy" dilemma. My enclosed back porch/sunroom is beginning to get pretty crowded with all the plants I'm bringing in to overwinter. Jasmine, passionflower, geraniums in addition to all the regular houseplants. I took 21 cuttings of Wilhelm Langguth geranium and potted them up last night. Did I really need to? No. Did I want to? No. Did I find it hard to just dump the plants in the trash? Yup. I'm waiting for the first frost to hit the Cannas so I can dig them up along with the EE and store in the basement. Thank goodness I found someone to take a giant Oleander off my hands. I've been overwintering it for years and this last time it secreted some sort of sticky sap within a 3ft. radius of were it was standing. It was on everything; window, blinds, floor, even the scale I use to weigh myself. I got on the scale one day wearing fuzzy socks and couldn't get off! Talk about a girl's worst nightmare! Had to slip my feet out of the socks and then peel the socks off. Never again! LOL


Moonglow....You are so lucky not to have to dig out your EE's. I plant alot of cannas and I dread the digging and cleaning off part.


Ric....thank you, thank you for being so kind to hyperlink this to Tropicals. I need to grow some brain cells before I try any fancy computer manuevers!

Toni

DMail me Toni it's an easy trick.

Got a picture of that geranium?

Ric

toni, that's so funny. That is a nightmare-stuck to the scales! I'm doing the same thing with cuttings and geraniums- just can't stand the thought of buying them again when I can save them and buy something new instead!

toni, tee-hee, i am canna-crazy right now. donna (socal) gave me canna tropicanna late june, and i was already able to split it 3-ways with my mom and godmom last month! the foliage is just spectacular!

Ric, these are the Wilhelm Langguth geraniums that I took cuttings from.

Here's the cuttings. This is my first time with cuttings; hope they take!

Well son of a gun....now I know what mine are called!

Thanks Toni!
Good luck w/ the cuttings!
Ric