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Ozarks Gardening

Elephant ears - shoud I trim back and dig up bulbs before frost?

15 years ago

All the articles I've read about them advise to cut them back after the plants have died back, but my elephant ears are still producing new foliage. I'm worried that the predicted frost for the next two nights might harm my bulbs. Should I go ahead and cut back the current growth and dig them up?

I'll ask the same question about my daylillies, too, as they're still producing a few blooms.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

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Comments (7)

christie_sw_mo
15 years ago
Welcome to Gardenweb!
On elephant ears, I think most people wait until frost kills the tops and then wait for a nice day to dig them up. Don't worry about it hurting your bulbs. They can stand some pretty cold temperatures and even this far north (Springfield area), they will sometimes return if you leave them in the ground all winter. But - when mine have made it through the winter in the ground, they didn't grow as well the next summer. I think they do better when I dig them up and store them.
I have stored mine both in an unheated garage and also in my basement closet which is cool but not cold and they did fine both places. If you search this forum for elephant ears, you will find more info. Some people dig a hole to store theirs but our ground is rocky and I've never tried that. It's too much work to dig.
bird0601
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks Christie. I'm in central Arkansas, but I'm afraid the winter might be too hard on them so I'll probably dig up and store in the garage over the winter. But, it's good to know a frost won't hurt them.
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Thanks so much Debbie for replying to my post. I think I see what I did wrong last year---I continued to water as usual because I knew that the elephant ears liked moisture. I did not reduce the water to trigger dormancy as you suggested. Our average frost date is mid October. I have noticed that the nights are cooler than before and the day temperatures are lower too. I think it will be time soon to stop watering. I will cut the top off and check on the bulb. I wouldn't want to bring it in with its pot (too big) and then find out it had rotted! My other elephant ears are smaller. I think I will pick one of them to keep as a houseplant. The only worry I have (besides bulb rot) is fungus gnats since the soil likes to be kept moist. The other three elephant ears I'll keep in their pots, but stop watering until spring. I sure hope this all works out! Thanks so much! By the way, Illustris is a lovely elephant ear. . . don't you think?
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Would like to know if in NC,central part,if I should dig up mine,they're so large and have multiplied like crazy...should I dig them or mulch them???..Please help,would hate to lose these beautiful plants.Thanks for any help....'just olasdirt'
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I cut mine down BEFORE frost. I wash all the dirt off and store the tuber/bulb in a paper bag in my basement. Since I live in a cold climate I start them under grow lights in early April. By the end of May when I plant them out, I have a decent sized plant and can get them established much faster. One great tip I learned is to leave a 6" stalk on the bulbs when cutting off the foliage. This way you'll know next year how to plant them and can easily tell which is the top and which is the bottom of the bulb.
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Comments (3)
What kind of elephant ears do you have - are we talking the plain colocasia esculenta that you find in large tuber size in the big bins at the nursery? Wilted is okay for the foliage. Most people here suggest (I leave mine in the ground, except I brought 3 in that are in pots) washing the dirt off the roots, allowing the fleshy roots to dry, get rid of the dried up foliage. Treat them with a powdered fungicide, and store them in dry peat moss or sphagnum moss. However, there has also been some discussion about dessication of the tubers especially those of colocasia. They like a bit more water than alocasia. Someone else suggested potting them up in a light mix of peat/perlite or vermiculite/perlite 50/50, and watering about half a cup per month. In this case I would pot them at the same level they are in the ground, unless someone else comes on and says otherwise. If you have a fairly bright window, put them there - just don't put them near a heat vent, or a cold draft. They may not look like much come spring, but after you plant them back out in the yard, they'll revive. Someone else suggested that you dry the tubers, cut off the dead foliage, put them down in the foot of a leg of pantyhose or a knee high, hang them up in a cool dark room and leave them alone until spring. I'm going to try this method to see how it works. Susan
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helenh
15 years ago
Daylilies should be fine outside over winter.
bird0601
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks, Helen. By the way, I love all the pics of your garden. I aspire to have your green thumb!
bunny6
15 years ago
Welcome! I live in Russellville, just outside of central Arkansas, and I don't dig up my daylilies, but I do mulch with leaves. I have never lost any. The EE's I have in the ground I am going to mulch over and hope they make it through the winter. My aunt gave me some EE, and I am going to store them in my garage:)
HU-764791407
6 months ago
What are EE's
christie_sw_mo
6 months ago
Elephant Ears

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