Elephant Ear Plant?

Question

It's very healthy, though it seems to have outgrown its 6" pot. Now it's putting out bunches of brown "feelers." What do I do with that? Are they looking for more soil to grow in?
Should I plant it outside? I'm in N Texas and we have freezes regularly and snow 2-3 times a winter.

TX Mom

Answer 1

Elephant ears are extremely invasive! Be careful where you plant it. Those brown "feelers" are runners, and will shoot up a new ear every foot or so. Freezes will not kill them beneath the ground. They will come back in the spring...twice as thick. If you decide to try to get rid of them, don't chop them down....they clone themselves and root where they lay!

Answer 2

Elephant Ears are a frost-tender Perennial The top anchor roots spread out quite a ways from the plant, if it has the capacity--this is to stabilize the tall stems and heavy leaves that it will be supporting. It also uses these same roots to gather nutrients and in some cases, to reproduce via pups from cormels. Other roots grow deeper into the soil also help anchor the plant, but the top roots near the surface of the soil grow faster than the deep roots do to give the plant its anchored grounding system to overcome any windy or inclement weather circumstances. Most nurseries advise digging up the bulb and storing it in the fall if you live in a cold climate. I live in zone 7, in the mountains; I brought my bulbs (in a pot) from zone 14--and every single one of my bulbs froze, due to freezing temps and the fact that the snow stayed on the ground a couple weeks.

Answer 3

If you take your elephant ear outside it willl die to the ground each winter, but will not die. In the spring they will come up as strong as ever. Only take outside if temps dont go below 5 degrees in the winter. You shouldnt plant outside until the last frost is gone so it can root all summer. Until the spring you should repot it.

Answer 4

Put it in a bigger pot, they are tropical plant so it will die in the cold. I have 2 in my garden they are massive. But do you know that all parts of the Elephant ear plant are Deadly poisonous? so be careful and where gloves - do not get the sap on your skin

Answer 5

If its no longer lifeless yet, you will desire to deliver it interior. through fact it fairly is been so chilly, depart it interior the storage for some days and then deliver it into the residing house. You don;t prefer to deliver it in suitable away through fact the unexpected exchange in temperature might marvel it. Elephant ears at the instant are not hardy in long island and could die if left exterior over the iciness.

Answer 6

You should plant it outside or just separate the plant into 2 pots since its getting so big.

Answer 7

I'm from Temple texas..and we had tons of them..The plant will die off but the bulbs will not..and in fact they need cold to lay dormant for awhile to grow properly...They will be fine..let it snow let it snow!!

Answer 8

they are a type of "Hosta" plant

it has overdrown its pot
plant it outside, it may wither in cold weather, but will come bach with the warmer days

i am in New York and have alot of them, planted outside

they are very resilient and hard to kill

Answer 9

It will not survive the Texas winters, if the bulb freezes it will kill it.