Overwintering elephant ears

I guess since I've always grown them as houseplants, i didn't know there was such a thing as "overwintering" so not really an issue

I am so thankful that this post is here.
I have a mickey mouse who is very picky about its roots. When I planted this little guy he struggled but made it. He didn't grow very much for me like all the others I have. Anyone else have this trouble?

hi im new to daves garder, i got 6bulbs for elephant ear at atwoods in ft smith they were different long and fat they look like over size carrots. they made real nice plants only get about2 ft. tall. they were no names. i dug and put them in the green house i was afraid they would be hurt by freez can you tell me anything about these.even a guess might help. thanks

Holly-
My MM are very picky too. I keep mine in pots during the winter and outside (in the ground) in summer. Make sure you use sharp draining potting soil. I like a mix with lots of bark fines and peat moss.

Nettie-
If you post pics of the leaves that would be helpful with the ID.
ROX

thanks i will do that. post a picture.

sounds like a malanga to me!

sigh..my thai giants got HUGE last yr..but didnt overwinter.. :( have to start over with small plants..
question then..? my macrorhiza did great..even have side shoots already..
i kept all EE bareroot.. cut them down..rinsed off(last fall) dusted with cinnamon too..(worked wonders on
my bananas)
? is this my problem.. with the thai giant.. i need to keep them potted up..on dry side..but in soil?
thing is..they are huge.. truely..LOL.. i should be thrilled on this..LOL right.. :)
i was so anxious to see how big these plants would get this summer.. sigh..
hope you all have some ideas,experience..
thanks...

You can keep them over winter two ways as far I can tell. One is potted up in warm greenhouse and just slightly keeping them moving. The soil should drain well and only watered when needed then allowed to dry back out.

The next is to keep them chilled and dry If they freeze they rot if the humidity in the air is low they will dry out if to wet they rot. You have to find that perfect situation were the tuber or plant stays in suspended animation. A cold cellar is usually perfect. I had a few in warm greenhouses that were not in near as good shape as a unheated greenhouse.

As I usually tell most people it is similar to storing potatoes. Dry soil humid air cool temps best situation for storing tropicals.

thanks brian.. thai giants were yours.. i was so anxious to have them make it overwinter..sigh..
overwintering....do u cut right down near the root base? my plants last fall were easy 12- 13" across at the base..
the stems were huge as well...
i didnt cut them back alot.. i left several stems on.... 2 feet or so in length.. onto the base of the plant...
i kept them in same area as bananas.. and macrorhiza.. storage area was around 55F...
do u find overwintering thai giant more difficult than other EE ? hoping the thai giants i have this yr.. very small plants..will grow like crazy like last yrs..
fingers crossed..
then again..try to overwinter them...
thanks.. i appreciate your experience and insights...

Hello everyone; I am new to this thread . I overwintered about 30 Alocas. Xanth. Piloden. Orinoco banana pseudostems 10-12' and Colocasias, including Thai Giant.

Brians' first example was how I got through this past winter unscathed. Luckily, I have two nice size windows in the garage and used a Ceramic heater to keep it around 70F . With all the plants in there and misting 2-3 times a day, I have been able to keep the humidity ~ 75-80%. I have basically watered when the plants let me know they were thirsty. Soil for the most part has been slightly moist . I also try to keep the plants in a smaller rather than large pot I would use for the summer. With my 6' or so Caildoras, Xanthos. and Portoras; I just placed 3-4 plants in a 45 gallon Nursery pot. And left them alone watering about once every 2-3 weeks. Philod. hardly grow at all unless it's hot so I have maybe watered them a total of three times since November, allthough they have really started to wake up as has everything ele in these 70 + temperatures.

I need to take a pcture of the Xanthosoma Sagit. blooming right now. I will post it tomorrow. Been up since before 5AM

Later!

thanks homer.. i dont have greenhouse to keep thai giants happy.. thus i did the dryroot way.. but..im guessing that
the thai giant isnt an easy overwintering EE.. i doubt the thai giants i have now..just small plants..will get as big as last yrs..
sigh :( i know they really pop in growth with summer temps..
thai giant may be one i wont be able to grow sucessfully here.. sigh...
thanks again homer..

Pictures of Alocasia Odora blooming (did not see that until this AM), and of the Xanthosoma Sagittifolium will be next.

Sorry it is in reverse!

I would suggest trying to over winter a tuber or root mass with leaves removed in a plastic bag with mulch or sawdust and placed in a very cool place. It would be worth a try if you have luck getting them big again this season.

Brian,

Do you have access to Alocasia robusta, or Alocasia robusta "Sarawakensis"?

These are a couple I do not have for my collection of Aloc. I have heard of all the Horror stories about trying to grow them. I need to give it a shot (you guys understand).

I have not had Alocasia Robusta for sometime. I would like to try it again myself but it was removed from Tissue Culture due to all the problems growing it. I think the future of growing Robusta is in the hands of Lariann. It maybe years before it will be available and if so only the crazies will try it sense it has shown to be such and tough one to grow.

Thanks for the information.Yes; you and me and about a thousand other people in the U.S.

thanks brian.. ya..i too am willing to try almost anything.. guess its the
science interest in me..
took all the plants out today in the sun. .. actually had a moderately warm day..but sun
was great..
good luck home if ya do get a robusta.. nothing wrongwith wanting to try something
new..and as i understand..very challenging..
id be willing to try extremely difficult plants..but i have to get a greenhouse first.. :)
i think some of these plants just dont like to be disturbed.. like thai giant..
i heard from a friend..she calls it.. a pain in the #*($& LOL
but my plants last yr.. wow.. guess thats why we try..
:)

Exactly 777 It's like the mountain to the climber. Who knows... You may be the next person to get one to bloom before it takes a knife across the throat!

LOL

well its "almost" summer like weather here.. sigh..enough on the rain though...
my tropicals are going strong!! yea
my EE's .. are going well..
i got a few macrorhizza from brian..maybe 3 yrs ago..last yr one was really big.. 2 of them overwintered great.. solid
stems,good roots.. potted them a few months ago..they just sat there.. but now putting them out on sunny days (to soon to plant
out in garden).. they have sent out leaves!! yea..the 2 biggest plants had side pups..which i separated..overwintered..and now
they are getting really big.. 2 have leaves over 18" !! those are the pups...
? i know ive chatted about it before.. but anyone testing fate with robusta??
i dont even know where i could even get a plant??? let alone keeping it alive...
thoughts?
thanks.. hope to see more discussion on EE's here....

Yo 777,

Got two of LariAnn Garners Robudoras a few days ago. They are less than a foot tall and the latest leaf is over a foot long.

I am currently growing about 30 different Alocasias Colocasias and Xanthosomas, either in pots or in the ground.

My ensete maurelii is 4' tall and rocking and ventricosum about the same. Glaucum jamming with the base as big around as your wrist but only 1'-6'' tall.
Also have a Superbum that I just purchased on e-bay that is very healthy looking.

Here's a picture of one of my three Borneos

homer.. wow..that is a super boreno !! you sure are doing something right !! :)
tell me about the Robudoras...??? is it a sport of robusta?
i saw the superbums on ebay.. was thinkin about buying one.. so you like what they shipped you??
you grow your EE and nanners outside mostly?? how about your winters.. are they very cold there?
i see you are just north of charlotte.. so im guessing you do get some winter there then..??
its addictive isnt it..?? EE's, bananas.. LOL
i have almost 80 plants..between EE,bananas,gingers.. thats not counting in the tons of cannas
i winter over and put in..
its all good huh....:)
how would i buy plants from lari ann garner? off aroids.org?
thanks.. hope you do well this summer...

777,


It is a hybrid of Odora x Robuta

It's the typical 2'' plug that has been growing in a 4'' pot

I can cover with about 18'' of shreaded leaves the regular ee's Odora, Portora etc.,etc. Bananas I usually bring inside in the garage; most offsets make it unless unusually cold! Most winters we are in the 20's and 40's we are protected by the lake(Google Lake Norman North of Charlotte). We usually get one snow a year average; but you can go east or west 10 miles and it may be 3-4 snows. Yeah; we have a little winter we are famous for ice! http://aroidiaresearch.org

Thanks, and you also! Let me know if you have any other questions!

im sure the ice makes winter treacherous.. 1 snow day..lucky U !!!! :)
so how big is the Robudoras expected to get? anywhere as large as robusta?
so you bought them via aroids.org?
im always wanting to try something new.. and a challenge..
thought of trying a few palms.. not sure yet..they dont transplant easy like bananas..
is the Robudora more tender than most EE's then? do you plan to take it in to overwinter?
thanks homer !!!
i appreciate your thoughts on this...

1 snow day on average; had 4 this year and very cold for us! A lot of 10's nights and low 30's days

LariAnn said between an odora and robusta maybe more; I am thinking 15-20' in a place like Miami, with 8-10' leaves. Charoltte 12-15' with 5-7' leaves.

http://aroidiaresearch.org

Take them in overwinter and next year plant outside in ground. I want to make sure I don't end up without any plants. I am sure they will offset this year, however, I want them to have a full season in the ground to overwinter outside!

thanks homer..
thats a big plant.. my thai giants dont get tall..of course..but leaves last yr were super.. i have 3 really strong thai's this yr.. that i am hopeful
that will get to same size or bigger.. last yrs thai's got 64" i was very pleased.. got them from brian williams (great guy!!!)
would be fantastic to have a taller plant with huge leaves too.. :)
? so you bought them from lari ann off aroidresearch.org??
do they sell the robudoras regularly? i see they ask for a dont sell in the trade..totally understand.. protect what theyve done...
for me..the plants will be for my own enjoyment.. :)
thanks again homer !!!!

that time of yr again for me.. dig everything out and store away..sigh
was a good yr..some of my A.macrorhizza got woody trunks.. and 1 bloomed..
my X.robustas got really big !!! and my thai giants did pretty good..but no way as large
as last yr..
im taking brians advice on alocasias and potting up and keeping on dry side and growing..but
in a cool room..
im planning to keep colocasias and xanthosomas bareroot.. and just spraying occasionally
with kelp water..
others have thoughts on xanthosoma overwintering..inside..no greenhouse.. (YET) LOL
thanks

Keep the Xanthos going 777!

homer..so do u pot yours up and keep inside overwinter??
do u keep on dry side too?
im going to have to get some more big pots..LOL
its a trap isnt it.. herhehhe..
my X.robustas got over 5 ft tall.. in just one summer..
mmm..maybe its time to put in a sunroom.just to keep things overwinter..

They tell me how much water they want!(yea,right!) Seriously, inside, in a big picture window with 4-5 hours of sunlight with 68 F. They will suck up some water in a small pot! Hence; they like it moist inside given these parameters.

My Glaucum is 22'' in Dia. at the base with a pseudostem height of only 6'.

Musa Rajpuri was 17'' in Dia. with pseud. at 7.5'!

Red Portora in ground was 8'- 10-1/2''! It was a bad year for growth also.

AeAe 16' with 4-pups.

Take care 777

thats great homer!!!
my glaucum got the biggest of my bananas ..this yr..
i dont have any rajpuri..i'll have to check that one out..
lol..like i need more bananas.. :) i cant say no.. LOL
good luck on your overwintering homer!!!

and you as well my friend!

thanks homer.. :)
omaching back..LOL i have to brag.. i guess.. ive been digging all the tropicals for
winter storing ..
one of my big thai giants (didnt get huge like last yr..but). had.. no kidding.. 11 pups
off the mother plant. and all are good sized.. tons of roots..
i potted up a ton of EE's today for winter..
has anyone had that many pups off their thai before???
im thinking this is why it didnt get huge leaves like last yr.. all the energy went into
all those babies...
?? am i nuts??

well everything is in and finally potted up.. geesh..LOL
i think i need a greenhouse..:)
my thai giants are doing fine from being dug..so far.. :)
im doing several community big pots (for space sake).. with many EE in them..
im using a good mix of my compost and ground leaves..its nice and fluffy..
i''ll do as brian williams suggests..some watering but let dry out between..
i dont know what i'll do next fall.. everything hopefully will be alot bigger next yr..
and all the pups will too.. i have a big house. but this is getting crazy..
LOL
but..i love it...
thanks to all for insights...

so far my EE are doing good..YEA !! i hauled in several HUGE tubs..i dont know what the volume
they are 4 ft across.. i buried alot of my EE with leaf mulch/well decayed compost..
i checked it every so often..and watered..if it felt dry..
reading on another site.. expressing trouble with overwintering thai giant..
much thanks to brian..u the man!!! :)
this other poster..is overwintering their thai giants in buckets of water..
in a chilly garage,no freezing.. changing out water ..
??? what is everones thoughts on this???
my thai giants did fine.. in fact i had so many pups last yr..i dont need to buy any EE this yr..
unless of course i get tempted to buy a hybrid of some MONSTER EE lari ann is working on...:)
hope to see some thoughts on storing thai giant in water overwinter ...
much thanks
getting real anxious for summer..

Whatever works for you 777. I would think as long as the water stays oxygenated and changed very frequently(and I'm talking filtered water) I don't see why it would not work.

I am ready for a good summer myself. Hopefully warm, humid and wet!

me to homer !!!
i wondered if anyone has tried this method..?? i did really well this winter..
i kept my thai giants in mixture of shredded leaves and compost.. kept slightly
,very slightly moist..
it snowed last 2 days..today..sun..sun..tomorrow.. mid 60sF
YEA

well im very pleased with my results overwintering my EE..especially thai giants..
i have a TON of them for this yr..YEA !!! :)
last fall (late oct) i loosely potted them deeply in shredded leaves..
i lightly watered pots maybe every 5 weeks..
i dug them out this week.. and wow..great roots,firm stems..
thanks to all for ideas/thoughts ...
im especially glad to have some good sized thai giants for this yr..
now..hopefully summer will be a good one..and maybe i can get a few monsters :)

well ive got probably 60 days to go for this growing season..
i have to say..im overall pleased with my EE's..
my jacks giants are the biggest ..so far.. i have a few thai g ..that arent to
far behind.. and everything is pupping...
enough.. LOL
for overwintering this winter 2012.. im going to do similar with a bit of a twist..
i used shredded leaves as potting mix overwintering..especially the thai giants..and they pulled thru
fine..
the alocasias.. i left most bareroot.. but the ones that did best were the ones i just threw into a pot with
leaves.. so im going to do that again..
i dusted everything with cinnamon..that worked well. i do think i need to water the colocasias just a bit more..
im starting my searching for HUGE pots for overwintering now..

depending on where you are placing them, have you tried rubbermaid big bins, they are pretty cheap compared to pots.. I stored all my roots in them for years and never had a problem.. But like i said it wouldnt be something to put in say the living room lol.. Although you could wrap it in something say bamboo screening, or picked fence pieces, but with that extra cost you could just buy a pot lol

I have a 4 seasons room, well its more like a hallway about 6 feet wide and maybe 30 long.. Its heated or cooled just as the house is and one whole side of windows.. Not sure how much hubby is going to like this but i want to do a few tubs in there.. if i do them in the green like the furniture it cant look that bad right haha oh the things we do for our plants
jen