Elephant ear bulbs???

Has anyone grown their own elephant ears from a purchased bulb? if so what is the secret to getting them started? I grew some last year and a few of them rotted instead of rooted This year I put a few in potting mix again, new, unused sterile potting mix from a bale. I pulled them today to see if any were starting to send out roots and here they are rotting again. Any suggestions? It has been warm in the greenhouse and sunny, totally different from last year when it was cold and cloudy all winter (and spring and summer and fall). Some days the fans are running all day and I have the thermostat set at 85 degrees so it doesn't get to hot in there. night time I keep it in the 50's. Please help :'(

 

Carolyn i don't remember if i grew them from bulb or actual plant after they sprouted but i did read that you are supposed to cover the bulb to just below the tip. They also said that the bulbs would sprout in peat moss. The article also said to make sure during this phase to keep them moist. I don't know if this helps or you're already doing this but that's the best I have at this point...

 

Thats what I have done so far. I even sprayed them today with peroxide, after I washed them off, and the spots fizzed .

 

Maybe go easier on the water until you see some growth? Have you sterilized their pot? Sorry Carolyn, I am afraid I can't help much.

I have noticed though that I can't seem to keep the bulbs from dying during the winter. I have tried several methods: moist peat, dry peat, keeping them in their pots in the basement, etc. The best method I have found is to just bring them indoors during the winter and keep them growing. They get legging, but fill out after they go outside. So...if this year you manage to get some growing, just keep them growing all year long!

 

Thanks Cuyaga M, These were planted in new containers.I did fail to mention that. sorry. The bulbs I purchased just this spring. I only watered them when I planted them up. Maybe I should try sterile water on them instead of the well water. The only other thing I can think of is perhaps if they get banged during shipment and it is causing a bruise or there is a tag that was stapled on to each of the bulbs, but I would think that would cause the problem in only the area that had the little staple in it.

 

Ok Carolyn: I think its time for you to just go buy the ears already sprouted..LOL...I never knew that they were this much of a pain to sprout..and I love elephant ears.

 

I left one outside in a pot from last year, and i've noticed it's starting to sprout.(mild winter) try and let it dry out a bit, and then put it in a small starter pot. Cover with PS and see what happen's. Sometimes the temps have to be just right, just like a caladium bulb. If all else fails, I have one you can have.

 

I do the same as Toni,,nothing, and mine come back each year. Worst thing you can do is keep them too wet unless they are in the ground. I usually leave the nose above the soil till they show sprouting and then they go in the ground. It won`t hurt them to dry a bit as long as its not all summer but even then they just go a bit dormant and normally come back with rain. And try a mixture of dirt and a little potting soil. That will maintain a better moisture balance.

 

The Case of The Moldy Elephant Ears gets curiouser and curiouser. Who know elephant ears could be so variable?

 

Well, I appreciate everyones thoughts, I didn't think they should be this hard to grow either. The first year I grew them they were easy to get started. Even the one I put outside in the dirt in the back yard :-? did nothing special and up it came. last year I thought it was because of how cool and cloudy the winter and spring were This year I have potted them in new pots, sterile potting mix and watered sparingly. I just pulled the one on a whim and there was the same yucky soft spots with slime in/on them. So I checked further and there were several more just like them. So I pulled them, washed them off, sprayed them with peroxide, left them to dry for the day in the sun and with a fan blowing on them, fluffed the potting mix put them back into the pots, no more water, tops almost or barely exposed and moved them to another greenhouse. maybe I should have a prayer service for them also. I don't think it could hurt. So everyone pray, too. thanks

 

Will do that. But I think that if you are having this much of a problem, yours were likely damaged when yopu bought them. I would just stick it in the dirt,, it will either grow or not ! I personally don`t like potting soil for anything unless its mixed with native soil.

 

Thanks Mart! I seemed to have the same problem last year, too.
I bought a bag of smaller ones on Saturday, so I'll plant them and see if they do any better than the large bulbs. I also bought 6 black magic ones and planted them at the same time as the large ones and they seem to be doing fine. I lifted one of them and it looked just fine. So I'll plant up the other small ones and see if they do better. Maybe I'll need to just buy them small and keep them in pots all winter long to get a head start on them.

 

Hi, I love elephants ears too and thought maybe while we were discussing the plant that others might like to see what we grow here.I find it interesting that in some places they have 'to be looked after ' during winter, the opposite to here where I cut mine down to freshen them up!
Thankyou for the topic Carolyn.
These are some growing at the base of my shade house...too hot outside in regular garden.The only one that does well in open garden is the plain green one, grows very large though.


Black stemmed ( photo / image / picture from chocolate's Garden )






( photo / image / picture from chocolate's Garden )






Black velvet almost in flower ( photo / image / picture from chocolate's Garden )






Black magic in pot ( photo / image / picture from chocolate's Garden )






( photo / image / picture from chocolate's Garden )

 

Chocolate, those are beautiful. I love the colors of all the "new" varieties that are starting to be available. This is the first year I have seen the black magic available to buy at a store. For the past several years they have been available through a catalog, but waaaay out of my budget.

Do you let your go dormant at all or do they grow year round and you lop them off just to get rid of the tattered leaves? I have one that I think needs repotted (it is just not growing very well) and was wondering if I should pull it up and do so, will it be okay to do that or should the bulb be dormant before I pull it? Thanks