Take root cuttings from elephant ear
Freshen up your home with our guide to styling and caring for house plants
Elephant ear
Create a feeling of calm and, hopefully, bring yourself some good luck by adding a dwarf elephant ear plant to your home. The glossy leaves of
Alocasia cucullata
are likened to the ears of elephants, hence its common name.
Also known as Buddha’s hand, it is believed the leaves wave good luck into wherever it is placed, and for this reason is grown in Buddhist temples in south-east Asia, where it originates from. In the wild, elephant ear plants can grow up to 7m tall, but a dwarf variety growing in your home isn’t likely to get much bigger than 1m. It looks best placed with other lusciousleaved house plants, such as monstera (Swiss cheese plant).
This fast-growing plant will reward you with fresh new foliage if grown in the right conditions. Keep out of direct sun to avoid scorching, but where it will see plenty of daylight and stay above 16°C. In the summer, feed with a general liquid fertiliser every two weeks, and keep the soil moist at all times, watering little and often. The plant will go dormant in the winter, so reduce your watering and don’t panic when some of the leaves die back – new leaves will appear in spring. Trim off leaves as they become unsightly, cutting at the base of the plant. If the plant outgrows its pot, repot in spring, using a free-draining compost, such as a house plant mix – make sure the new pot has drainage holes.
When you’re repotting, you might find offsets – baby plants growing from the parent plant’s roots. They can be gently pulled off (but make sure you keep some roots attached) and potted up to grow as new plants. Alternatively, try taking root cuttings.
K Position Good light but out of direct sun. If leaves go pale, try moving it into a shadier position.
K Care Check the soil regularly, it should be kept moist but not soggy. Mist the plant every few days to keep the humidity up if the air in the room is dry. K Details Keep out of reach of children and pets as it contains calcium oxalate crystals, which are poisonous and irritating. Turn the plant around every few weeks to encourage full growth.