The elephant foot has a remarkable growth habit. Here you can find out everything you need to know about the elephant foot.
The elephant's foot (Beaucarnea recurvata), with its thick, tapering trunk, actually looks like the stampers of the gentle savanna animals. But it is not only this unusual appearance that makes it a popular houseplant. The trunk contains unimagined storage capacities that give the elephant's foot an incredibly high level of adaptability and resilience. This makes it the ideal plant for aspiring indoor botanists. However, a he althy, pretty elephant foot needs a few things to be happy.
Elephant foot: origin and characteristics
The elephant foot is native to only one state in Mexico. Here the succulent tree grows in dry, tropical forests and reaches heights of up to 9 meters. As a houseplant, sizes of up to 1.5 meters can be reached. However, it takes a long time to reach such a size because the tree grows very slowly. Here is some information about this extraordinary and yet undemanding indoor tree:
- Latin name: Beaucarnea recurvata
- Common names: bottle tree, water palm tree
- Genus Beaucarnea
- Family: Dragon Tree Family (Dracaenaceae)
- Age: Up to 100 years
- Leaves: Slender; up to 50 cm long
- Flowers: ovoid to paniculate; white inflorescence
- Stem stores water and nutrients
The sprouting leaves die off over time from bottom to top, as with the dragon tree. Only the ends of the shoots have leaves. Flowers are only very rarely formed in room culture. Always keep an elephant tree out of the reach of small children and pets as it is poisonous. More on “Elephant’s Foot: Toxic or Not?” can be found in our special article.
Buying an elephant's foot: This is what you need to know
You can buy seeds as well as grown plants in garden centres, online shops or sometimes inbuy supermarket. The older and larger the plant, the more expensive it is of course. When buying, make sure that the plants are not in an area with drafts. The leaves should be bright green. Yellowish or brown leaves indicate improper care and a weakened, ailing plant. You should also look out for a pest infestation. It is better to stay away from plants with fluffy spots or misshapen leaves.
Reproduce elephant foot yourself: is that possible?
The exotic can be multiplied by you as you wish. In older specimens, side shoots can form in the leaf axils. These can be used to propagate cuttings. The side shoots are cut off with a clean knife and placed in a seed pot with a sand/peat mixture. The cuttings will soon take root in a pleasantly warm, light-protected place. Make sure the soil temperature and humidity are constant. To ensure the humidity, a foil hood is placed over the growing pot. Unfortunately, the growth of the cuttings often does not correspond to the desired typical appearance of an elephant tree, which is why the variant of choice is usually the cultivation of seeds. Although the in-house production of the seeds is more of a special case due to the rare flowering, the seeds can also be purchased online. When rearing by seeds, the procedure is as follows:
- Soak the seeds in lukewarm water for a few hours
- Fill the seed tray with sand/clay mixture
- Sow seeds on the ground and cover lightly with soil (light germination)
- Water gently
- Location: Bright and warm; up to 25 °C
- Use film hood
- Always keep substrate moist
- Germination time: Several weeks
Ideally, a heat mat is placed under the seed tray so that the soil temperature remains constantly high. After the first leaves have formed, enough roots have formed. The mini elephant foot can now be relocated to a larger vessel.
Care for elephant foot like a pro
In order for the elephant's foot to feel comfortable with you, you need to bring Mexico into your living room. You don't have to wear sombreros, but provide plenty of light and warmth. However, the blazing summer midday sun quickly leads to sunburn. Drafts are also not tolerated - otherwise the elephant will quickly become an ice foot. A nice place to goa west or east window is therefore ideal. To ensure that the trunk grows straight at a window seat, the pot is occasionally turned a quarter of a turn. You can find out what you can do to sweeten the summer for your elephant's foot and how to get it through the winter in our article on elephant's foot care.
Watering the elephant foot correctly
The thickened trunk is used to store water to protect against long periods of drought in the Mexican homeland. As a houseplant, this offers the advantage that the elephant tree only rarely needs to be watered. Especially in spring and autumn, the tree does not take it amiss if it is forgotten. Even hard watering is tolerated. In winter, if necessary, water only in small quantities. In summer it should be watered regularly and thoroughly, but only when the substrate has completely dried out.
Fertilize the elephant foot properly
The trunk not only has a water but also a nutrient storage. This is why only moderate fertilizers are used during the growth phase. During this time, the irrigation water is fertilized every four weeks with cactus fertilizer. Alternatively, green plant fertilizer can be used at half the concentration. Whether cactus or green plant fertilizer, it is generally recommended to use an organic fertilizer variant, because the nutrients contained are released over a longer period of time. This reduces the risk of over-fertilization. After repotting, do not fertilize for the next eight weeks, as the new substrate offers enough nutrients. You can find more information on fertilizing the elephant tree in our special article.
Repot elephant foot
Due to its slow growth, the elephant's foot does not need to be repotted often. Only when the trunk has the same circumference as the pot or the root ball is pushed out of the pot does the leisurely plant need a new home. This is the case about every three to five years. You can find out exactly how and when to repot your elephant tree in our article on pruning and repotting the elephant's foot.
Summary Caring for Elephant Foot Like a Pro:
- Location: Bright and warm; east or west window; no draft
- Watering: When the substrate is completely dry
- Fertilize: All four during the growth phaseWeeks with cactus fertiliser, half dose of green plant fertiliser
- Repotting: Every three to five years
Elephant foot when and how to cut?
The leaves of the elephant tree can grow over a meter long. The idea of pulling out the scissors to get the leaves to the desired length quickly comes to mind. Unfortunately, pruning results in unsightly brown leaf tips. The temptation to remove them is great. The vicious circle that has been set in motion usually ends in a short-leaved hairstyle, to the sorrow of the indoor plant owner. Then cut off the shoots completely to make room for new ones.
Cutting off the elephant's foot: when is the right time?
Pruning is best done at the beginning of the growing season in spring.
How to cut off the elephant foot?
The trunk is cut with a clean and sharp knife at any height above the foot. The cut surface is then disinfected and sealed. The wound closure with wax serves to protect against drying out. Your elephant tree will soon sprout again laterally at the cutting point. Two to three shoots are usually formed.
Elephant's Foot: Diseases and Brown Leaves
A properly cared for elephant tree despite diseases and pests, but if the tree is in the wrong place or is not watered properly, the exotic tree quickly becomes ill.
Elephant's foot: The most common diseases
A few diseases and pests are particularly common if not cared for properly:
Mold and Rot (Fungal Infection)
- Symptoms: Yellow, soft young leaves
- Cause: Watering too much
- Countermeasure: Remove damaged roots; repot in dry soil; water less
Mealybugs
- Symptoms: White streak; small animals covered with white wax on the underside of the leaf and the leaf axils
- Cause: imported from other plants or when purchased
- Remove affected leaves; isolate plant; treat other plants with lye solution (precaution)
spider mite, scale insect
- Symptoms: Webs spun; spots like cotton balls or deformities on the leaves
- Cause: low humidity
- Scrape the affected leaves with a knife and give them a cool shower; higher humidity
Elephant's Foot: Why do the tips of the leaves turn brown?
The lower leaves will naturally turn brown over time. You only have to pay attention if not as many new leaves grow back as old ones fall off. There are many reasons for this:
- Pruning the leaves
- Watering too often; waterlogging
- Sunburn from too much sun exposure
- Winter: Too much heating air; low humidity; too warm; lack of light; watered too little
- Leaves bump against floor/walls
- Not enough nutrients due to a pot that is too small
- Temperature too cold
So that the leaves don't turn brown in the first place, the care has to be right. Here you will find everything you need to know about caring for elephant feet and what you can do if the leaves turn brown.