With its thickened trunk and the leaves, some of which are more than a meter long, the elephant's foot is not only easy to care for but also very decorative. If the leaves get too long, the temptation is to simply cut them off.

Dried leaves can be easily removed

You may feel the same when the tips of the narrow leaves turn brown and the attractiveness of your elephant's foot suffers. But caution is advised here. The unattractive brown tips of the leaves are quickly cut off, but the consequences are probably not desirable.

What happens if I prune the leaves?

After you have cut off the tips of the leaves, it will not take too long for the cut edges to turn brown again. So you haven't won anything. Prune the brown leaves again and the whole game starts all over again and becomes more or less a vicious cycle.

How else can I get the elephant foot in shape?

It is more elegant than pruning the leaves to cut them off completely, i.e. to separate them close to the trunk. It is in the nature of evergreen plants that they get brown leaves from time to time and then they fall off. There is only cause for concern when significantly more leaves fall off or discolour than new leaves grow.

The essentials in brief:

  • do not cut off the tips of the leaves
  • if necessary, remove leaves entirely
  • brown or falling leaves normal within limits

Why are the leaves turning brown?

There are a number of possible reasons for brown leaves on your elephant's foot. In most cases, care errors or the wrong location are at least involved. With a sunburn, brown leaves are also possible, as with a lack of light. Neither is good for your elephant foot. On the other hand, a lack of water occurs relatively rarely.

  • Possible causes of brown leaves:
  • sunburn
  • lack of light
  • heating air that is too warm and/or dry
  • watered too little (but rarely happens)

tips

The elephant's foot loves warmth and light, but does not tolerate heating air that is too dry or the blazing midday sun. It is best to avoid these location errors right at the beginning.

Category:

Vegetable garden