Elephant Ears in Containers

I purchased an elephant ear (Colocasia) tuber on sale for 25 cents at the end of June. I  potted it around the 2nd week in July.  I added a handful of compost to ordinary potting mix.  The container is fairly large - more than 3 times as wide as the tuber.  The tuber was planted in an upright position. When in doubt, plant them sideways.  They will always manage to right themselves. After potting, I watered liberally. Thereafter, the plant was watered daily.

The first growth appeared within 2 weeks. As the weather turned hotter, watering was increased to twice daily.  A weekly application of diluted liquid organic fertilizer was applied. To do well in containers, these fast growing tropical plants need plenty of nutrients and water.  Nutrients are washed from the container during watering.

The plant quickly outgrew my 12 x12 sunny deck.  Mature elephant ear plants may need as much as 5 feet of space. When the weather turned hot, the plant's leaves began to turn yellow and curl.  This was not surprising, These tropical plants prefer partial to full shade. The plant was moved to a shadier location.  It immediately started to flourish.

The elephant ear's large chartreuse green leaves impart a dimension of height and color to the shade garden. It provides the perfect focal point for an otherwise less than spectacular planing bed. Proper container size, watering, fertilization and shade are essential to growing lush elephant ears in containers.

Containers Are Producing

The deck garden is  producing tomatoes, cucumbers and green peppers.  However, the plants are turning yellow.  This is my first time planting vegetables in containers  on my 12 x 12 west facing deck.  The plants started the season very healthy looking.  However, some of the container plants are dying back.

Temperatures hovered around 100 degrees during most of July.  That is an all-time record for lower Michigan.  It began cooling off last week.  We are now experiencing temperatures in the mid seventies to eighty during the day.  Nighttime temperatures fall to the mid sixties.

Although I watered diligently, the plants have experienced severe heat stress.  Thankfully, I am still able to harvest a good quantity of vegetables!
   

I watered  early morning and late evenings. Due to the intense sun and heat, I applied only applied one fourth  strength organic fertilizer every 2 or 3 weeks. Fertilizer was applied during the cooler part of the evening.  I am sure that the soil nutrient content is insufficient.  To prevent wilt, I watered  the containers mornings and evenings. Some nutrients were leached out of the soil with so much watering.

I initially thought that blight had attacked the tomatoes.  This is highly unlikely, as the cucumber plants are also dying back along and some of the annuals in containers with the vegetables.

Plants in a container, planted in a protected area just a few feet away, are thieving!