Crank up the indoor drama by growing this handsome - foliage plant in your home .
Jacob Fox
With their bighearted , bold leave of absence , elephant ear plants(Alocasiaspp . ) can definitely make a spattering in your dwelling house . And you do n’t need a whole cluster of them – even a single plant is certain to be eye - catching in a brightly lit room . Keep thislarge - riffle houseplantinside yr - circle orgive it a summertime vacation on your terrace . Here ’s how to care for an elephant ear plant life indoors so you’re able to keep this tropical beauty thrive , glossy , and pest - free .
Credit:Jacob Fox
Poison Control and the ASPCA charge out that alocasia plant are somewhat toxic to masses and pets , so do n’t bestow an elephant ear to a toddler ’s playroom or put it withinreach of nibbling cat-o'-nine-tails .
Elephant Ear Indoor Care Tips
Like genuine divas , elephant auricle plants demand that certain necessity be met to keep them looking their best . As with all plants , the end is to mimic their aboriginal condition . In the wild , alocasias grow in Asiatic tropic woodland beneath taller trees , where they receive filter out sunshine or part shade and their theme are in moist , well - drained grunge .
For indoor elephant ears , if you live in northern sparkle and parky way , keep on plant shopping . Thesetropical dramatic event queensneed bright , filtered light ; not sitting in verbatim sunshine , but definitely spending most of the day on the sunny side of the elbow room . They also postulate warm temperatures and mellow humidity . pluck your indoor surroundings to run across these need by :
Water and Fertilizer Needs
You might think thathumidity - loving plantsalso require to be drenched in piss . Not so for elephant ears . In the winter , the plant are semi - sleeping , and they need to be on the dry side to avert root rot or fungal problems . Grow them in glassless ceramic pots , if you wish that look , to allow the moisture to vaporize more well from the grime . irrigate them after the top 2 inches of soil teetotal out .
After resting in the wintertime , alocasias have their growing squirt in spring and summer . That ’s when you want to habituate a houseplant fertiliser to give them special nutrients . In the downfall and wintertime , plain water is serious .
Indoor Pests and Problems
Three words frighten people who grow alocasia indoors : red wanderer mites . Elephant ears are notorious for harboring red spider touch , and theUniversity of Minnesota Extension suggests humidityto keep the plant respectable and more resistant to theseindoor pests . I ’ve grown elephant’s ear indoors and outside for old age without any kind of pest problem . But if you ’ve had issues with wanderer mites on your houseplants , stay put vigilant if you take on an elephant ear plant .
go with bar : analyze the flora when you corrupt it , and after it spends any prison term outside . wanderer mitesare super tiny and a group of them will seem like dust . You may also notice their fine webs , peculiarly on the bottom of leaves .
Routine chip - ups : To be the best caretaker , wipe the tops and undersides of the grown leaveswith a soft or microfiber cloth every two workweek . These rub - downs also keep your elephant ear free from house debris , so it can shine as a star on your indoor stage .
Credit:Nature’s Way Farms
How to get disembarrass of red spider mites : If your elephant ear spends the summer on your terrace , give it a exhaustive hosing down before youbring the plant back inside at the end of the season . If your indoor alocasia look dust-covered , pop it in the shower for a rinse . If that does n’t remove the spider speck , lap the leaf with insecticidal soap oruse neem oilto strangle the mite .
Best Types of Elephant Ear Plants for Indoors
Before you select an elephant ear plant to grow indoors , pay attention to how tall you could have a bun in the oven it to grow because there ’s quite a range , depending on the metal money and multifariousness . For example , my tremendous ‘ Calidora ’ elephant’s ear travels outdoors for the summer and is stuff back inwhen declination temperatures become chilly . This sturdy works gets 8 foot tall so it definitely needs plenty of place .
If you do n’t want an elephant ear industrial plant that ’s close to the size of an actual elephant , take a dwarf or unforesightful smorgasbord . A three - fundament - tall elephant ear that sportsbig , sheer leaveswill still make a statement . democratic indoor choices admit :
' Black Velvet'(Alocasia reginula ) is a tiny ( 12 to 18 inches tall ) beguiler with sturdy , heart - mold leaf . ably name , the elegant leave reckon black , with white veins and edge , and have a velvety texture .
' Frydek'(Alocasiahybrid ) has center - catching ashen vein on its dim , shield - shaped leaves . The leaf colouration set out out bright green and changes to blackness by the time the plant extend to its mature top of 1 to 3 feet .
' New Guinea Shield'(Alocasia wentii ) produces shield - shaped leaves that get about a infantry long . The industrial plant will hit 3 feet marvelous and wide , so give it some space , then sit back and look up to the shining bronze - green leave as they point upward , showing their purplish bottom .
If you get into collecting these big beauties , look for’Dawn ' , a rarer selection that has sensational variegated leaves ( shown below ) and gets 3 - 5 invertebrate foot tall .
Nature ’s Way farm
Alocasia vs. Colocasia
Elephant ear or elephant ’s pinna is a name used for both elephant’s ear and their cousins in thegenusColocasia , also called taro . Alocasias can thrive in indoor , filtered loose year - round . But colocasias will just cling to life , wait for summer so they can return to the great outdoors to make whoopie in full Sunday and soak up buckets of water . Also , alocasia leaves run to be thicker and sturdier than the thin and floppy colocasia leaves , but there ’s a lot of variance that relieve oneself it knavish to generalize the differences between these plants . However , if you want to grow elephant ear indoors , forked check that the plant you are getting is in fact an elephant’s ear , not a colocasia .
