I received 3 varieites of elephant ear. Is it better to pot these seperately? Or can they be potted together? And do they do better in part shade, or can they handle full sun? Do they require a large pot? Thanks in advance. :o) Jenny
Elephant Ear?
There are about 5 hundren million billion quadrillion species of elephant ear out there, Jen. Any clue which ones you have?
Unless they're the dwarf variety, I would pot them seperately ... unless you're using REALLY big pots.
Insofar as sun & shade, I will wait to hear which ones you think you might have. As a general rule, they ALL do acceptibly well in the shade, and many are quite happy in full sun (although, get this, some varieties actually grow SMALLER in full sun). Well, okay ... there are a few that are not heavy shade lovers, but anyhow ...
Aren't these wonderful plants, tho?!?! I am trying to collect all 5 hundred million billion quadrillion of them! lol
(actually, there's 3 major genus here: Alocasia, Colocasia and Xanthosoma. Check out the Plant Files, I think you'll be happily amazed at what a diverse family of plants this is)
My personal favorite is this guy (I seriously need to get a better shot that really shows off the color variations of each leaf)
This message was edited Jul 20, 2005 11:35 AM
LOL I kinda figured I should have listed specifically which ones. Colocasia esculenta Chicago Harlequin and also Black Magic, and Colocasia antiquorum Illustris. From what I've read, the black magic seems to do ok in sun, but I'm not sure about the others. Jenny
Colocasias, as a genus, are rather sun tolerant. I have some odd-ball hybrid/off-shoot of the Chicago Harlequin that I am growing in every thinkable setting I can create on my property. All I can tell thus far is this: they NEED fertilizer (the ones in poor soil without supplements are still faring alright, but are not as stunning as everybody else) Speaking of "everybody else," all of the other Plasma Limes (pictured above) that I have are going NUTS! Some in shade, some in FULL sun, some submersed, some in loose, somewhat dry soil, etc. The ones in lite/partial shade seem to stand out the best.
Your 'Illustris' should do just fine in full sun, but some late day shade might help bring out the darker shades a bit more. Of course, I may be thinking of another beast altogether as the only Illustris I am familiar with off the top of my head is the "Imperial Taro," which is an Esculenta species. Same thing with the Black Magic: it's another Esculenta, if memory serves. All of the esculenta that I have owned have done exceptionally well with almost any mix of sun and shade ... just so long as there is a period of the day where they get to bask in some direct sunlight. I have had some Blacks that fared very well with minimal morning sun, by the way.
Enjoy!!!!
Thanks alot! ;o) Jenny
Hi Jenny,
I guess you are planting in a pond since you are on the water garden forum. If so, I will definately urge you to plant in a VERY LARGE POT as Bogweed suggested. A friend was nice enough to give me a start of elephant ears several years back, and I added it to the pond edge without a planting basket, not that that would have helped. Finally last year we had to say enough is enough. We found that the roots were huge and they were displacing rocks and everything else in it's path. Here was my 6 foot nightmare. (Note my muddy foot for reference.) Never again will we put elephant ears in the pond without a pot of some kind. I love the look of them and the shade they provide though.
Sheila
Perhaps you shuold consider thinning them out a little more often than every "several" years! LOLOLOL
I keep mine in those basket like "aquatic planters" so I can keep on top of the roots. I lift mine once every few weeks and do a little root trimming. This also minimized the amount of invasiveness that the roots tend to get themselves into. Plus it makes it easier on me in the fall when it comes time to bring the corms/tubers down to the basement.
That's really a nice group of ears, tho! I'm sure the pond enjoyed/enjoys the shade they provide!
WHAT'S THIS ABOUT MINIATURE ELEPHANT EARS?????
Are they small as caladiums? I live in zone 8 & would love small ones, so I wouldn't have to replant caladiums every year.
Thanks!
Nancy
Re: Thinning the EE. NO.....no....LOL! I only had them in the pond for a year and a half maybe. Now I do keep them in pots or in beds near the edge. Good tip though about pulling them up through the year and trimming. I could use that advise on several other plants too.
Sheila
Oh, one more item on elephant ears....I had never seen one bloom when I was a kid, maybe I just didn't take time to "smell the roses" as we say. Here is a picture for those who haven't noticed either. Excuse the bug, the DH didn't notice it.
Sheila in FW
Neat! I didn't even know EE bloomed! :o) Thanks for the pic!
Jenny
MississippiSkie: Alocasia culcullata is a not-too-hard to find miniature variety.
Oh, Sheila.... same story here! We also had to tear down, rip out, and redo! The EE's (Taro Root) had taken over our waterfall basin, attached themselves to the filtering Lava Rocks, and ruined everything.
This year, I miss those HUGE leaves, but I still have EE's outside the waterfall, around the edges. While they are not growing IN water, they are smaller. They are in FULL sun, too. They really could use more water, as they are crispy around the edges, but but spreading with NO problems. I share my Taro roots with any and everyone who wants any! I have planted them directly in the dirt in different areas, two are in shade. One is full shade, and one gets a little afternoon sun. They stay about a foot tall, and spread, again, in this texas heat, that is success with low water situations!
BB- We don't have to bring ours in here in Texas, they just come back right where they are, so they never get trimmed! Take a look at Sheila's pictures... those things are huge! I would NEVER put them directly in a pond without a pot, and trimming them monthly!
I LOVE THESE plants, I just know that water is like viagra for them! Watch what you wish for!
mel
If you want to try something for the fun of it and not drop too much money at a garden center, head to the local grocery store that carries some international foods. Go to the produce section and look for "Taro root."
J'yup, for a paltry $1.49/lb. or so you can have yourself some fresh taro root. Now .... what you'll get as a resulting plant is the fun part: you just don't know until it comes up. And being this late in the season, you may never really get a hard ID on it before the first frost hits. All the same, dig 'em, store 'em in the root cellar, and watch out for next season.
Be patient, though ... mine were somewhat refrigerated and took a couple weeks to pop up despite being mid summer. Really loose, well drained soil that it constantly watered will bring them up the quickest.
Just for reference, that's a 54" TV no mre than a foot or so behind this Taro and was taken over a month ago. It has spent this year out of bright light and in a very cool air conditioned house and it's still rather happy.
Yup. That's what I have growing in my pond. Correction.... next to my pond. Love them!
mel
I like mine too but the ones in the soil in my bog are doing much better than the ones in my waterfall. :)
I don't think I will ever have to buy the Taro, LOL, but that is not something I ever thought about, interesting.
TX Mel, I have a plant ledge on the west side of my pond and have used galvanized buckets with holds in the bottom to plant elephant ears in for the summer. They are doing quite well and offering that shade to the fish that I missed. But as BogweedBuck suggested, I pulled them up and did a trim on the roots and runners trying to invade the area. I figure I can pull the buckets out and put them under the deck or in the shop for the winter when they die back.
I might try them in a bucket again, I just have a hard enough time keeping my waterlilies trimmed back for surface water flow!
I did LOVE the sizes of the leaves when they were growing in the water directly, and can't keep the ones in the dirt wet enough!
thanks
mel
( Yipppppeee....it's raining RIGHT now! Whoo Hoooo)
Yes Mel, it was raining up here at 4:30 this morning, just did get the dogs out and in. Then it rained off and on today evidentally because when I got home and checked the rain gauge we had gotten over 3/4"!!!!!!! I didn't have to water plants or fill the fish pond tonight. :-)))
Sheila
The only plants I replant from the produce section are green onions. I bring 'em home, cut off what I want, then plant them immediately. Don't need to plant anymore, I cut the tops out when I'm cooking potatoes.
From what I have read, I guess I can assume it would not be good to plant them at the edge of my lake.....I want something down there to make the garden that goes to the water a little prettier... I have just put in a few cannas, but these Big Bad Boys look so inviting. Also, has anyone tried a gunnera?
Thanks for the help.....ps. I'm from the coleus forum and was just lurking....lol
Hap
Helllo & welcome Hap,
You said lake?....I doubt you would have any problem there. What Mel and I were speaking about was in a lined pond where they don't have soil to root in, and they displace our rocks with the roots; and the runners will float on top of the water. You shouldn't have any problem with roots, and the runners are easy to break off if you don't want the plant to spread.
Sheila in FWTX
Ok, but if I can suddenly "walk on water" someone's going to get suspicious...LOL
Hap,
Do ya think if you put in some EE's their roots would displace all that coral rock bed? It could be you digging salvation. LOL
:^)))
BTW, I can bring some Tuesday, in a pot and you can just set them down in the water like we did with the La. Iris.
Thanks Molly.....what if I don't put them in a pot?
Hap,
I only suggested a pot to you wouldn't have to try and shovel up coral rock. But I'm sure they can be planted just like we did with some of the cannas. Take some of your garden soil and pack it down around the roots.
I am checking now on which ones like water the best and getting some together for you for Tuesday. K?
Molly
:^)))
I have been sort of following this discussion. I tried something this year, being the play baby that I am. LOL Maybe you will find it interesting and maybe not. It does work to filter the water though. :)
I found a thick piece of styrofoam when I opened a box. I got a wild hair. I took a 2" spade bit and made holes in the styrofoam that were big enough on the top for the base of the plant and smaller on the bottom so the roots would fit through but the plant wouldn't.
Here is what it looked like on June 11.
Oddly enough, planting them like that, they never even wilted! Some I pulled out of potting soil and some got here from Alabama via a box. LOL Normally ears will lose their leaves after being moved then grow new ones. They never even blinked having their roots only hanging in the water. You can see where runners are shooting out both above and below the styrofoam.
Here they are on July 14.
Chele? They are STILL in the Sty-foam?
They look fantastic. If I had a bigger pond I would do the same. So they don't need soil?
I'm sorry, I am astounded.
:^)))
Serious will to live...sprouting both above and below the foam. LOL
Ignore the empty holes. I share, often!
LOL Molly! When I saw you posting about ears and remembered I had pics and this thread was about pot sizes, I had to show this. I don't know what I thought they would do. I normally just grow them in pots of gravel that I let the water run through. The roots clean the water before it goes back into the pond. Then I can lift out the pots and rinse the gravel and put them back.
I ran into one slight snafu but I learned from it. Even at 2-3' tall, I could lift out the styrofoam, tilt it on it's side, and spray the pond funk off the roots. I have a wire shelf in the trough to set pots on. Hubby was afraid the ear raft would shoot into the pond so I sat it on the shelf. BIG MISTAKE! The roots went all through the shelf and by the time I tried to separate the two, I toasted a lot of the roots and broke the foam in half.
It has been 2 weeks and they are almost all rooted down again BUT I have the raft just floating, NOT on the shelf!
Blurry pic. I think the camera had too many Bud Lights. LOL If you look on the right, you can see them pouting after I split them up. :( Note to self. The little ones do not pout at all. Rip half the roots off a big one and watch it sulk!
