Question about Elephant Ear Pups

Hi,
I have a Taro, Elephant Ear Colocasia esculenta 'Black Magic'. The mother plant has put on many pups or off sets.

While raking and cleaning up around this plant today my rake caught on one of the little pups and yanked it out. I noticed the stem that connected this little one to the momma was all dried and dead up close to the mother plant but the baby looks healthy.

Do I need to plant this little guy in a pot with soil or water to try to save him? He has no roots that I see.
Thanks for any help any of you can offer.

Jane

Jane-
Go ahead and pot the baby in some moist potting mix.

If you "travel" from the tip of the leaves of the baby towards the stem where it connected to the mother plant, you should notice a swelled section (node). There may be several of these sections about 4" apart on the stem. This is where the roots will form; you might even be able to see a ring of roots starting to come out. When you plant the pup, make sure this section is in the dirt about 2" deep. Keep soil moist but not wet. Keep the pot in dampled sun for a few weeks.

Black Magic is not hardy to your zone (in warm winters, it may come back late June). So remember to bring it in before the first frost.

Best of luck. ROX

Hi ROX,
Thanks so much for your quick reply. I have done exactly as you said and am hoping for the best.

When I dig the mother plant and all the little pups up to bring in for the winter...when is the best time to do this?
I ask this because one of my EE's (a green variety) is absolutely huge. I am 5' (I know this is not very tall) but it is well over my head. It would be much easier to handle after it has died done some... but it shows no sign of doing so anytime soon. I'm guessing this will be after a good frost, is this right?

Jane

Jane-
I like to overwinter mine as house plants so I bring them in before it stays too long in the mid 40s. Mine are actually in now.

You can overwinter more mature plants that have tubers but digging them up and letting the foliage die back. Then you can store the tubers in the cool, dark. Just mist if they begin to shrivel a lot. You can dig them up after the first frost but before a significant freeze (multidays at or below 32F).

Note that pups don't overwinter that way. They just don't have enough stored energy. But you can keep them as house plants. Keep the soil moist but not wet. And mist the leaves every once in awhile to prevent spider mites.

Best of luck.

Thanks ROX I will give this a try.
I have some very nice and different varieties that I aquired this year in trades, so I would hate terribly to lose any of them.
My mother has a basement that she doesn't heat in the winter but yet it receives some heat from a floor furnace...and has windows for light on 2 Southeast) walls, since she is right next door she has offered me to overwinter some of the larger ones there. Her basement is only used for storage.
This might work out best for the larger ones, don't you think?

Jane

Sounds great.
Just make sure the foliage shrivels up and can be removed from the tubers before you store them. The biggest worry with storing EE is rot..
BTW- Check out the Aroids forum. Lots of friendly people who love elephant ears (EE).
ROX

Rox,
I know this will come across as a very stupid question but.....what does BTW mean....(before the winter)???

By the Way....

Glad you asked, ROX

Gotcha!

Rainy Jane I was wondering the same questions you have. Thanks for helping me without even knowing it. I haven't dig any of mine up as of yet. I may try to this weekend. I was going to wait until first frost for the larger ones and dig the bulbs up as I don't have the room for them all.

May have to move the kids out to make room for more plants.