Elephant's Ear
4.4 out of 5 (26 experiences)
Large, lush leaves
Fast grower
About Elephant's Ear
Elephant's Ear is a popular houseplant 🌿 that needs regular watering to thrive. They do best in abundant sunlight ☀ and should be less than 3 feet from a window.
Plant parents describe this plant as having large, lush leaves and a fast grower with a whopping 307 being grown with Greg around the world. Check out the reviews below for more details!🌟
Elephant's Ear likes soil that is well draining. Your plant shouldn't need added fertilizers if you repot each time it doubles in size.
Taxonomy
Alocasia cuprea
Alocasia
Araceae
Alismatales
Also known as
Jewel Alocasia and Cuprea
How to care for Elephant's Ear
Water
How often to water your Elephant's Ear
every 9
Elephant's Ear needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.
Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.
Water 0.5 cups every
9
Light
Check the growing potential in your area
A plant's growing potential is determined from its location, the time of year, and current local weather.
Select a city to check sunlight intensity
Finding light for Elephant's Ear in your home
a window
Elephant's Ear may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, without ample sunlight.
Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.
Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Elephant's Ear in your home 🏡.
Nutrients
How to fertilize Elephant's Ear
Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.
By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.
To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Elephant's Ear after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.
FAQs
Elephant's Ear prefers for the soil to dry out between waterings and should be watered regularly. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.
Sunlight Needs
Elephant's Ear may have difficulty thriving and will drop leaves 🍃 without ample sunlight. Place it less than 3 feet from a window to maximize the potential for growth. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.
Toxicity
Greg does not have confirmed data on this plant’s toxicity. If you, a family member, or a pet consumes plant material of unknown toxicity, it’s always best to consult a medical professional.
If you or someone else ingested this plant, call Poison Control at US (800) 222-1222. If a pet consumed this plant, contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA at US (888) 426-4435.
Humidity
Elephant's Ear doesn’t require additional humidity. Plants absorb most water through their root system rather than their leaves, so the best way to provide humidity for your plants is through watering the soil.
Soil
Elephant's Ear does best in well-draining soil. A good soil will contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir as well as perlite or vermiculite to help with drainage. Adding a handful of perlite to regular store-bought potting soil should do the trick!
Fertilizer
Elephant's Ear should be repotted after it doubles in size or once a year, whichever comes first. Fresh potting soil has all the nutrients your plant needs, so as long as it’s refreshed yearly, you shouldn’t need to use fertilizer. Remember, plants get their energy from sunlight, not fertilizer!
Dormancy
It’s common for Elephant's Ear to go dormant in the wintertime and you may notice their growth slow down. Waterings should be spaced out more during this time.
Native Region
Elephant's Ear is native to tropical and subtropical Asia and Eastern Australia.
Propagation
Elephant's Ear can be propagated by division into new individual plants.
- Check to see if there is more than one plant. In some cases they may still be beneath the soil surface. If you feel confident, you may remove the soil to check for baby plantlets below!
- If there are multiple plants growing, unpot the plant and gently tug the plants apart, being careful not to disturb too many of the roots. They may be connected by large root segments which you may need to break to free the plantlet.
- Pot up the new plant in well-draining soil
- Repot the parent plant back into its original pot
Care Summary for Elephant's Ear
Elephant's Ear
Greg recommends:
Water
0.5 cups every 9 days
Placement
< 3ft from a window
Nutrients
Repot after 2x growth
Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.
What other plant parents say
Large, lush leaves 20
Fast grower 16
Survivor 9
Browns easily 6
Pet friendly 3
Pest magnet 3
Blooms easily 2
11/09/2021
He’s a tricky one!
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
07/18/2021
One the bulb took off it grew like crazy and I needed to repot just about immediately
Large, lush leaves
Fast grower
07/16/2021
Needs to be kept moist and out of direct light. So beautiful but not for beginners. Leaves easily brown for seemingly no reason 😂
Large, lush leaves
Browns easily
Pest magnet
07/09/2021
Just an awesome plant, gets so big and it’s such a big toddler! The leaves go up and down and react to everything it’s hilarious! The only child I’ll put up with lol
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
Browns easily
07/07/2021
Very easy to care for!
Large, lush leaves
Fast grower
Survivor
05/26/2021
This is quite possibly the most annoying plant in the world! One minute it’s thriving and the next, it’s virtually dead. It’s so temperamental!
05/11/2021
don't be discouraged if they start losing a leaf or two - they can only support a select number of leaves at a time!
Large, lush leaves
Fast grower
04/02/2021
This plant needs to be misted and it needs high humidity! Ends can brown pretty easily but supposedly if you mist it enough that won’t happen.
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily
Browns easily
03/30/2021
I ordered a baby elephant plant from a seller living in Florida. One of the leaves had turned yellow and I thought this baby would die but with some TLC it’s growing a new leaf!
Fast grower
Survivor
03/25/2021
I love this plant so much. The leaves are bigger than my face! I’m surprised at how fast it is growing in the winter.
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
02/21/2021
These guys are super prone to a number of pests but Jimmy has recovered from probably 5 separate infestations with no problem.
They like A LOT of light and their super delicate leaves will tell you if they aren’t happy. Very communicative plant and it grows super quickly
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
Pest magnet
