What to do after winter for elephant ear plants

Question

I read somewhere I should cut my elephant ear plant down to approx. 6 inches for the winter if there is several days below 20 degrees. So I did. Now spring 2014 is in and looking at the base of the plant is green but the outer layer around the base there is a hard brown/black layer, and some parts are soft and wet. So I pulled the hard brown/black layer parts off and scraped the soft layer parts off. The top of the plant is very wet. What should I do now?

Answer 1

Elephant ear is generally considered a tropical plant, and is not recommended for winters with freezing weather. However, there are some varieties that are cold hardy. If you have one of these, this article explains something about their culture:http://lee.ces.ncsu.edu/2009/06/bending-ears/
You’ll need to wait and see if the one you have now survived the winter. It should send up a new sprout from the tuber if it did. if you lose it and want to try one again, this article will tell you how to overwinter them: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/elephant-ear/storing-elephant-ear-bulbs.htm