If your elephant ear plant is struggling and you aren’t sure what to do, this is the guide for you.
This article will outline all the common issues elephant ear plants can face, what causes each one, and what you need to do in every case.
Stay tuned to learn exactly what is wrong with your plant and what you must do to bring it back to health.
Contents
How To Use This Guide
This guide is split up into common problems that elephant ear plants face, like yellowing leaves or wilting.
All you need to do is find the section that applies to the problem that your elephant ear plant is facing.
So, let’s say your elephant ear plant has several yellow leaves with spots on them; you can navigate to the yellowing leaves or spots sections to see what causes these symptoms to appear.
From there, each section will include what you need to do to get your plant back to health, linking to extra resources where necessary.
Find out what’s wrong with your elephant ear plant below!
Common Problems & What They Mean
Here are eight issues commonly affecting elephant ear plants, along with what causes them and how you can deal with them.
1. Yellow Leaves And/Or Stem
It’s common for elephant ear plant leaves to turn yellow as they die, but if several leaves are turning yellow quickly or if part of the stem is turning yellow, it is a more serious issue.
Overwatering
Yellowing leaves on your elephant ear plant are usually a sign of overwatering.
If you give them too much water, the leaves will start to turn yellow as the roots struggle to transport moisture and nutrients to them.
To avoid overwatering, use well-draining soil and ensure the pot has drainage holes – only water when the top one to two inches of soil are dry.
Root Rot
Another possible reason for yellowing leaves is root rot, which could result from overwatering or poor drainage.
Root rot occurs when the soil is overwatered and causes the roots to die and turn discolored and mushy with a foul odor. The roots either suffocate and rot as they die, or they are affected by dormant fungi (pythium rot) in the soil that is favored in overwatered conditions.
Root rot can quickly spread into the stem as well, causing yellow spots on it as well as the leaves.
To prevent root rot, avoid overwatering the soil and make sure good drainage is in place. To check for root rot, gently lift your elephant ear plant out of the soil and brush away the soil around the roots.
If the roots are mushy, discolored, and smell foul, they are rotten and must be pruned. Any remaining healthy roots can then be treated with a fungicide, and the plant repotted into fresh soil. Read more about overwatered elephant ear plants in our guide here.
2. Brown Leaves
Some leaves will turn brown as they die, but if several leaves are turning brown, there is a more serious issue.
Low Humidity
Brown leaves, particularly leaves with brown tips or edges, are a telltale sign of low humidity.
If the humidity is low, the rate of moisture loss increases, which dries out the leaves starting from the tips and edge first. This is exaggerated in hot climates or if there is lots of air circulation around the leaves.
Elephant ear plants thrive in warm, humid environments. When the humidity is too low, it may cause the leaves to turn brown.
To prevent brown tips or edges due to low humidity, measure the humidity around your elephant ear with a hygrometer and make sure it is at least above 50%. If it isn’t, consider increasing it with a humidifier or pebble tray.
Underwatering
Underwatering can also cause the leaves to turn brown and crispy, much like low humidity does, just from the opposite end.
If there isn’t enough moisture, to begin with, being provided from the roots, the leaves will naturally dry out and turn brown and crispy.
To avoid underwatering, water when the top inch to two inches of soil is dry and make sure the soil mix doesn’t drain too quickly.
Sun Scorch
Sun scorch can affect elephant ear leaves and create brown spots with yellow halos. This happens due to increased moisture loss due to the intense sunlight and is more likely to occur if the soil is underwatered or if the humidity is low.
It’s important to keep your elephant ear out of intense direct sunlight to prevent this from affecting the leaves.
3. Curling Leaves
Curling leaves are another common issue that elephant ear plants can face, and many different things can cause it.
Overwatering/Underwatering
Overwatering and underwatering can both lead to curling leaves:
- Overwatering causes leaves to turn yellow, droop, and curl.
- Underwatering causes leaves to become brown and crispy, curling up in the process as moisture is lost from the leaves.
To avoid overwatering, use well-draining soil and ensure the pot has drainage holes – only water when the top one to two inches of soil are dry.
To avoid underwatering, water when the top inch to two inches of soil is dry and make sure the soil mix doesn’t drain too quickly.
Sun Scorch
Sun scorch can also cause your elephant ear’s leaves to curl up and develop brown spots with yellow halos. This happens due to increased moisture loss due to the intense sunlight and is more likely to occur if the soil is underwatered or if the humidity is low.
It’s important to keep your elephant ear out of intense direct sunlight to prevent this from affecting the leaves.
Low Temperature
Elephant ear plants are tropical and sensitive to cold temperatures. Ideally, they should be kept in an environment where the temperature remains around 70°F to 85°F (18°C-26°C).
If the temperatures drop too low, your plant’s leaves may curl as a stress response to the cold conditions.
Lack Of Nitrogen
A nitrogen deficiency will affect the leaves, as it is a key component of chlorophyll, which makes it essential for leaf growth and development.
Fertilizing once per month with diluted liquid fertilizer and using potting soil packed with nutrients and organic matter will boost the nitrogen content.
Please read our complete guide on why elephant plant leaves curl with solutions here.
4. Wilting
Wilting is a widespread problem faced by many elephant ear plants; the most common causes are overwatering or underwatering.
Overwatering
Overwatering will cause leaves to wilt and turn yellow quickly.
This happens because the roots become suffocated and cannot provide enough moisture and nutrients to the leaves.
To avoid overwatering, use well-draining soil and ensure the pot has drainage holes – only water when the top one to two inches of soil are dry. Read more about overwatered elephant ear plants in our guide here.
Underwatering
Underwatering can also lead to wilting leaves, but in this case, the leaves will appear brown and crispy rather than yellow and droopy, like with overwatering.
To avoid underwatering, water when the top inch to two inches of soil is dry and make sure the soil mix doesn’t drain too quickly.
Several other things can cause wilting leaves, and we’ve covered all 14 of these in our guide here if you want to learn more.
5. Slow Growth Rate
If your elephant ear plant isn’t growing as quickly as you expect, here are some common issues that could be to blame.
Lack Of Sunlight
If your elephant ear plant is growing slowly, it might be due to a lack of sunlight. These plants thrive in bright, indirect light but can also tolerate some direct sunlight.
If your elephant ear is placed in an area with lots of shade, it will still grow but at a slower rate.
To improve their growth rate, move it to a new location with more sunlight – just be careful with intense, direct sunlight, as this can scorch the leaves.
Lack Of Nutrients
Nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) are crucial for supporting the growth of elephant ear plants. A lack of these key nutrients will slow overall growth and make your plant more susceptible to disease.
To boost the nutrient content, make sure your soil mix contains lots of organic material like compost or dead leaves and fertilize once per month with a dilute liquid complete fertilizer during the growing months.
6. Irregular Spots On Leaves
If you notice irregular spots on your elephant ear plant’s leaves, it could be due to various issues, such as diseases, sun scorch, or pests.
Diseases
Several diseases can cause spots on elephant ear leaves, including root rot and fungal leaf blight. The likelihood of diseases affecting your elephant ear plant can be reduced by avoiding overwatering and excess moisture on the leaves.
All rotten roots must be pruned for root rot, and the remaining roots must be treated with fungicide before repotting in fresh soil.
All diseased leaves must be pruned for diseases that affect the leaves, and the remaining healthy leaves are treated again with a fungicide.
Sun Scorch
Sun scorch can also cause your elephant ear’s leaves to develop brown spots with yellow halos. This happens due to increased moisture loss due to the intense sunlight and is more likely to occur if the soil is underwatered or if the humidity is low.
It’s important to keep your elephant ear out of intense direct sunlight to prevent this from affecting the leaves.
Pests
Certain pests feed on the sap found within the leaves of elephant ear plants which causes almost random holes and spots to form on the leaves.
Preventing pests is all about limiting the amount of moisture on the leaves and the surface of the soil, aka avoid misting your elephant ear plant, make sure it has good air circulation around the leaves, and avoid overwatering the soil.
If pests are already present, small infestations can be dealt with by regularly rinsing the leaves with water. Larger infestations require regular treatments with insecticides for successful removal.
7. Sticky Leaves
If your elephant ear plant has sticky residue on the leaves, there is really only one explanation – pests.
Pests
Pests like aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites feed on the sap found within the leaves and leave behind a honeydew residue.
This honeydew residue is – you guessed it – sticky. After a while, it will also start to grow sooty mold, which looks like black and grey specks on the leaves.
Preventing pests is all about limiting the amount of moisture on the leaves and the surface of the soil, aka avoid misting your elephant ear plant, make sure it has good air circulation around the leaves, and avoid overwatering the soil.
If pests are already present, small infestations can be dealt with by regularly rinsing the leaves with water. Larger infestations require regular treatments with insecticides for successful removal.
8. Dropping Leaves
It isn’t common for elephant ear plants to suddenly start dropping leaves, but this does give us the advantage of narrowing down the possible causes.
Transplant Shock
Transplant shock can lead to leaves dropping off of your elephant ear plant.
This happens when you transplant or move your plant to a new location. This sudden change in conditions shocks the plant and causes it to lose several leaves.
Don’t worry; this is normal – elephant ear plants were obviously not designed to move location. Monitor your plant, and your plant will be fine if the leaves don’t continue dropping off after a week or two.
Root Rot
Root rot will also cause leaves to drop off elephant ear plants as they won’t receive as many nutrients or moisture from the soil.
To prevent root rot, avoid overwatering the soil and make sure good drainage is in place.
To check for root rot, gently lift your elephant ear plant out of the soil and brush away the soil around the roots.
If the roots are mushy, discolored, and smell foul, they are rotten and must be pruned. Any remaining healthy roots can then be treated with a fungicide, and the plant repotted into fresh soil.
In Summary
There are a lot of things that can be wrong with an elephant ear plant, and hopefully, this guide has allowed you to find out exactly what problem is facing yours and what you need to do about it.
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