Elephant Ear is the widespread identify of a bunch of strikingly lovely, giant tropical giants accessible in lots of colours, patterns, and progress habits.
They make pretty decisions as specimen vegetation, in giant pots, at poolside, in a riparian setting, as a backdrop to decrease rising vegetation, and a lot extra.
So what should you do to plant and develop these surprisingly easy-keepers efficiently?
This text shares incessantly requested questions on planting Elephant Ear Bulbs within the spring.
Planting Elephant Ears Q&A
When Is The Finest Time To Plant Elephant Ear Bulbs Exterior In The Springtime?
These tropical vegetation want persistently heat temperatures to outlive and thrive, so you could wait till the final frost has handed and temperatures have risen to a constant 70° levels Fahrenheit within the daytime and 50° to 60° levels Fahrenheit at evening earlier than planting your bulbs outside.
What Can You Do If You Have A Brief Rising Season?
You can begin your Elephant Ear Bulbs indoors 6 or 8 weeks earlier than the ultimate frost in your space.
- Plant every tuber in its personal 6-inch pot.
- Use potting or container combine or a seed beginning combine to offer your bulbs begin.
- Place the pots in an space that stays persistently heat and receives vivid, oblique daylight.
- Use a warmth mat or develop lights as wanted to make certain your bulbs keep heat sufficient and get sufficient gentle.
The place Is The Finest Place To Plant Elephant Ear Bulbs In The Panorama?
You need to select a setting that receives full daylight and has good drainage. Shelter from excessive winds can be useful as a result of sturdy winds can severely injury your vegetation’ leaves and stems.
How Do You Put together The Backyard Mattress For Elephant Ear Bulbs?
Right here’s what that you must do:
- Until the soil deeply. About an 8-inch depth is sweet.
- Filter out any giant rocks, grassroots, and different particles.
- Until in ample compost, aged manure, and different natural matter.
- Clean the soil with a rake.
Ought to Elephant Ear Bulbs Be Soaked Earlier than Planting?
No, maintain them dry. Soaking them might trigger them to rot.
How Do You Plant Elephant Ear Bulbs In The Backyard?
When you’ve ready the soil, set your elephant ear bulbs the place you propose to plant them at 2′ to 4′ ft intervals. This distancing will guarantee they’ve ample room to unfold their roots and develop their monumental leaves.
For every bulb, dig a gap 4″ to six″ inches deep (relying on the scale of the bulb) and about twice the bulb’s width.
Place every bulb in its ready gap (pointy find yourself) and canopy it with soil. Press the soil down flippantly to make sure good bulb-to-soil contact.
Water completely, guaranteeing that any extra moisture runs off freely. Standing water will trigger your bulbs to rot. The thought is to maintain the soil barely moist (by no means soggy, by no means dry).
Add a prime dressing of 1 or two inches of natural mulch if you want. It will assist maintain moisture within the soil, and because the mulch decomposes, it should feed the bulbs.
Do I Want To Fertilize Newly Planted Elephant Ear Bulbs?
The natural matter combined into the soil or an natural mulch top-dressing must be loads to maintain your bulbs fed till new progress seems.
When your bulbs sprout, you need to feed a half dose of a slow-release fertilizer as soon as each two weeks.
Watch out to not permit granular fertilizer to return involved with the vegetation’ stems or bulbs as a result of this may trigger fertilizer burn.
How Lengthy Earlier than New Development Seems?
If you happen to’ve planted them accurately and the climate is agreeable, you might even see new sprouts in simply three weeks. Don’t be alarmed if it takes a few months in your bulbs to sprout.
Variables akin to temperature and cloud cowl could make a distinction. For instance, extra heat and solar means sooner sprouting.
Additionally, should you unintentionally plant the bulbs pointy facet down, it should take longer for the sprout to make its option to the floor of the soil.
Can Elephant Ear Bulbs Develop Efficiently In Containers?
Sure, you’ll be able to develop these giant vegetation as container vegetation, however you could present ample giant containers.
Do not forget that the vegetation can develop 4′ ft huge, so that you’ll want a container to accommodate their measurement.
These vegetation are naturally top-heavy, so any container you select must be heavy sufficient to forestall the plant from toppling or being blown over.
What’s The Distinction Between Elephant Ear Bulbs And Elephant Ear Corms?
Elephant Ear vegetation are literally grown from corms, not bulbs. A corm is a bulb-like construction.
Corms and bulbs are related and cared for in the identical manner, however there are some notable variations.
One distinction between a bulb and a corm is {that a} bulb is made up of layers of leaves. A corm is solely the stem. So while you slice a bulb open, you will notice layers. With a corm, you received’t.
One other distinction is that bulbs multiply in numbers over time. Corms simply develop bigger and bigger (whereas additionally producing offsets). So with time, a single Elephant Ear Corm might develop thrice its unique measurement.