Elephant ears

Question

I over-wintered my upright elephant ear plant by cutting off the leaves, then digging it up and storing it in a pot in the dark, cool (but not freezing) basement. When I replanted it outside, it immediately started growing, but has produced only blooms/seed pods, and no leaves. What have I done wrong? Will it produce leaves later?

I live in north Alabama, I think in zone 7.

Thanks!

Pam

Answer 1

This “could” be a result of not cleaning off the “bulbs” (tubers, or corms) when you dug the plant up for overwintering, or it could simply be your plant’s reaction to your current spring weather conditions (your plant may be trying to “catch up” by sprouting seed pods if you had a slow start to spring this year). It would be very odd if the plant produced no leaves at all, so it’s likely that given enough time and the right growing conditions, it will sprout leaves. It’s still early in the season — keep an eye on it for a couple more weeks to see if it sprouts leaves.

These articles may help you keep your Elephant Ear plant healthy and happy:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/elephant-ear/storing-elephant-ear-bulbs.htm
and
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/elephant-ear/elephant-ears-taking-over.htm

Answer 2

Side note: you should know that seed pods are rather rare in this plant, so you may want to save them and create new Elephant Ear plants. This article will explain how:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/alocasia-plant/elephant-ear-seed-pods.htm