I have ane elephant ear in a pot that was doing beautifully, this is the kind of elephant ear that has stiff leaves with a scallop edge. This is a new plant and I have about 6 big leaves. All of sudden one of the leaves instead of being stiff began to kind of droop instead of being straight out, then I came home and the stem of that same leaf part way up had just bent over. At first I thought someone had just ran into and broke the stem but when I felt the stem it felt sort of mushy not firm like the the other stems. I went ahead and cut off the stem. Now I have noticed two more leaves starting to droop.....anyone have any clue and what might be going on? I looked for bugs top and bottom of the leaf and stem and I didn't see anything.
Thanks
Joyce
elephant ear drooping and then breaking
Joyce,
Since it's a new plant. Perhaps, it's adjusting to the spot where you're placing it in. Does it get lots of sun? Shade? Does it get too much/too little water? They droop quickly due to lack of moisture sometimes, but quickly recover. Older leaves and stems usually fall over and wilt only to make room for new ones to sprout. If the rest of plant looks healthy, waterlodge isn't a problem then.
These are prolific grower. I was amazed as how long the roots will extend at a young age. Newly transplanted EE often look pitiful since the long roots were disturbed. But, keeping it in the shade 'til it recover, then it will take over your world. They multiply rather rapidly too. which zone are you in? Mine, they're hardy outdoors and continue to muliply likes kutzu.
I don't grow EE's but wilting like that typically means either too much or too little water, the key is of course to figure out which one of those it is so that you don't do the wrong thing and make the problem worse. Some more info on the conditions it's in, how often you're watering, etc could be helpful in figuring out what's going on.
Here is a picture of what is happening. This is the second leaf to do this.
First I had the plant in the house and it seemed perfectly happy, Then when the first leaf did this I thought well....maybe not enough light and water so I moved it to a very protected area waiting for it to get use to more sun and I a few days later I saw that this leaf had started to turn down and then when I got home tonight it was broken over just like the last one. Should I cut it off? Since it is basically broken I cut the other off.
Think I will stick a stick down and see how moist it is at the bottom......I was getting so excited about the plant it was so cool. Thanks for responding.
Joyce
It wouldn't hurt to check the moisture level, but it really doesn't look over/under watered to me, I wonder if the stems just aren't quite strong enough to hold up the leaves? Maybe try staking it somehow to keep the leaves upright a little better?
Anything is worth a shot. The big leaf in the picture seems to be strong and stiff. What I have noticed first is the leaf starts to sag around the edges instead of being straight out, then not long after that the stem breaks over, almost like something is cutting off the water supply.
Joyce
That is weird......one first thought is that you have had it in the house, where the light is limited ( esp for a alocasia that likes to grow in more light) and the lack of sun has made the plant weak-so it has trouble holding up the stems.
I have no trouble moving alo/colocasias from the grhouse directly into the sun, they don't seem to need an adjustment place first. If I were you, I would cut off the stem at the base of the one that fell over, and any others that may still do it (if I am right that the stems are weak from lack of sun, then more may fall over) and put this alocasia right in the sun, where it gets 5-6 hrs of sun, and make sure that the soil doesn't dry out ( but not soaking wet all the time-alocasias don't need/want as much water as colocasias) and I think that all the new leaves will have stronger stems. That is about the best guess that I have, there doesn't seem to be a fungus that is causing this.
Temps are important too. If it has been cool your plant may suffer.
I do believe Tigerlily has hit the nail on the head!!! Ecrane3's suggestion is helpfull too. Your EE is going through a period of adjustment.
Dale, is that a stream or bog-garden in your back yard? It's lovely.
I agree with Tigerlily also!!! I had the same problem this year with my Queen palms that I wintered inside. I had all kind of new growth when I moved them outside. The new growth immediately when the wind blew bend downward. I cut those leaves off and now the new ones are handling the outside enviroment better. They just weren't strong at first.
Jeri
Sure hope that is what it is. It does make sense, the front of my house is all glass and positioned so the sun leaves as the temperatures warm up. So initially it would of had alot more sun (hence the taller stronger leaves) and in May or later there would not of been any sun coming in, just bright indirect light. When I get home I will cut off the broken one. It looked like this morning I had another leaf that was starting to droop, but my imagination maybe running away with me now...LOL.
I bought it at a flower and lawn show and didn't even know the name, thank you for letting me know it is a alocasia. Now I will look it up and check my growing conditions. I purchased another ee and the leaves stick straight up and it looks like a fan, does anyone know the name of it. I can take a picture tonight after I get home.
Thank you so much for your help.
Joyce, Your Alocasaia is a ' Macrorrhizos ' or 'Portodora ' In your picture the leaf is the older one, this is natural. Leaf #2 is producing #3 leaf. One thing your planter should have only one plant, as it will get BIG and be potbound in a few months. Go down to 'ISN'T THIS COOL? and look at the size your ALOC. will become. Keep it in the sun and keep it WATERED. You will see. jerry
texas, it is only 1 bulb the stems are coming up around the bulb. I just planted it this spring. I will move it out in the sun I was trying to keep it from getting sunburn until it got use to being out doors. Maybe it didn't need me to protect it...LOL
texas do you grow these? I was going to try to keep it indoors this summer but maybe I should let it die back and restart it in the spring.
Joyce
Happ,
I have a Portodora, like yours, that I take care of for a client, it does best in shade with daily waterings (here in Tampa). It gets a lot of wind and we lost the first leaves to shredding, it is doing fine now. All the big potted plants I take care of get time release fertilizer.
I believe this alocasia in an evergreen, you might want to reconsider winter dormancy. I am not an expert on this group of bulbs, others may have different opinions.
The Leu Gardens in Orlando>
texas, I know what you mean when you say that it is "natural" for the oldest leaves to die back, but I don't think that that is the case here. The leaf on the stem that is bent is not dying back-it is totally green-not yellowish which is what they do as they die. I think this was an abrupt bending of the stem of a leave that was not in the process of dying back. Also the plant has too few leaves to have one dying back. Normally there would be more leaves on the plant before you started to see some die back to make room for other leaves. I still say that the reason the leaf bent was because it was weak from lack of sun.
While this alocasia is normally a very large plant, it won't get as large for happ because it is going to go thru a dormancy (even inside in the winter) and it is in a pot-both factors will slow down the growth.