Elephant Ears Need Special Care in Winter—What You Should Do Right Now for Happy Plants (2024)

Elephant ear plants make a striking addition to any garden thanks to their lush, oversized, heart-shaped leaves. However, these tropical plants—which include colocasias, alocasias, and xanthosomas—need special care to survive winter temperatures.

To keep elephant ears alive until spring, decide how you'll protect your plants. You can keep them outdoors, move them inside to keep as houseplants for the winter, or dig up the tubers to overwinter indoors. Which method is best depends on your growing zone.

Gardeners in zones 1 through 6 should plan to dig up elephant ear plants and bring them inside for the winter, either as plants or just the tubers. Those in zones 7 through 11 can leave elephant ears in the ground but should protect them with a few winterization steps.

Here's how to prepare your elephant ear plants for winter.

How to Overwinter Outdoors

1. Allow your elephant ear plants' foliage to die back naturally but leave tubers in the ground. Cutting the leaves back beforehand can cause root rot.
2. Cover the tubers thoroughly with a pile of dead leaves, grass clippings, straw, hay, or other insulating plant material. You can create a chicken wire cage over the plant to hold the mulch in place or simply mass the plant material on the surface above the tubers.
3. Wait to remove the mulch and uncover your elephant ear plants until after all danger of frost has passed in spring.

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How to Overwinter Indoors

1. Use a shovel or gardening fork to dig up elephant ear plants in the fall while the foliage is still healthy. Dig straight down beside the bulbs, then lift up, taking care not to damage the tuber in the process. Plan to do this a couple of weeks before your area's first frost date.
2. Repot your elephant ear plant in a new container using fresh soil, then water it well.
3. Follow best practices for bringing in plants for winter, such as inspecting foliage thoroughly for signs of pests and moving plants to a shady area for an increasing amount of time each day to help them gradually acclimate to lower-light indoor conditions.
4. Bring your elephant ear plant indoors before night temperatures reach the low 40°F range to protect its foliage.
5. Put the plant in the brightest, sunniest window in your home. Consider supplementing this light with a grow light to keep the plant going through the winter months.
   

How to Overwinter Tubers

If you prefer, you can overwinter elephant ear tubers like you overwinter dahlias. Dig up the tubers after a light frost and once the foliage has naturally died back. Avoid waiting until after a hard freeze, when the root system may have been damaged by the cold.

Dig up the plants by carefully lifting a shovel or garden fork beneath each tuber. Cut back all but four to six inches of any remaining foliage. Don't worry about removing excess soil clinging to the tubers. Do not wash the tubers with water.

Put elephant ear tubers in a warm place out of direct sunlight for at least a few days and up to two weeks. This curing process will keep them from rotting in storage. Place the elephant ear tubers in a cardboard box with a couple of ventilation holes.

Cover them with dry peat moss, coconut coir, or potting soil. Label the box and put it in a cool, dark place. Check the tubers periodically throughout the winter. If they appear shriveled, spritz them with a little water. Toss out any rotten tubers you find.

Overwintering Tips

• You can overwinter elephant ears planted in containers by bringing the entire container into a protected but unheated space like a basement or garage. Cut back any remaining growth to four inches above the soil line. Water only when the soil is completely dry.
• The ideal temperature for storing elephant ear tubers is between 70°F and 75°F.
• If you don't have soil, peat moss, or coco coir in which to store tubers, you can use materials like wood shavings or wrap tubers in newspaper.
• Wake up stored tubers for spring by planting them in a container four to six weeks before your area's last frost date. Keep them in a bright, warm place indoors, then plant outdoors once all danger of frost has passed.
• Some elephant ear species don't form tubers. Overwinter these plants in containers.