The elephant ear plant life ( genus Colocasia or Alocasia ) is an vast tropical beauty with large attractive farewell bound to make any space feel tropic or more like a rainforest .
And the better part about this plant is its quick growth , which makes it a worthy selection if you just do n’t have the time to wait like 5 years before your interior ’s solicitation improves .
An outdoor planted elephant auricle plant peaks at 8 human foot . And it has a growth rate of 3 to 5 feet per year . Most of the emergence happen in the summertime . So it takes about two twelvemonth for the plant to fully mature . But if the elephant ear plant was potted , it would grow at a lower charge per unit of 1 to 2 feet per yr due to special grunge and other nutrients .
The elephant ear industrial plant is a fast - growing tropic industrial plant . But it needs the right condition for rapid growth .
Contents
How Fast Do Elephant Ears Grow Indoors?
How long does it take for Elephant Ears to grow full size ?
Factors that Dictate the Growth Rate of Elephant Ears
Type of Soil
The elephant ear works grow upright in robust organic soil with good wet . A symmetrical amount of water is ask to conserve the elephant ear plant ’s turgid leaves .
In addition to full drainage if potted , a pH level range from 5.5 to 7.0 .
Underwatering
If you establish your elephant ear in dampish soil , it will suffer from a deficiency of water over time ( dying leaves , root breakage ) , particularly if you do n’t have time to fertilise the dirt .
Thus , avoiding such a problem is preferred by ensuring that your soil is instantly water , rather than pouring from the works ’s top .
mention : assure to irrigate frequently during the summertime ( 2 to 3 multiplication per week ) . and do n’t forget to water at least once every two week . Because the ground may be water retentive but it still needs water .
Overwatering
Despite its large parting ’ thirst for water , your elephant pinna plant is still at peril of overwatering .
How ? The soil will become too besotted for the beginning to handle if you maintain the same lachrymation frequency throughout the year , even though the plant will be let on to various reasons ( such as hot summers , moth-eaten winters , and in - betweens ) .
The resolution is oedema , and overwatering can lead to root rot .
To avert this problem , you must water your elephant ear plant according to the seasons . As previously express , if it ’s a hot summertime , your watering frequency should be somewhat gamy than in the winter .
For example , because the soil melt excessively during this season , you may irrigate your elephant ear plant twice a workweek .
It ’s adept to water your works at least twice a month during the winter because the stain retains more water during such a time of year .
observe : check that the top filth soil is all teetotal before you water again .
Overfeeding
Fertilizing your elephant ear plant is a swell means to keep up with its high nutritionary needs especially if you ’re reviving it after it ’s been severely damage .
However , you should avoid over - fertilizing it because it will cause serious symptoms such as leaf drop and color change . As a resultant , your plant ’s growth will be slowed .
Pest Infestation
The outgrowth of your elephant ear plant is threatened by tomfool - sucking louse such as mealybugs and aphids . They weaken stems and leaves .
The plant will not respond in effect to its “ favorable conditions . ” The leave of absence will begin to curl and droop due to the insect infestation .
Diseases can Slow Affect Growth Rate
Elephant ear growth is more affected by fungal or bacterial disease than by insect infestation . Because you’re able to deal with an infestation at any fourth dimension and regenerate your elephant ear flora to its former aureole with little endeavour . As a solution , it would farm at a rate that was most or exactly the same as before the infestation .
When your plant is under attack by disease , however , revving it will be difficult , and it will be at risk of perish . It ’s possible that the plant will not grow properly even after being revived .
Pythium root disease , for example , is triggered by a fungus that lies sleeping in the grunge . When you overwater your plant , it becomes activated , make severe root damage .
Over Exposure to Sunlight
There are various types of elephant ear plants such as colocasia and Alocasia . To which each has its preference in the chroma of sunlight that is adequate for its aggressive growth charge per unit .
Some of them would do well in full sun exposure and some would be neat in partially shaded sunlight . This means the amiss type of exposure to sunlight could get your elephant ear to underperform in terms of growth charge per unit .
How ? An elephant ear plant that ask collateral sun ca n’t fly high for long in full sunshine , as it would lead to sunburn . Which does not only burn the leaves and halt but also damage the works on a molecular level . Thus leading to scrubby emergence .
However , if you put an elephant ear plant that want unmediated sun in a partially shaded area , it wo n’t produce the right way .
Because the lack of direct sunlight would cause its photosynthetic process to be deficient for the plant ’s overall growth .
Surrounding Environment Plays a Vital Role
Elephant ear plants are aboriginal to the tropic and rain wood , which are typically spicy and humid environments . To avoid lowering transpiration from a dry ambiance , your plant ’s environs should mimic the tropics or rainforest to grant it to grow at its expected aggressively fast pace .
As a solution , it ’s secure to keep the way moist . you could do this by using a humidifier , misting with a atomiser bottle , or surround your elephant ear plant with more plants .
Do Elephant Ears grow better in soil or water?
Both grime and H2O are fantabulous environments for elephant capitulum exploitation , but the filth is far superior . Because it provides your elephant ear plant with more natural food , it will grow much quicker than bare water or a swampy environs .
Elephant ear plant , on the other hired hand , are in the first place propagated in water . Elephant ear plant , such as genus Colocasia , can thrive in a partially submerged domain or even in the middle of a pool .
How Do you Speed up Elephant Ears Growth?
There is no wizardly wand or secret normal that ’ll boost the growth of your elephant ear plant . The only way to achieve that speedy growth pace is by ensuring your elephant ear plant is thriving in the right conditions .
Plant In Full Direct or Direct Sunlight
To get the most out of your plant , you need to expose your elephant ear plant to the right amount of luminosity . For case , the Alocasia want collateral sunlight to flourish , just as the colocasia would require full direct sun to thrive .
If you trade the treatment , both types of elephant ear works would underachieve and most likely take time to fully suppurate .
Use A Grow Light
If you ca n’t set up your plant for proper lighting or ca n’t control how much sunlight it scram , you should use a grow light that is able of effectively triggering your plant ’s photosynthetic mechanism .
Because it is very convenient and exempt the emphasis of perpetually adjust the plant for proper Lord’s Day pic for in use owners .
Grow lights are also an fantabulous way to provide your plant twinkle during the wintertime . It ’s even good for reviving plant life that have been severely damaged .
mark : Elephant ear plants are usually from the tropic , so they should receive light rays with an loudness that dances around 400 – 800 Footcandles .
Fertilize Regularly
Because your works is pot , it has less approach to nutrient than unpotted outside plant . As a result , the unpotted elephant capitulum plant will grow much improbable and faster than the potted one . So , if you require your potted Alocasia or colocasia to get as fast as an unpotted one , it ’s best to fertilize it . The best fertilizer is liquid plant food 10 - 10 - 10 .
Note : Summer and saltation fertilization is recommended . But do n’t feed in the wintertime because it will run to overfeed .
Consider Pruning Early On
Trimming your elephant ear plant ’s stagnant or weakened parts will promote new growth . As a result , its general germination will be quick .
However , if done during the dormancy period , this procedure will be good ( wintertime ) .
Your elephant auricle plant can concentrate on growing in the outpouring and summer rather than feeding stagnant veins and leafage .
Transplant At The Right Time
natural spring is the well time to transplant your elephant ear flora . During this meter , the tuber of the plant grows and circularize quickly .
There must also be no grounds of hoarfrost in the territory . A unseasoned elephant spike plant is also much easy to transpose .
Use A Large Enough Container
Given the elephant ear plant ’s rapid increase , the container may not be orotund enough to check it altogether . As a result , the flora ’s overall growth is hampered .
If your elephant ear plant does not reach the size you desire , it is best to repot it into a larger container .
How to Revive Overfeed Elephant Ears
If you are raring , you may want to contribute a fortune of fertilizers to your elephant ear industrial plant to speed up its outgrowth . This is a hazardous strategy because it will lead to overfeed .
symptom such as the browning of your leafage or the comportment of a milklike crust on the soil will be addressed . At this point , you should retrieve about changing your plant ’s conditions .
How to Revive Your Elephant Ears From Overfeeding
When it come to reviving an elephant spike industrial plant that has been overfed , the first step is to hit the excess fertiliser . If they ’re visible , outdo out some of the soil to get rid of them .
It ’s metre to drain all seeable fertiliser remnants after physically polish off the seeable fertilizer . And the salutary way to do this is to fill the pot midway with water and then let it dry out . restate this function four times to ensure no fertilizer stay in the dirt .
Note : If it ’s in the garden , but flood the soil around the plant ’s antecedent . The pressure would push fertilizers out of reach of your etymon .
Due to Overfeeding , part of your plant are severely damage , as they would shrivel up . So make use of sterilized blade to lop them off your plant to allow newfangled growth to take lieu .
Your elephant ear plant is just recuperate from overfeeding . It ’s best to leave the plant life out for 3 to 4 weeks so that the roots can restore and not get accentuate .
If your plant seems to be irreclaimable , then you should re - pot it . But only after leaching in it the premature crapper , as this would greatly foreshorten the retrieval time of your plant .
Note : After your elephant ear plant has recovered , shift to a milder fertilizer to avoid overfeed it again . It should be low in atomic number 7 .
How Can We Get The Watering Right?
water system More Frequently During The Summer
Water your plant double a hebdomad during the red-hot summer months . Because the stain evaporates moisture more quickly .
As a result , it is only fair to ensure that the soil remains damp for an extended period of fourth dimension . Watering twice a week is also appropriate for a plant that requires a circumstances of nutrients , such as the elephant ear .
Reduce your watering pace in the wintertime
Because of the insensate atmosphere , moisture get away the dirt much slowerduring the wintertime . As a result , overwatering your plant life can cause root legal injury . As a result , watering your industrial plant when the surface soil is ironic is the best approach .
Things To Consider for Pruning
Pests and Diseases
After your plant life has been waste by disease or pesterer , you should consider Pruning . Which is also part of the recovery process . Performing this procedure would kill the progress of any disease or pest .
The Right Season
Pruning at any clock time of the year could negatively affect your industrial plant ’s growth rate . So when you require to Prune you should Prune during your plant life ’s dormancy catamenia .
In the case of the elephant capitulum plant , it should be former summertime or mid - winter . Because early and mid - summer are where most of the grow take place . So it should not be interrupted .
Key Takeaways
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