what to do with elephant ears during winter
Then, winter'south coming and you're panicking over protecting your precious elephant ears.
You're freaking out. You don't want to meet those big light-green leaves get to waste material.
What can you do to salve them? Or at to the lowest degree regrow them next season?
You lot overwinter information technology! AKA: WINTERIZE.
Let'due south learn about how you can preserve your elephant ears until next season, and so so yous can enjoy them again!
These plants are made to be enjoyed multiple times- that's why they're perennials past nature.
And then permit'south learn how to overwinter these plants.
Tin can elephant ears be overwintered?
Elephant ears can definitely be overwintered. Yes, that's right!
You don't need to painfully spotter your precious big green leaves become poof because you can save the bulbs
Then y'all can institute them once more adjacent flavor. Plus, you don't need to waste your precious money on buying a new elephant ear every flavor simply by storing them correctly.
Overwintering elephant ears doesn't get any easier. Permit's dive in!
Elephant ears can irritate the pare
Elephant ears contain a compound (oxalic acid) that can cause some skin irritation in people with sensitive peel.
Use protective clothing, gloves, and shoes (or any other PPE y'all need) when handling these plants. Employ common sense and proceed with caution.
Practice elephant ears become fallow?
Similar to creeping thyme, bluebells, or bird of paradise, they're gear up to get dormant so they can conserve their energy for the common cold season until spring comes around in one case once again so they tin testify off those big green foliage for yous.
What practice you do with elephant ears in the winter?
It depends where you live. If y'all're in a lower hardiness zone, yous'll probable have to cut them back then shop the bulbs for the winter.
If you're in a warmer zone, you can either go out them outside if temperatures don't dip too far.
These plants can but handle and then much cold earlier you demand to do something. Higher zones may even go away with simply putting a few inches of mulch and calling it a twenty-four hours!
Those growing in pots can merely move them inside their homes for the cold season and give it some water here and in that location.
So it's nuanced. There's no clear solution.
Information technology depends on your local conditions, as you'd expect. Simply as usual, the points get to those in moderate zones. Less work for those people.
How cold can elephant ears tolerate?
Elephant ears should just be exposed to temperatures to a higher place 50F. If the temperature dips downwards to 40F or so, it tin kill your plants. A unmarried night of frost won't practice much.
Simply if information technology'due south consistent, or the cold is just too much, then your elephant ear volition be damaged.
How to overwinter elephant ears
This section covers how you lot can winterize your elephant ears.
It depends on whether you grew it outside, or in a pot. This will then alter the steps to properly winterize information technology.
Merely don't worry- it'south pretty like shooting fish in a barrel regardless.
Get-go, let's talk most how you lot grew your plant!
Did you grow information technology as a potted plant?
If you grew information technology as a potted establish, you've got information technology fabricated.
Only bring it indoors to save information technology from the cold. Bring it in and movement information technology somewhere that gets plenty of humidity since it likes high moisture content.
Some adept places are your bathroom, kitchen, or other humidity-controlled room in your house.
If you don't accept anywhere to put it, or your air is constantly dry, consider getting a humidifier and locking it in a room until the winter is over, such as your bathroom.
Equally a last resort, you lot can spritz it often with a spray bottle and continue information technology wet.
And then for those that have information technology potted, bring it indoors for the winter and y'all're set up! Information technology doesn't demand to exist removed from the pot
It can be overwintered in pots. If y'all don't need to disturb it, and so don't. Uprooting it for no reason will just shock information technology.
Or how near a houseplant?
If you grew information technology as a houseplant, meaning it's accustomed to the indoor environment, then y'all don't demand to exercise anything.
Yous may demand to add some grow lights during the winter because of shorter days, but otherwise, it should be pretty consistent in terms of care.
How to overwinter elephant ears planted in the garden
If you grew your elephant ears in your garden, and then it becomes slightly more difficult.
But don't worry- it'south nothing to fret over. This will require y'all to dig up the bulbs, shop them, and then save them until next bound.
The process is straightforward, even if it sounds scary. Simply commit to information technology and become forth!
Digging up your elephant ears
First, we'll need to dig up the elephant ears to go their bulbs. Yous'll be saving the bulbs for next spring when the frost is over.
Become your favorite pair of gardening gloves, a small spade, and a disposable toothbrush you lot don't need anymore.
The right time to dig them out is in the fall earlier the common cold comes. If you wait too long, then they may already be scared past the first few dips in temperature.
The latest you can go after the first frost is when the leaves beginning to fade on their own. This won't impale it only can damage it. Do not wait any longer than this point of no return.
When digging them out, be extremely careful. If you lot impairment the bulbs, they may stop up with flesh wounds. If this happens, they tin can rot or grow fungus in storage.
They'll exist no skillful anymore side by side season, and then you need to exist conscientious to not make whatever accidental slits in them.
You may stop upward bruising them if you dig besides close.
If you've never unearthed a plant earlier, you should sentry some videos that demonstrate it:
Start by digging around the soil about 10 inches away from the base of the plant.
Dig in a circle, with each full revolution inching closer to the bulb. Employ a blunt spade to dig it up. If the soil is tough, wet it by fully soaking information technology.
When yous get to the seedling, exist careful non to cutting into the roots or the bulb itself.
Do NOT pull on the bulb. The only mode to get information technology out is to dislodge the soil around it. When it'due south loose enough, it should just come out on its own with no forcefulness from you lot.
If you accidentally cut into the seedling, you can either dispose of information technology or store information technology anyhow in its own split up container. Don't put it with the uncut bulbs.
Next, clean it. Spray it with water to loosen dirty clumps and debris. Use the brush and gently scrub the bulb. Clean it upward equally much every bit you tin.
Getting a pair of pruners can cut off the excess foliage. You can remove the biggest leaves earlier you start earthworks. When y'all get to the bulbs, trim off the smaller leaves.
Cut the stalks almost 2" from the bulb. You tin too cutting off excess roots or offshoots.
If your bulb has big offshoots, it can exist saved for replanting on its ain.
Put the bulbs on a canvass of newspaper and let them dry out.
When they're completely dry they should be adept to go. Don't shop them wet- this increases the possibility of a fungal infection down the line.
Wrap each bulb in paper. Then put them in a cardboard box. The reason I suggest using a box is that you tin easily run across if at that place's moisture on the edges.
If and then, you may have a fungal infection. Go on the box somewhere dry, cool, and dark.
Cheque on the bulbs every week or so. Await for bugs, rot, or fungus. If you see anything, dispose of the bulbs that are infested.
When winter is over, it's time to suspension them out!
Gently unwrap each bulb from their newspaper while checking for signs of infestation.
If they're expert to go, so you can replant them in the garden once more. Enjoy those big greens right away.
For a caput start, you can unwrap them during the winter.
Plant them in pots within your habitation until the bound comes. Then y'all can motility them outdoors when the temperatures pick back upward next flavour.
Something interesting to note: The bulbs of elephant ears aren't actually bulbs. They're tubers. Elephant ears don't grow bulbs, but it's a common confusion.
Unremarkably asked questions
Here are another questions asked by readers that yous may find helpful about the overwintering process.
Tin I overwinter elephant ears in pots?
Yous sure can. And that makes it easier.
With a planter, you can motion them indoors during the common cold and then dorsum out in the spring. Information technology doesn't get any easier.
Can I bring my elephant ears indoors for winter?
Yes, if you grew it in a container, yous can bring them indoors for wintering. Ensure that the ears get enough water during the winter.
Reduce feeding during this period. Low-cal isn't as important as it can be grown equally houseplants anyway
If you grew them outdoors, and so they won't be accustomed to the indoor calorie-free. Only this shouldn't impale your plants.
Supplement with a grow light if needed. Yellowing or wilting is to exist expected.
Do elephant ears need to exist dug up for winter?
If you lot planted them in your garden soil, then yes.
If you lot're in a libation zone where the temperatures dip down to 40-50F in the winter, then yous'll have to dig them upwards to shop the bulbs.
If you lot planted them in containers, then you got information technology made, friend.
How to start mulching elephant ears for wintertime
If you lot're in zone 8 or college, you tin can merely go out them alone during the wintertime if temperatures remain above 50F. For lower zones, cut it back until information technology'southward 2-3 inches above the soil line.
And so put some 4-v inches of organic mulch. This can help save the bulb from nighttime snaps in temperature.
Be sure to put something there so yous don't trample it. Employ a plant marker or something so you or your domestic dog don't step on it.
When to dig upwardly elephant ears?
Dig them upward in the tardily fall or early winter. The first frost is the maximum you tin expect before yous either cut them back for mulching or seedling storage.
If you have them in pots, then move them in beforehand. No point in waiting around and risking information technology!
When tin you replant elephant ears?
Elephant ears should exist replanted up when the final frost is over
If you're storing bulbs indoors, yous can get a head offset by planting them indoors beginning, then transferring them exterior when leap comes.
Otherwise, planted ones can be moved out when the temperatures pick up once again. Exist sure there'southward no sign of random snapbacks to cold dips before you motility them out.
Exercise elephant ears come dorsum year after year?
Elephant ears are perennials in the warmer parts of the United states of america.
They will regrow on their own after the winter. In colder zones, they're treated as annuals, unless y'all overwinter them correctly.
These big dark-green leafy plants are one to enjoy for multiple seasons, friend.
How do you revive elephant ears?
You lot revive them by replanting them in the spring, of grade!
If you're using a potted plant, yous can slowly move them outside for a few hours each solar day.
This will reduce plant shock and is known as hardening off or acclimating.
Tin you exit elephant ears in the basis over wintertime?
It depends. If you're in USDA zones viii or college, then yeah, y'all can.
If not, and so yous can cut them back then mulch them for the winter. Or you can get the bulbs and store them. Information technology'due south upwardly to you.
Farther reading/references
- Overwintering Black Magic elephant ears – Houzz
- Wintering over Elephant Ears in Zones six-7? – Houzz
- Taro – Wikipedia
Now you know how to overwinter elephant ears for good
Overwintering elephant ears is pretty easy once you do information technology once.
It can be scary when you uproot those precious little bulbs, merely only be careful and you lot'll be able to overwinter them until the spring comes. So y'all can savour your big light-green foliage.
Do you have any questions about overwintering these plants
Post your comments below and inquire. If y'all take whatever tips or advice to requite to other readers, experience free to drop a annotate as well.
I've always been interested in gardening, but I never took it seriously until I was forcefully gifted an orchid. This was what got me into the hobby and I've never looked back. I savor writing most it, just not virtually as much equally getting into the dirt and sculpting the perfect decorative ornamental to enjoy for the times.
Source: https://gardenisms.com/how-to-overwinter-elephant-ears/
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