Growing Elephant Ears Indoors: My Experience Digging Up and Re-potting a Rhizome

Elephant ears

A couple of months ago, I dug up a tiny baby elephant ear rhizome and brought it home with the hope of growing it indoors. I wasn't sure how it would adapt to life as a houseplant, but I was excited to give it a try. I thought it would be fun to document the entire journey. From its first signs of growth to every new leaf it puts out, I wanted to share it with you along the way.

I grew up surrounded by tropical plants in my parents' garden, and elephant ears were always one of my favorites. So when I spotted this beautiful variegated elephant ear, I knew I had to find a way to bring a piece of it home with me. After doing some research, I learned that the best way to propagate an elephant ear is by separating a healthy rhizome growing alongside the mother plant. So that's exactly what I did. I got down on my hands and knees, crawled behind the mother plant, and carefully searched through the soil for a separate rhizome. The moment I found one, my excitement tripled. I couldn't wait to see if I could successfully grow it indoors.

Elephant ear Rhyzome with roots and one leaf with another unfurled leaf.

Here's what the rhizome looked like the moment I lifted it from the ground. I couldn't wait to get it home, so I immediately prepared a pot and fresh soil, eager to give it the best chance to settle in and grow.

The first thing I did was gently rinse off the roots and leaves to remove any pests and inspect the root system to make sure it was healthy. Once I knew the rhizome was in good shape, I gathered my potting supplies. Luckily, I had a clear pot that was just the right size for the root ball. I prefer using clear pots whenever I can because they let me keep an eye on root growth and make it easier to tell how the plant is doing beneath the soil.

Then I prepared my potting mix, combining regular potting soil with perlite at a ratio of about 60% soil to 40% perlite for good drainage and aeration. I also added a light dusting of transplant fertilizer to help support its transition into the new pot. Once everything was settled, I placed the plant by a window so it could soak up some gentle sunlight and begin adjusting to its new home.

The unfurled leaf from the origional Rhyzome began to drop pretty significantly but I figured it was putting all its' energy into unfurling the new leaf that was coming in. Now it is two months later and it has three huge new leaves on it! I already have to re-pot it soon. Going into its next pot I want to make sure I get it into a proper one that will best benefit its root growth.

Black elephant ear in a pot indoors.

Above is a photo of the black elephant ear right after I re-potted it and below is how it looked when the leaf dropped but you can tell that it was pushing energy into that new leaf see as it was standing up right.

As the new leaf grew and unfurled the drooping leaf began to lose its' color and dry out. I let it naturally fall off so I wouldn't disturb its process more than I already have.

Elephant ear leaf.

Now it has two new leaves and is already pushing out a third! I will continuously post on my socials and blog as I go so everyone can follow along with its' journey:)