antiquorum, for example, has leaves that can be a foot wide and up to 20 inches long, according to the Clemson University Cooperative Extension.
Or something with deep pink stems and bright green leaves, like the Pink China. Here’s the bad news: You may have a case of spider mites, which reproduce quickly, so the time to take action is NOW. I’m currently dealing with a really sticky problem — yes, pun intended! It produces tiny round lesions on the ornamental leaves that may ooze fluid and turn purple or yellow when dry. The other day I noticed that the elephant ears plant on my deck -- the one I walk past several times each day but apparently don't really look at -- was infested with spider mites. Elephant ear plants (Colocasia spp) are so named for the shape of their leaves. Strange to see such a bad case outside in our St. Louis humidity. These unusual insects rarely move, but sit on the plants, resembling tiny spots of white cotton.
How to Plant Elephant Ear Tubers: Plant elephant ear bulbs outside after all danger of frost has passed and daytime temperatures remain above 70 degrees.Elephant Ears are tropical plants and cannot tolerate any frost.They only emerge when the soil is warm. The insects are covering both sides of the leaves as well as the stems. At first glance, these tiny, black bugs look like poppy seeds to the naked eye. ; Select a location in full sun or part sun with a good, rich, moist, organic soil. Perhaps you like the deep, glossy, purplish-green of the black elephant ear plant, like the Colocasia Black Coral.
The affected plant had been looking worse for the wear, but I suspected it was just due to the fact that it is a picky plant (alocasia polly, or the African mask elephant ear plant) and that I’d recently brought it indoors for the winter. I bought this Schefflera arboricola on clearance for $4 because, presumably, one of the three “trees” died and this little guy just sprouted! It is very tiny, incredibly prolific, and lives in a community with other little industrious spider mites. Once they infest a plant, they can form an entire bustling colony on that plant in a week, sometimes less depending on the environmental conditions. It was once the staple of the native Hawaiian diet, and archaeological evidence shows humans using the plant for food as far back as 28,000 years ago, according to … Tropical elephant's ear (Colocasia esculenta) has huge arrowhead-shaped leaves measuring up to 2 1/2 to 3 feet in length, depending on the cultivar. Some varieties not only mimic the shape but also the size of an elephant's ear. Over time the entire leaf collapses on itself and the disease travels down the corm. Black citrus aphids (Toxoptera aurantii) and black peach aphids (Brachycaudus persicae) feed in colonies on flowers and leaves.