there is some kind of elephant ear that grows wild on the miss. gulf coast. when i was there visiting i got a specimen. but this is what happens. it looks healthy and grows 2 fronds (are they fronds?) but EVERY time that third one starts the oldest leaf dies. and the process begins anew. so i have never seen more than 2 leaves at one time. why is this happening? thanks. barb
need exert advice on elephant ears
can you show us a pic of your plant?
no vossner i don't have a picture. my miss. bud tells me the name is esculenta something if that helps. and she says she has one in a pot and it does the same thing. tell me something. when i saw this thing growing in the ditches everywhere on the miss. coast it was in the full sun. now do ee's like full sun? this same plant i had it in the flower bed outside. it did the same thing. now it's in a pot inside. it did reproduce itself in the flower beds. i found little ones coming up but every one will be able to keep only 2 leaves at a time. do you have a clue?
It is most likely a form of Colocasia esculenta. The problem is almost all forms grown in the states are Esculenta. A few new species like Fallax Gigantea have been making their way to the market. No one really wants to mess with Colocasias sense they have been breed with many times and for hundreds of years they maybe some of the oldest crop plants known. So what we have are things like Colocasia esculenta (black magic) but the for of esculenta your talking about is most likely a dark blue form with smaller growing habit than most. It is considered a weed. Froming runners that spread usually in ditches and wet areas. I call it colocasia esculenta blue species. Fronds are manly for ferns so that term would not be correct for this plant.
The reason your plant is holding only two leaves could be for many reasons. For one yes colocasias love full sun but can do well in part shade. The darker it is the taller the skinner the plants usually grow. Another reason maybe the soil dry unrich soil will cause the plant to not do as well. The other reasons being heat water or bugs. It could be any of these reasons or a few reason conbined. If you notice white specks on the leaves you may have spidermites or white fuzzy looking spots scale or mealy bugs. These can take out leaves very fast and they flurish in winter indoors or in greenhouses.
brian is the expert and what he says pretty much covers all. I have some planted in full sun and some in full shade, inground. THe sunny ones get ratty in the dead of summer while the shady ones look better overall at that time of year. Also the sunny ones require more water. But other than that, they seem to do well in both locations.
o.k. now i have some store bought ee's. if they do the same as my ditch ones then there is something wrong with my dirt. no bugs or fuzzy spots visible. or it could be NOT ENOUGH water? do they like it really wet? and thanks to everyone for helping.
Depends on the cultivar.
I grow my Illustris, Black Beauty, 'Fontanesii' and Big Dipper in water.
Black Runner, regular Green and others in soil.
So it can vary greatly.
Ric
so looks like i have to kill a few to find out. hahaha thanks everyone.
They can all be grown in the dirt.
The hotter and more sun they get, the wetter they can be......usually.
Cold and wet rot them. Hot and dry they fry. lol
Ric
Could you tell me about where on the coast you found them, that might help with id.
Janet
janet, it was right in biloxi behind my aunt's house. forget the street she lives on but about a mile from the beach. thanks. and ric with those requirements i feel certain impending death for all my ee's. i can hear the music from "jaws" in my head right now. daaaaaah-dump!
LOL!
They are the easiest plant you will ever grow.
I found bulbs in August that had fallen off behind the shelf in the Plantroom. Pitched them in a shallow pan of water, had growth in less than a week.
If you run across those wild ones again.........lol!
Ric
They are very very easy. The only thing that kills them is cold and a few have shown that even that does not work. Your plant should survive they live off tubers and many times I have shipped plants with no leaves people complain but in a week they have a leaf so the tuber is most important not the leaves. A plant could look aweful one week and a month later be totally different.
well i planted a black magic ee and it is coming up. also planted crested and ruffles. and i am going to get that fontanesii (msp). but i am not going to throw my little ditch ee away even if it only has 2 leaves. it reminds me of my home state miss. and all the wonderful folks that are there. thanks everyone for helping. barb
Mamajack-
Don't give up!
I think we all forget. IT IS WINTER!!!
Many of my EE only hold 2 leaves at this time of the year. The real test is come May. Once they really start to grow, you can start watering more and they all should take off.
Brian is right; keep an eye out fror pests at this time of the year. EE are VERY susceptible to spider mites so keep up the humidity with spraying. Come spring, gradually introduce your plants to more light (especially if they have been indoors all winter).
I have your Fontanessi in the GH. I can't believe the weather hear. We had two night in the single digits. My iris danfordiae and reticulata are blooming but half of them are cryopreserved due to the extremely low temperature. I hope we get some decent weather soon!
ROX
oh, rox i can't complain too bad in texas. i have never seen such a mild winter as we are having here. it just got over being 30 degrees for the 2nd time this season. and all of us texas folk were bundled up and running to our cars. we can't take this stuff girl. i feel for all of you. as good as this is i still want to move to mexico this time every year. but rox since i have you do the blacks do better in the shade than the greens.............................i'm talking about texas shade. i don't have a decent tree on my whole place so everything gets sun some time during the day.
I have my Fontanessi in full (OHIO), part sun and part shade. They all do well as long as they get some water. Last year we had a drought (no rain for 6 weeks); I watered 2x per week and they were fine.
When I send them, make sure you transition them into the sun. I suggest you take a week to acclimate them. By the way, these guys grown great in a pond with their pot in 1-2" of water.
Another way to do it is to grow them with a companion plant that will keep their roots cooler.
EE really like >65F but will tolerate 55 F as a low. So in the winter, even if the daytime temps are higher, they still are less than vigorous growers.
ROX
but if i put this kind of ee you have outside after the transition will it come back if i leave it in the ground all winter (zone 8a)? and what kind of companion plant are we talking? that sounds so cute. like a little buddy.
Plant Delights list Fontanesii as cold hardy to zone 7b.
So it may die back if it gets cold but it should come back.
I actually left one out two years ago and it came back ( but slowly).
If you only get very infrequent cold, you can cover it with a sheet overnight to protect it.
Just remember to remove the sheet before it gets too hot.
Companion plants:
I love coleus with just a little maroon to pick up the color of the stems.
ROX
PS Email bwilliams about the hardiness. He is the real EE expert!
thanks.
Oxalis regnellii atropurpurea really sets off the EE's too.
Ric
ric i have to look that one up.
Here you go.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1241/index.html
Ric
how do you do that? i can't figure out how to even leave this site and go somewhere else and be able to come right back to here much less send a hyperlink. let me go look and i'll see if i come right back here or end up somewhere entirely different.
oh i love that plant. i know it as triangularis. i don't have any yet but i might get some in a trade later. thanks but please tell me how to do that hyperlink stuff.
No need to leave..........just open a new window.
Click File, Hover over New when the dropdown appears, Click Window.
Or hit the keys Control and N at the same time.
This page will remain open as well as a new copy of this one.
When you get the page you want to Hyperlink just Copy the Address and Paste it on Your Message here in your reply.
It will then turn into a hyperlink.
http://davesgarden.com/faq/forums/#127
Ric BTW If you need bulbs just ask.
oh henry ( that sounds like a good name for a candy bar, sorry couldn't resist) that didn't make any sense to me. i am a computer illiterate. you are saying.......click plant files while still on this page. but the hover over New.......i didn't see that. and where is the dropdown.
DMail me mj and I will be happy to walk you thru.
Ric
I've been lurking...
Rox, I love the idea of coleus as a companion plant! Does anyone start their EE's indoors now and then put them out? I have a bunch of tubers in the basement. I usually put them out in May..but if I could put them out as a plant...ahhhh
well anita i have put all the ones i had in pots. i got a black leafed one from home depot. what do we call ee babies........bulbs, tubers, rhizomes? anyway it is beginning to poke out from the soil. but until this latest little cold front here in tx. we have been having temps in the 70's, near 80's.
and henry i sent you a dmail. did it go thru?
I might pot up a few..
is anybody else having trouble posting trades? i have been trying for 2 days and it won't accept my information. i see other people are doing it. what is wrong?
mj, The Dmail
didn't come thru.
Let me try it from this end.
Ric
Baby EE are called "pups".
Definitely go ahead a pot up your EE.
However, note that they usually come up within 14 days and then should be watered to keep the soil moist (not wet) and sprayed every day. Otherwise they can be susceptible to spider mites. Once they come up make sure they have some sun (indirect is good) and then slowly transition them to more light and more temperature variation.
For my transition, I start putting them outside under a shady tree as soon as it is about 65F (mid April). I have found that they really don't like nights cooler than 55F, so just bring them back inside if necessary. I typically can plant them outside the end of May.
ROX
i have been trying to list a plant trade for 2 days and can't do it. since this is the tropical forum i will go ahead and throw it out there for anyone interested. i have a large bag full of crown of thorn cuttings. the cuttings are about 2 ft. long (some of them). i don't know what kind or what color, don't have a picture and can't tell from the plant files which it is either. but if anyone would like some i would like to trade for salvia's, canna, vines or other perennials i don't have. and the dmails aren't going through? daves has become my life blood and i am afraid i will self destruct if they don't fix it soon.
thanks Rox - what about under lights at first?
Mamajack-
I just sent you Dmail.
ROX
Anitabryk2-
I think that a window is better. EE leaves can burn if you are not careful.
My EE are in a Southeast facing window and are fine.
ROX
Thanks Rox
Anita
I agree w/ ROX.
Mine are in an E/S/W GH and quite happy.
In fact they are at least two months ahead of last years East facing and lights EE's.
I've seen some of ROX's EE's and they are VERY happy too.
Ric