Question
Hi Nick,  I dug up my black elephant ears which were planted by my pampas grass as they weren't getting enough water (greedy pampas)!  I put the starving plants in pots and babied them to health on my deck.  They turned green as it's been very hot.  I put them in the ground yesterday where they get morning sun, and they seem happy.  I did notice that the centers of the leaves look 'white'...is this a disease?  Also, should they be planted 'high' as my husband says?  Their little white roots seem like they should be planted deeper.  Thanks for your help.  Karen

Answer
Hi Karen, Elephant ears like copious amounts of water, some people even go as far as to plant them in aquatic settings; they also do better if kept out of the afternoon heat/sun. The key to black magic (black elephant ears) is they will darken more if given more sun, but I would not push that, because if its real hot, they may lose more moisture through transpiration then they can recover through their roots. My advice, plant them about 2 inches below the surface in a rich, moist soil base, where they get morning sun until about noon, and mulch them heavily. One other thing, they like to eat! they are very much like bananas, lots of fertilizer. Nick