Elephant ear plant: reproduction | Gardening On

Elephant ear plant: reproduction

If you have an elephant ear plant, also known as Alocasia, you will surely if you take good care of it, it soon gets so big that you consider taking other plants out of it. Of an elephant ear plant, reproduction is perhaps one of the most important care and where you have to be very careful to be successful.

For this reason, today we want to focus on this point so that you have a work guide and you can ensure that, whatever the method, you achieve positive results and obtain new plants. Go for it?

Characteristics of the elephant ear

elephant ear planted in soil

First of all, it is important that you know what the main characteristics of the elephant ear are. A few years ago they were calledcolocasia’, but he was changing his name to Alocasia. And as such, you can come across tons of varieties of the plant, both some that do tend to resemble an “elephant ear” and others that are more closely related to “dragons.” Also It is known as Marquesa, Garden Taro, Canary Yam, etc.

It is characterized by having fairly large leavesso much so that they could measure up to a meter and a half each.

Its base is made up of stems that create a triangle shape. Most are green but there are some that are “special” since they can be pink, white, zebra style…

From the stems of the alocasias come the leaves, but also the flowers, although it is difficult for this to happen indoors.

Elephant ear is a plant with large leaves

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How is the Elephant Ear cared for?

As you know, to have one in good condition it is important that you control the weather very well. It loves to be at a mild temperature throughout the year and also with high humidity. Of course, with the passage of time you can get the plant to adapt to your climate, but for this it has to take a long time.

Elephant ear plant: reproduction underway

alocasia large leaf

As we want to focus on this care, we are not going to make you wait long. The first thing you should know is that yes, the elephant ear plant can reproduce. It is always advised that you try to guarantee the temperature, location and care to have more chances of success since, even if you do everything right, it can always be the case that it does not work out.

Within the reproduction of the elephant ear, there are two methods that usually work. One of them is slower and that means that not many opt for it, but the truth is that it can be even better. We tell you below.

Reproduction of the elephant ear plant by seeds

Yes, the truth is that alocasia can be multiplied through seeds. The only thing that is not usually the usual method, but it is there. The problem is that to achieve this, your plant needs to develop seed pods and this does not happen as often as one would like.

In case it does happen to you, what you can do is the following:

  • Collect the seeds. To do this, you have to take the pod and open it to collect all the seeds it has. Do not keep only a few because it may happen that many are not viable.
  • Prepare the seeds. Once you have them, you need to wash them to remove the pulp they have. Afterwards, it is recommended to store them until the following spring.
  • Sow. Sowing the seeds of the elephant ear plant can be done both in the ground and in pots. If you do it in pots you have the advantage of being able to take them anywhere and thus improve the conditions for them to thrive. To sow, you have to use nutrient soil that is moist (but not waterlogged), place the seeds and apply a thin base of soil on top (don’t put them too deep.
  • Germinate. After 3-4 weeks of having planted them, as long as all the necessary care for the plant is applied, you will begin to see the results. It is possible that many will be born to you, and you will have to make a small selection to keep only the healthiest specimens.

Elephant ear plant: reproduction by division

Another of the methods, and the most used for the reproduction of the elephant ear plant, is that of division. What is divided? The plant itself.

And it is that it is capable of multiplying its bulbs, from which new plants would come out. These bulbs can be divided, and thus take out new plants with or without roots, but which will be identical to the ones you have. But do you know how it should be done? We give you the steps below.

  • Take out the plant. Start by removing the plant from the pot to make it easier to work with. The objective is that you locate those small bulbs that have been born from the main one to separate them.
  • Separation. Once you locate them, we recommend that you separate the roots (if they have them) from those of the mother plant. In this way, you can cut more safely without touching the original plant too much.
  • Healing. When you make a cut, you cause an injury to both the small tuber and the large tuber. So our recommendation is that you use a little cinnamon powder and apply it to those cuts to avoid infections, pests, diseases, etc.
  • Plantation. Once you have divided the plant, and you have cured it, it is time to plant everything. The mother plant can return to the same pot, while the cuttings you have taken will have to be planted in new pots to take care of them until they become adult plants similar to the original.

Aspects to consider

elephant ear plant with two leaves

When reproducing alocasias it is important that you take into account the following:

  • They are plants whose leaves have oxalic acid. It is a substance that is toxic when ingested, that is why it is said that it is not recommended to have it if there are pets or small children who can touch or bite it.
  • When working with it, either to divide the plant or to manipulate it, you should put on some gloves because the leaves can irritate your skin. You will feel redness, itching, etc. So try to stay away.
  • The land you should use to reproduce the plant make sure it has a pH between 5,5 and 7. Alocasias like acidic soil so if you don’t give it to them, you may not be successful. It is best to have a kit to measure the pH of the soil on hand so that, if it is too high, you can use sulfur or gypsum to lower it; and if it is low, you can put garden lime or limestone on it.

Now you are ready for the reproduction of the elephant ear plant. Have you ever tried it?

Elephant ear plant: reproduction | Gardening On

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