Should I cut my elephant ear plants all the way down or pull them out?
by
Marge Perry
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Elephant ears are tropical and can't withstand cold weather. I dig mine up each fall, and replant them when the soil reaches fifty degrees. If they are still in the ground when you have a freeze, the bulbs may not survive. We had an early cold snap that lasted a while, I ended up having to dig mine up early when they were still green and growing new leaves! I cut off the leaves, take them in and dry them a couple of weeks then put them in paper bags.
Hi. That depends on if you want to have them grow again next year. Personally, I'm trying to get rid of this invasive plant that has taken over my garden and am having a very hard time getting rid of it because it has runners. Cutting it down will have it growing next year. Pulling it out will only deter it temporarily from that spot. It's runners will sprout up elsewhere.
It depends on if you're wanting to keep them or not. I don't know a lot about frost living in Central Florida, but we cut several of the leaves down to the stem and it promotes new growth. We've had to remove a few but you have to dig up every single piece and it's hard! Those stems are no joke.