Can you leave elephant ears in the ground over winter

Q: When should I dig up my elephant ears?

You will know its the perfect time to dig up elephant ears (aka colocasia) when the weather starts to turn and the leaves on your trees turn brown. If you dont have time to dig up your plants, dont worry. It is okay to wait until the first frost but do not go longer than that, as the tuber will die.

Table of Contents Show

Do elephant ears need to be dug up for winter?
Will elephant ears come back after winter?
Can you overwinter elephant ear plants?
When should I dig up my elephant ears?

A native of the tropical climate of Polynesia and southeastern Asia, elephant ears are not equipped to survive the winter outdoors in our area. However, there are two options for moving them indoors during the winter. This makes elephant ears a landscape investment that you can enjoy for many years. As a bonus, new tubers will sprout from old ones giving you more plants!

Option 1: Bring Them Indoors

Elephant ears can be moved indoors and grown as a houseplant during the winter months. To give it the best growing conditions place it in a bright, south-facing window. They also need warm temperatures in the 70s and plenty of water. Also, elephant ears require humid growing conditions. This may be problematic if you use electric heat which tends to lower indoor humidity.

Option 2: Storing the Tubers

Some folks, even people in the horticultural industry, use the term “bulb” when referring to elephant ears. They are actually tubers! That being said, it is possible to store the tubers inside during the winter.

Freshly Dug Tubers

The first step in storing the tubers indoors is digging them up. While researching this article, I found differing opinions on when the best time is to dig them. Some gardeners dig them prior to the first frost and others after. Personally, I have never had a problem waiting until after the first frost when the foliage dies back. However, you never want to expose them to a hard freeze.

When digging the tubers, be sure not to damage them. Elephant ear tubers are susceptible to rot which can be caused by damage or bruising. When digging them up start at least a foot from the plant and dig carefully to ensure that they are not harmed.

The second step is cleaning the tubers. Use a bucket of water to rinse them and remove excess dirt. Use only your hands to gently clean them. Using a scrub brush can create small scratches on the tubers and cause rot.

The third step is to remove the excess foliage. I remove the bulk of the leaves before digging them up. Now is the time for a final trim. Cut the stalks about 1-2 inches above the tuber. The remainder will later dry out and may fall off. Also, I take this time to trim off excess roots, and separate new offshoots that are big enough to be planted on their own next spring.

Dried Tubers

The fourth step is drying the tubers. Drying them allows the outer skin to toughen and help keep rot at bay. To dry them, place the tubers in a dark, warm, and dry place with plenty of air circulation.

The fifth and final step is storage. Wrap the tuber in paper and store them in a cool, dry place. For example, I store mine on a shelf in my basement. Check on them every couple of weeks throughout the winter. Remove tubers with signs of rot to prevent it from spreading to the rest of the tubers.

Following these steps should ensure that you have an elephant ear crop to enjoy for many years to come. In the spring plant them outdoors after all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Another option is to start them in pots inside toward the end of winter. That gives you some ready-made foliage when planting your summer gardens. I normally do this with a few of my smaller tubers, and plant the others when the ground warms. This gives younger tubers a head start in the spring.

Q. This past year was my first time planting and growing elephant ears; I didn’t know I was supposed to pull them out of the ground for the winter! I pulled the dead stalks from them and I thought they would regrow again this year. Should I dig up the root and plant a new one or will it regrow again? — D. Connangel, Pike County, Kentucky

A. There are a couple of different options for handling elephant ears — depending on where one lives. Dig and store over winter or mulch them and let them ride out the winter as is. I’ve done both successfully. In Zones 8 and above, they can be left in the ground and treated like a perennial. Pike County has Zones 6A, 6B and 7A. Under normal growing conditions, they would most likely need to be dug up and stored over winter in these areas. Unfortunately, you may have to plant some new ones if these don’t begin to sprout shortly.

Option 1: Dig them up and store over the winter. To make the job less messy, wait until your bed has dried up a bit but plan on getting them up before frost. You can start making preparations by trimming the spent leaves and eventually trimming them back close to the crown. I usually keep the spent leaves trimmed throughout the growing season to keep things looking neat. Alternatively, if you don’t mind the ratty look, you can just wait until they die back and they will easily pull away from the corm.

Next, be careful to lift the corm, shaking away the excess soil and trimming any roots. Space the corms out on newspaper and let them air dry for a few days. Store in a cool and dry place over the winter in the mesh sack your onions come in or a box or a heavy paper bag. No plastic! Some folks throw a little peat moss or similar in for good measure. You don’t want them to dry up and shrivel. Let them go dormant — light is not necessary in storage.

Option 2: Cut the tops back before frost and give them a light protection of mulch. They should come back if the spot has good drainage and the winter is mild. Truth be told, I usually go this route in Virginia Beach. But eventually, as they multiply and become crowded, it may be best to dig and divide, reset and give a few extras away.

Last spring, I divided and reset them before they began to sprout. Everything worked out fine — they are very resilient. In the fall, I dug up a few and stored them. Some were approaching the size of a small football!

Last, a couple tips on their care. While they can be planted in full sun, they prefer part shade or filtered sun. They like a soil with plenty of organic matter that will hold moisture. They will thrive in a container but will need to be watered. The lush plants will let you know when they are thirsty. They are heavy feeders so don’t neglect them. Rich compost or an all-purpose fertilizer, whether liquid or granular, works fine.

Enjoy the tropical look!

Send questions to

Do elephant ears need to be dug up for winter?

The first step for storing elephant ear bulbs is to dig them out of the soil. It is very important to the success of saving elephant ears for the winter that you dig the elephant ear bulbs out of the ground undamaged. Any damage to the elephant ear bulb may result in the bulb rotting over the winter.

Will elephant ears come back after winter?

Elephant ears will grow back after winter, but only in warm climates. These plants are tropical and exotic and thrive in hot temperatures. In hot climates, elephant ears are virtually evergreen. In cold regions, elephant ears perform like annuals as opposed to perennials.

Can you overwinter elephant ear plants?

Overwinter outdoors: If you live in a warm enough climate, you can overwinter elephant ear plants in the garden. Be sure to check with the recommendations for your particular species and variety of elephant ear plants—some can tolerate USDA hardiness zone six, while others won't survive in a cooler climate than nine.

When should I dig up my elephant ears?

You will know it's the perfect time to dig up elephant ears (aka colocasia) when the weather starts to turn and the leaves on your trees turn brown. If you don't have time to dig up your plants, don't worry. It is okay to wait until the first frost but do not go longer than that, as the tuber will die.