Question
I have done some research online about my elephant ear plant, but can not seem to find the right combination to keep it alive. I believe I am over watering and maybe too much sunlight...first the tips of the leaves will turn brown, then turn yellow until they are dead. This has killed half my plant which is really sad. I also had mealy worms I believe and hopefully by now have got rid of them. Please help save my plant...I'm am not exactly sure what to do:( If you could give me some insight on how to specifically take care of this plant it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Answer
Hi Heidi,
   The 2 most common causes of brown leaf tips is not enough humidity and things like fluoride, chlorine and hard water deposits that are found in most tap water. Elephant ear plants require high humidity and are sensitive to fluoride and chlorine in tap water.
I recommend using distilled water. That will solve problems caused by water quality.

One way to raise the humidity around a plant place the plant on a tray of pebbles filled halfway with water. Be sure that the bottom of the pot is not sitting in the water as this will cause the soil to stay too wet.
Another way to raise the humidity is to group several plants together.
Plants give off moisture into the air around them. The moisture given off by each of the plants will help to raise the humidity around the whole group. I have found that regular light misting helps. Also when the leaves that had gotten wet from the water that settled on them during misting starts to evaporate, it will create even more humidity in the air around the group of plants.

As a general watering rule, allow the top 1-2 inches of soil to dry between watering then water just enough for a small amount of water to drain out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.
Elephant ear plants like a well draining potting soil. I usually add extra perlite and sometimes vermiculite to a commercial potting soil (like Miracle gro). This helps with drainage and aeration in the potting soil.

Elephant ear plants also like bright light with little or no direct sunlight. It would do well in a curtain filtered east or west facing window.

Check the plant carefully often to make sure there are no insects or mites on the plant. It does not take long for even a small insect population to cause a great deal of damage to a plant. If you would like information on insect control on houseplants, I have a blog on houseplant insect control on my Myspace page at;   myspace.com/experthouseplants
It has a lot of good information on the most common houseplant insects/mites and the most common insecticides.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions or need additional information please don't hesitate to ask.
     Thanks
       Tracy