Are you interested about your Elephant Ear works during the wintertime ? It ’s understandable ; they do n’t like the low temperature ! However , you could protect these striking beauties from even the insensate weather by chip in them the proper care over the wintertime .
When the temperature outside strive 60 ° F ( 15 ° cytosine ) , wreak potted Elephant Ear plants inside . Allow Elephant ear plants to cast their leaves and poke up any stay on bulbs before filth temperatures reach 40 ° F ( 5 ° hundred ) . Then , they can be replanted in the springtime if properly stored .
rent ’s expect at how you’re able to give your Elephant Ear a scrap chance against wintertime terrors .
Contents
What is Overwintering?
When we lecture about “ overwintering ” our plants , we entail the tips and tricks we utilise to keep them goodish during the winter .
tropic plants , like the Elephant Ear plant , do n’t do well in stale weather and involve a little extra care .
Overwintering a plant can be as comfortable as bringing a potted works at bottom or as firmly as actuate it to a new pot . It all calculate on how stale your wintertime is .
The colder it is , the more work it will take to keep a tropical plant live through the winter .
Why Overwinter Elephant Ear?
Elephant Ears are a outstanding tropic plant in many cultivar from the Colocasia , Alocasias , and Xanthosomas . While the specific needs of unlike cultivars can vary wide , one thing they all detest is the cold .
They go into a state of quiescency as soon as winter arrives . The old farewell at the bottom of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree will be the first to wither .
The plant will die off , leaving behind only the corm , a singular tuberous growth that will spend the wintertime sleeping beneath the surface .
They ’ll send up new development when fountain come again and re - grow their showy leaves .
The corm is so fragile that it ca n’t stand frozen , so even a slight freeze will hurt or bolt down it . alas , there are many places in the United States where winters get too cold to leave them outside .
The works will live another year if you fetch the corm or the whole plant inwardly for the winter .
Benefits of Overwintering
Keeping the Plant Alive
Those lavish leaves are sensitive to the frigidness , so the plant loses them entirely as the seasons convert . The corm below the dirt could also suspend , especially if you are growing in the north .
you may keep your Elephant Ear ’s leaves all wintertime long by bringing them inside . This will give your home a spectacular papa of tropical delight throughout the cold months .
The overwintering of a potted Elephant Ear works extends the uprise season and promotes year - stave increase .
The plant life will proceed to give rise new roots and strengthen its existing leaf and stem , albeit at a slower rate when the weather is nerveless . However , if you keep it warm and well - lit , it will persist in to mature .
Head Start On The Growing Season
If you require to grow Elephant Ears in bed , stash away your bulbs over the wintertime gives you a headspring start on the growing season .
If your garden bed is still too cold and dark for new growth in the spring , you may encourage it indoors .
Disease Prevention
As spring approach , gardens often become boggy and moist . Even though Elephant Ear plant prosper in bed with consistently moist dirt , fungous infection and other diseases can strike the dormant bulbs . They may also decompose away whole !
Protection from Pests
Elephant Ear incandescent lamp allow a rich reference of nutrition for wintertime - hungry pests . The bulbs of wide assortment are a nutritious nutrient source for many fauna , from grease insects to mammalian and avian predators .
If you compass up bulbs and bring them inside , you’re able to significantly reduce cuss ’ likeliness of feed them .
Drawbacks of Overwintering
While bringing a pot indoors is comparatively unproblematic , cut into up and clean bulbs is another .
Unfortunately , many in warmer parts of the country prefer to jump the hard work and take their chances with pests , disease , and inclement weather .
Pest and Disease Transmission
There ’s always a hazard you ’ll bring some unwanted visitor inside with you if you bring a potted outdoor plant .
Of course , there will always be a few leaf - feed bugs in a lush , well - balanced outdoor garden , but once they get inside , they can apace take over even the well - care - for indoor plant collecting .
The same is true for disease . Many plant disease are due to fungus and bacteria naturally observe in garden soil , so keeping your houseplants out from the out-of-doors is all important .
Space Requirement
The leaves on Elephant Ear works are widespread and widespread . Therefore , a potted Elephant Ear requires space to spread its brilliant leaves .
Even belittled cultivar require a respectable - sized space in a warm , well - lit area of your home or office to survive the winter .
You may not have enough room to bring in the intact works if you are arise a big variety , such as the California Elephant Ear ( Alocasia gagaena California ) .
When to Overwinter
How long it takes to winterise an Elephant Ear plant life look on where you endure and what kind of Elephant Ear you ’re growing .
Understanding USDA Hardiness Zone
Knowing your area ’s mood and weather traffic pattern can help you adjudicate if and when to overwinter . The USDA Hardiness Zone mathematical function is a great tool created by the United States Department of Agriculture .
This tool makes it simple to apprehend the year - round mood conditions in your expanse by accounting for yearly temperature extremes .
The prison term you need to start overwintering your plants and the attempt you will need to put in if they are in garden beds can be influence with a bit of research into your specific climate zona .
Most species of Elephant Ear are winter hardy in the US Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 9 - 11 .
Elephant pinna can be left in the ground after being bedded through the shorter , milder winter with fiddling risk of the plant dying .
If you live in a zone cooler than 9 , you ’ll need to fetch your Elephant Ear plant inside for the winter . You must get them inside before the first Robert Frost in a container or a garden bed .
When to Overwinter Potted Elephant Ear Plants
temperature below 50 ° F ( 10 ° C ) are cruel on Elephant Ear plants in plenty , so bring them deep down before it gets that cold .
I ’d say 60 ° F ( 15 ° one C ) is a stark temperature to keep the plant life ’s leave on , giving your home a cute pop of green in the winter .
Be certain to bring in bedded Elephant Ears before the soil temperature drops below 40 ° F ( 5 ° C ) . Extreme freezing for just a piffling while is enough to kill the corm .
How to Overwinter a Potted Elephant Ear
Potted Elephant Ear plant are simple to winter ; all you want to do is bring the industrial plant inside !
Removing a small number of the lowest leaves is salutary for theElephant Ear to survive the winterwhile keeping the crown inviolate .
After pruning , place them in an area with flock of bright , collateral light . They want a temperature range of 64 ° F to 77 ° F ( 18 ° C to 25 ° 100 ) while indoors .
They will not require much on-going charge . The Elephant Ear works requires almost no maintenance while dormant .
look on the type , you may need to irrigate every two to three weeks . Overwatering can cause the corm to rot .
How to Overwinter a Bedded Elephant Ear Plant
The first choice is to forget them be . you could safely leave them in the undercoat if you live in US Hardiness Zones 9 - 11 .
Then , cut back any remaining farewell and handle them with a thick layer of mulch , rather wheat or loose leaf litter . This will keep them warm and impregnable throughout the winter .
It ’s also possible to dig up a favorite Elephant Ear and pot it for the season . opt a muckle two column inch wider than the spread of the leaves , and use a clean , well - draining potting mixture .
It ’s just bringing them inside once they ’re in a container . Then , they can be replanted in the spring once the soil temperature attain 60 ° F ( 15 ° C ) .
For those grow in the colder northerly parts of the country , you will need to bring the bulbs indoors for the winter .
Moving Elephant Ears Back Outside
Once the cold of wintertime has passed , and the warmth of outflow has arrived , you’re able to at long last bring your beautiful tropic plants back alfresco to bask in the sun .
However , do n’t rush thing ; summer may have to give-up the ghost before they can be truly unblock into the garden , depending on your latitude .
Taking Potted Elephant Ear Plants Outside
Potted Elephant Ear plant need consistent day temperatures no lower than 60 ° F ( 15 ° C ) .
You ’ll also need to acclimatise the flora to the difference of opinion between indoor and outdoor condition . This process is known as ‘ hardening off .
Move your Elephant Ear to its outdoor location for short periods before repositioning it for the bound . A few hours of well - shaded midday warmth , gradually extend with each trip , is idealistic .
If you ’re planning on returning a potted Elephant Ear to a garden bed , wait until temperatures reach between 60 and 64 ° F ( 15 to 18 ° light speed ) . If the ground is too cold , the plant will slip back into dormancy , and you may well belt down it .
Replanting Elephant Ear Bulbs
Returning Elephant Ear lightbulb to the grease involve patience , as you must await until the hazard of frost has passed . take my other clause if yourblub is n’t growingto find out why .
In general , staying until the soil temperature is systematically above 40 ° F ( 5 ° degree Celsius ) will help oneself to protect the emerge industrial plant .
However , I ’d look a little longer until the temperature reaches 50 or even 60F ( 10 to 15 ° speed of light ) because they wo n’t uprise until the soil genuinely warm .
northerly gardeners in the Elephant Ears hardiness range typically start their plants indoors to make the most of the unforesightful out-of-door growing time of year .
From as early as March , you may plant a corm in a loose potting mix and place it in a warm , well - lit location .
Keep the soil moist but not wet . The bulbs will raise properly , and you will have young plant to plant in your garden bottom .
Elephant Ear Overwintering FAQs
What Is The Best Temperature To Overwinter?
Keep a potted Elephant Ear between 64 and 77 ° F ( 18 and 25 ° C ) . This will allow them to keep their leaves and root safe .
While most will go inactive over the winter , do n’t be surprised if novel leaves sprout .
They do n’t experience a true winter in their native ranges and are quite adequate to of grow all twelvemonth round if kept at a stable temperature .
A box seat of cautiously clean bulbs can tolerate lower temperatures . A well - packed miscellany of corm should be celebrate cool between 50 and 60 ° F ( 10 and 15 ° C ) . This will encourage them to sleep without freeze them .
Should I Fertilize An Overwintered Elephant Ear?
During the winter , Elephant Ear plants do not require any fertilizer . Allow them to pillow .
How Much Light Does An Elephant Ear Need In Winter?
In the wintertime , Elephant Ear plants do good from undimmed , collateral light . However , even in winter , direct sunshine can scald delicate leave .
Do I Have To Harden Off An Overwintered Elephant Ear?
Once you ’re quick to take a potted Elephant Ear back outdoors , you will need to acclimatize it to the change in conditions . This process is sleep together as ‘ temper off .
bulge out by taking it outside for an 60 minutes or two during the warm part of the day , bit by bit increase the clip it spends indoors .
After a few calendar week of this , they will be ready to be impart alfresco for trade good . The longer you take to harden off the Elephant Ear plant , the good it will set to its new location .
When Do I Replant My Elephant Ear bulbs?
Elephant Ear bulbs can be replanted outdoors once the danger of frost has passed . In general , waiting until the soil temperature is consistently above 40 ° F ( 5 ° C ) will help prevent damage to the emerging plant . It ’s best to leave alone it after , until 50 to 60 ° F ( 10 to 15 ° C )
Takeaways for Overwintering Elephant Ear
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