What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Giant elephant ears

I've admired this plant from afar and I just ordered some seeds to get a few of them going.

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with them and has some tried-and-true suggestions for me?

So far I gather that they soak up water like a sponge, do well in partial shade, and can grow about 3 feet per year. That's about the extent of my knowledge so far.
smile.gif


So I was wondering if anyone had a great soil mixture they would recommend? Or a great propagation method?

Just gathering all the info I can get. Thanks in advance.
 
I have some of this plant (Well technically its my dads lol but I take care of them). So far they've been really easy to grow. I keep mine in a pot that doesn't drain, bog like conditions. That way they get enough water. I also keep mine in partial shade.

As for dirt, I just dug up some from the yard and it seems to work well for me. And my dirt is really bad clay dirt and there trash all in it. So I'm sure if my dirt will work, most any other dirt will work.

I haven't done any propigation though, so I can't help you there.

Hope that helps some
 
With aquatic\marginal plants you WANT clay soil! That way it wont polute the water by rotting.
 
hmmm lol no wonder its doing so good
biggrin.gif
 
Ok, no drainage and clay soil. Sounds good.

Maybe I should pick up some Schultz Aquatic Soil for it? Would that be a good choice? Whatever I use I'm going to have to buy anyway so I might as well pick what works best.

I feel like I should be adding something for nutrients, shouldn't I?
 
Funny enough, I was looking at this plant online, and it said to use a well drained soil.
 
I used a well drained soil when i had one, but I had to water every day. As for clay me, Griffin and Copper have plenty of that ****. I had to use that word for it cause when thats all your yard is and you have to buy stuff to add to your yard, it gets really irritating. My yard will hold water if I tamp it.

Joe
 
Well, too late now. I've already potted it.
smile.gif
It's in a bucket with no drainage in a 50/50 mix of peat and Schultz Aquatic Soil (a lot like kitty litter). And it's quite an effort trying to get those two things to mix. It made sense at the time. We'll see how it does.
 
I bought a bulb at a local nursery and planted it in a large pot full of yard soil and a good measure of manure. It's growing very well and next year I plan to plant it in our vegatable garden because all our pots will be too small. It seems to do well even when it's not completely drenched. I love it because it's so easy to grow and it's a very pretty plant.
 
  • #10
i have colocasia esculenta and grow mine in both the edge of my pond as a marginal and also grow some of my really big ones in the ground in the garden. has like 32'' leaves across
 
  • #11
I grow my colocasia esculenta in my pond and in a wet part of my yard.
smile.gif
 
  • #12
Figured I'd add an update. The 50/50 mix of Schultz Aquatic Soil and peat wasn't a good idea at all. The plant really didn't do any growing while it was in it. I now have that plant and another one I bought in a mix of potting soil and compost with tons of fertilization (root tabs, aquarium water w/ lots of snail droppings, dead leaves and cuttings from other plants dropped onto the soil surface all the time). They're growing like mad... probably a new leaf every week that's 40% bigger than the previous one. So I just thought I'd give some more input on what doesn't work and what does.

There is something I'm curious about if anyone knows the answer. Every new leaf emerges from the base of the most recent leaf, and that's the only leaf the old leaf ever spawns as far as I can tell. So what happens if you cut off a new leaf before it has a chance to produce another one? Where does new growth come from? I'm wondering if this is a way to encourage it to sprout baby plants or not. And whether or not a mishap with a new leaf is a major setback.
 
  • #13
[b said:
Quote[/b] ] So what happens if you cut off a new leaf before it has a chance to produce another one? Where does new growth come from? I'm wondering if this is a way to encourage it to sprout baby plants or not. And whether or not a mishap with a new leaf is a major setback.
I would like to know the same thing. My girlfriend inadvertently snapped off one of the whole growing point off the rhizome on my alocasia polly. I am assuming it will grow a new point in due time.
 
Back
Top