This is a great tropical looking plant, that is easy to grow, and makes a big statement especially in colder climates where such large growth is hard to come by. And even better, it is so easy to overwinter.
Slugs can be a real nuisance in any garden, but they seem to take a particular liking to munching on the large, green leaves of the Amazon Elephant Ear plant. If left unchecked, these slimy critters can quickly destroy the foliage, leaving behind unsightly holes and a trail of destruction. The good news is there are several effective methods to get rid of slugs and protect your Amazon Elephants Ear plant without having to resort to harsh chemicals.
Understanding Slugs and How They Damage Plants
Slugs are small, soft-bodied mollusks that thrive in damp conditions. They feed on plant leaves, stems, flowers, and roots by scraping away at the tissue which creates the ragged holes in leaves that are characteristic of slug damage. Slugs are most active during cooler weather and prefer hiding during the heat of the day. Their ideal environment is dark, moist areas with plenty of organic matter to feed on. This makes the Amazon Elephant Ear with its huge leaves and need for constantly damp soil, an ideal target.
If left uncontrolled, slugs can spread fungal diseases within your garden as they move from plant to plant. They lay eggs in clusters within soil or organic debris which later hatch into more slugs, making an infestation worse over time. Therefore, taking action at the first signs of damage is crucial.
Signs of Slug Damage on Amazon Elephants Ear Plants
Check your Amazon Elephants Ear plants frequently for the following signs of slug activity:
- Irregular holes in leaves, usually along the edges
- Slug trails – silvery slime trails along leaves or soil
- Damaged or chewed leaf edges
- Wilted or curled leaves
- Presence of black specks on foliage (slug excrement)
- Missing seedlings
Catching infestations early allows you to take action before too much harm is done
Effective Methods to Get Rid of Slugs on Amazon Elephants Ear Plants
1. Handpick Slugs
One of the simplest organic methods for controlling slugs is to handpick them. Take a flashlight and go slug hunting in the evening and early mornings when they are most active. Wear gloves, and pick slugs off your plants and drop them into a bucket of soapy water to kill them. Check under leaves and moist sheltered areas where slugs like to hide.
2. Use Beer Traps
Slugs are attracted to the yeasty smell of beer. Set beer traps by filling shallow containers with cheap beer and placing them near slug affected plants. Slugs are lured by the smell fall into the containers and drown. Beer traps should be emptied and replenished every few days for the best results.
3. Use Copper Tape or Strips
The metal copper gives slugs a mild electric shock when they crawl over it. Use this to your advantage by encircling the pots or base of your Amazon Elephants Ear plants with copper tape or strips to create a protective barrier. Copper abrasively removes the protective slime coating from slugs, causing them to dehydrate.
4. Apply Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is made from crushed fossils of diatoms, tiny aquatic organisms. Sprinkle this chalky powder around your plants to shred and dehydrate slugs. Reapply after rain or watering to maintain effectiveness. Wear a mask when applying as it is irritating if inhaled.
5. Encourage Natural Predators
Creating a balanced garden ecosystem encourages natural predators like birds, frogs and ground beetles that will prey on slugs and keep their numbers down. Provide habitat for these beneficial critters in your garden.
6. Use Slug Control Products
There are also several effective, non-toxic commercial slug control products available:
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Iron phosphate baits – Iron phosphate baits are safe for pets and wildlife, but kill slugs after ingestion. Scatter bait around affected plants according to instructions.
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Nematodes – These are microscopic worms that occur naturally and prey on slugs, caterpillars and other soil-dwelling pests. Once applied to soil, nematodes seek out slug larvae in the soil and infect them.
Prevent Slugs in the First Place
Slug prevention and exclusion methods include:
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Remove hiding spots like weeds, debris and heavy ground cover around your Amazon Elephants Ear plants.
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Use sharp grit or gravel as mulch rather than bark or wood chips which appeal to slugs.
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Water Amazon Elephants Ear plants at the base or in the morning so plants dry out during the day. Avoid wetting foliage excessively.
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Raised garden beds keep plants away from the damp soil surface where slugs congregate. Use copper strips around edges of beds.
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Prune off the lower leaves of plants to reduce moist hiding spots for slugs to congregate during the day.
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Rotate bait stations frequently to cover a wide area. Timing applications for early spring and fall is most effective.
With persistence and a variety of organic control methods, you can successfully protect your Amazon Elephants Ear plants from slug damage. Pay close attention to plant health, be vigilant about handpicking, use traps, barriers and baits correctly, and encourage natural predators for a natural, chemical-free approach to slug control. A slug-free, flourishing Amazon Elephants Ear plant is within your reach with the right techniques!
Elephant Ear Bulb Myth
People talk about their bulb, or tuber, but the growth is actually a corm, which is a swollen stem. Crocus, gladioli and cyclamen are also grown from corms, not bulbs.
The best way to grow these plants is to buy the corms and plant them them in moist soil. Some people grow them in water, but not all varieties do well that way. The Alocasias don’t like wet roots. The Colocasia can be grown partially submersed in water, but they can also rot that way. It is best to grow them in soil.
Plant them so that the top of the corm is about 1″ below the surface.
The plant corm in the picture was grown with about 5″ of soil above it, and it formed a new corm higher up. The bottom ball (darker area) is the old corm, and the top one grew last year. Corms and some true bulbs do this if they don’t like the planting depth – they change it.
They are not frost hardy and don’t grow much in cold soil. Wait until the soil warms up and there is no danger of frost. In zones 9-11, they can be in the ground all year.
Plant with the point facing up. In some cases there will be no pointy end, so it is OK to just plant the corm on its side or even upside down. Plants can sense gravity and know which way to grow.
They like a lot of moisture. If possible plant in a bog that does not have standing water, but they will grow in normal garden soil moisture. More moisture will give you larger leaves.
This really depends on your climate and the amount of moisture in the soil. In cooler, wet areas they can grow in full sun. My plant grew well in a bog in full sun (zone 5). In warmer climates they appreciate some shade.
Green cultivars can take higher light. Dark colored ones prefer some shade.
They are hardy in US zones 8-11. Some cultivars are also hardy in zone 7 with some protection.
I normally do not recommend fertilizer for any garden plants unless you know you have a nutrient deficiency, but I will make an exception in this case. A bit of fertilizer will produce larger leaves which are more dramatic. Elephant ears are heavy feeders but be careful you don’t overdo it. To much fertilizer can lead to browning of the leaf tips.
In fall, before a hard freeze hits the plant, cut all of the leaves off, dig up the corm, remove old roots and store it dry in a cool place like a fruit cellar. You do not need to add peat moss or wood shaving to keep it from drying out. These are very tough corms.
They only grow when it is warm, and a cool place keeps them in hibernation until you are ready to plant them again.
I have created a video to show you how to prepare and store them for winter.
What are Elephant Ears?
The term elephant ears is used for a variety of plants in the genus Colocasia and Alocasia. Both genera contain several species, but in the gardening world everyone seems to clump them together and, because of their leaf shape, call them elephant ears.
Taro is the name used for a root/tuber that is commonly sold for food and it is a Colocasia. You can buy taro in a grocery store and grow it.
Elephant ears have also been hybridized to produce leaves of various sizes and colors in the green, blue, black range. They do bloom with an arum-like flower, but the plants are grown mostly for the leaves.
There are botanical differences between the two, but one way to tell them apart is that Colocasia has leaves with the tips pointing down and most Alocasia have leaves pointing up.
How to Stop Slugs Eating Your Plants (100% Organic)
FAQ
What do you spray on elephant ear plants?
How do you propagate Alocasia elephant ear?
Propagate the Alocasia elephant ear plant by dividing the roots. The tuberous roots grow small offsets that are easy to separate from the ‘mother’ plant. You can plant these ‘babies’ directly into fresh soil to grow new plants. To propagate African mask plants, gently remove the root ball from the container. Clean excess dirt from the rhizome.
How do you prune Alocasia elephant ear?
The Alocasia elephant ear plant has few pruning requirements. Typically, the only reason to prune Alocasia foliage is to remove damaged, decaying, or dead leaves. The plant stems grow directly from tuberous roots. To prune Alocasia plants, snip off the leaf stems near the soil line.
How do insects kill elephant ear plants?
These work through several mechanisms, although commonly by penetrating the insect’s cuticles, drying them out, and leading to dehydration and death. Beneficial insects, such as ladybugs and lacewings, can help manage pest infestations on elephant ear plants.
How do you kill elephant ear?
The proper herbicide for elephant ear will be an all-purpose type. Spray all the aerial parts of the plant thoroughly with the herbicide, then give it time to start working. The foliage and stems will die back as the herbicide works its way down into the tuber. Once the foliage has died back, start digging up the tubers.