Elephant ears, what should I do with them before winter?

image from fhsplants.co.uk

      Here we go what a perfect fall day.  Clear, blue skies, Temperature is 59 at 9:00 AM with a high today of 81.  Low tonight of 55.  Rain in the forecast but don’t look for much.  Now that the harvest is starting, all be safe.  Hope field fires don’t happen.  Stay safe.. 

Now it is time to think of getting plants ready for the fall and winter. Here is how to take care of elephant ear plants.  Right now, that is all I am doing is thinking about that, need to start to work on that next week.  Work never ending at the greenhouse.  I have been canning and doing bookwork catch up.  Like I said work never ending. 
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How to Care for Elephant Ear Plants  by Catherine Boeckmann
The dramatic elephant ears plant is a large, tropical foliage plant with magnificent, heart-shaped or arrow-shaped leaves. In colder regions, they need to be dug up and stored before winter arrives. Here’s how to grow and care for elephant ears in your garden.
About Elephant Ears
Elephant ear belongs to the genus Colocasia, which are tuberous, frost-tender perennials from tropical Asia. You may be familiar with one species, Colocasia esculenta, by its other name: taro. Taro is an edible root vegetable enjoyed in much of tropical Africa and Asia.
These plants are accustomed to wet areas with the filtered sun of a tropical forest. Therefore, they prefer moist soils and also partial shade. They are good for wet areas along creeks, rain gardens, or low-lying areas.
If you grow elephant ears in a garden bed, that’s perfectly fine as long as they receive regular moisture and don’t dry out (especially in hot summers)! Elephant ears look great in a container with other summer bulbs and/or annuals.
 In USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 11, elephant ears can be left outside year-round and are treated as perennials. In colder climates, they are typically treated as annuals and discarded at the end of the growing season. However, you could also dig up the tubers after the first fall frost, store them indoors, and replant them next year after the last spring frost.
Elephant ear leaves can reach lengths of 3 feet on top of 3- to 7-foot stems. The leaves usually have prominent veins, and their colors range from lime green to almost black.
How to Care for Elephant Ears
Don’t let the soil dry out during the active growing season.
Water the plants in the morning and water from below to keep water off the leaves.
Apply a slow-release fertilizer once a month.
Cut off faded or browning leaves as needed. Make the cut as close to the tuber as possible.
Tubers may be left in the ground year-round in Zones 7 to 11. Add a layer of mulch around the plants in late fall to protect from frost.
In cooler regions, tubers should be planted in the ground in mid-spring and dug up in fall after the first frost.
Cut back foliage and allow the tubers to dry for a few days.
Overwinter in an open container (paper bags work well) with peat moss or dry potting soil in a cool dry location (above 45°F).
The plant may be divided in winter or early spring.
You can grow the upright elephant ears (Alocasia) indoors as houseplants in bright, indirect light. Grow in a 5-gallon container with rich, moist soil.
Elephant ear is grown as a food crop in much of the tropical world and the traditional Polynesian dish poi is made from the tubers. However, note that all parts of the plant are poisonous, unless it is cooked first!
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/plant/elephant-ears
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365