If you have an elephant ear plant, also known as Alocasia, you if you take good care of it, it quickly becomes so big that you consider removing other plants from it. Of an elephant ear plant, reproduction is perhaps one of the most important cares and where you have to be very careful in order to be successful.
For this reason, today we want to focus on this point so that you have a working guide and can make sure that, whatever the method, you get positive results and get new plants. Dark?
Contents
Elephant Ear Features
First of all, it is important that you know what the main characteristics of the elephant ear are. A few years ago they were called ‘Colocasia’, but they gradually changed their name to Alocasia. And as such, you can come across tons of varieties of the plant, some that tend to resemble “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 rods that create a triangle shape. Most are green but there are some that are “special” since they can be pink, white, zebra-like…
From the stems of the alocasias come the leaves, but also the flowers, although it is difficult for this to happen indoors.
As you know, to have one in good condition, it is important that you control the weather very well. It likes to be at a mild temperature throughout the year and also with high humidity. Of course, over time, you can get the plant to adapt to your climate, but it must take a long time to do so.
Elephant ear: reproduction in progress
As we want to focus on this support, we won’t make you wait long. The first thing you need to know is that yes, the elephant ear plant can reproduce. It is always advisable to try to guarantee the temperature, location and care to have a better chance of success because even if you do everything right, it may still not work.
In elephant ear breeding, there are two methods that generally work. One of them is slower and that means few people 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 alocasia can be propagated by seed. The only thing that is usually not the usual method, but it is there. The problem is that to achieve this, your plant needs to develop pods and this does not happen as often as one would like.
In case this happens to you, here is what you can do:
- Collect the seeds. To do this, you have to take the pod and open it to collect all the seeds it has. Don’t just keep a few as many may not be viable.
- Prepare the seeds. Once you have them, you have to wash them to remove the pulp they have. Then 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 everywhere and thus improve the conditions for their development. To sow, you should use moist (but not waterlogged) nutrient soil, place the seeds and apply a thin layer of potting soil over them (don’t put them too deep.
- Germinate. After 3-4 weeks after planting them, as long as all the necessary plant care is applied, you will start to see results. It is possible that several will be born from you, and you will have to make a small selection to keep only the healthiest specimens.
Elephant ear: 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’s capable of multiplying its bulbs, from which would emerge new plants. These bulbs can be divided, and thus produce 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 the plant out. Start by removing the plant from the pot to make it easier to work with. The goal is for you to locate those small bulbs that are born from the main one to separate them.
- Separation. Once you locate them, we recommend separating the roots (if they have any) from those of the parent plant. This way you can cut more safely without touching the original plant too much.
- Healing. When you cut, you damage both the small tuber and the large tuber. Our recommendation is therefore to use a little cinnamon powder and apply it on these cuts to avoid infections, parasites, diseases, etc.
- Planting. Once you’ve divided the plant and cured it, it’s time to plant everything. The mother plant can return to the same pot, while the cuttings you have taken will need to be planted in new pots to care for them until they grow into adult plants similar to the original.
Considerations
When breeding alocasias, it is important to consider the following:
- These are plants whose the leaves contain oxalic acid. It is a substance that is toxic when ingested, which is why it is said that it is not recommended to have it if there are pets or young children who can touch it or to bite.
- When working with it, either to divide the plant or to handle it, you must put some gloves as the leaves can irritate the skin. You will feel redness, itching, etc. So try to stay away.
- The land you need to use to reproduce the plant make sure it has a pH between 5.5 and 7. Alocasias love acidic soil, so if you don’t give them any, you may not be successful. It is best to have a kit on hand to measure soil pH 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 in it.
You are now ready for the reproduction of the elephant ear plant. Have you ever tried it?