The elephant foot is rightly considered easy to care for and undemanding. He doesn't need particularly nutrient-rich soil, which he doesn't have in his Mexican home either. There it still grows into a stately tree.
The elephant foot needs nutrient-poor, permeable soil
If you want to make it easy for yourself, then plant your elephant's foot in commercially available cactus soil, palm soil is also suitable. If you prefer to use ordinary potting soil, then you should definitely loosen it up with clay granules or some sand. This makes it more permeable and also somewhat leaner. Too high a nutrient concentration does not do the elephant foot very well.
Ideally, the chosen soil is also well drained, because the elephant's foot does not tolerate waterlogging. It survives a slightly longer drought much better. It stores water in its thick trunk.
When should the elephant foot be repotted?
You should repot your elephant's foot about every three to five years. Then the old soil is used up and the plant needs a larger pot. However, it is not the calendar that is important for choosing the right time, but the growth of your elephant tree.
Only when the pot is visibly too small should you act. If repotting is not necessary again, give the elephant's foot a little fertilizer. However, this should be dosed in small amounts to avoid over-fertilization.
The essentials in brief:
- lean soil preferred
- loose and permeable
- Avoid waterlogging and over-fertilization
- ideal and simple: cactus soil or palm soil
- cheap solution: potting soil mixed with sand or clay granules
tips
If you don't want to buy expensive cactus or palm soil, mix commercial potting soil with sand or clay granules. Your elephant foot will also feel comfortable in it.