In the trade you will find the elephant's foot as an easy-care and robust houseplant. It is not uncommon for a recently purchased specimen at home to lose some leaves or turn yellow or brown. This is not always a cause for concern.

If the lower leaves fall off, there is no need to worry

How much loss of leaf is normal in elephant's foot?

Even with evergreen plants, which include the elephant's foot, the individual leaves do not live forever. The entire foliage is renewed more or less regularly, but always spread over a certain period of time. The lower leaves of the elephant's foot fall off, usually in winter. In the spring, new leaves sprout from the top of the plant. If both are in balance, then everything is okay.

What does excessive leaf drop mean?

If your elephant's foot loses significantly more leaves than it puts out new ones, then there is reason to be concerned. You may have watered or fertilized it too much, both of which are less tolerated by an elephant's foot than a period of drought. The lower end of the trunk is relatively thick, where the plant stores water and nutrients. Cold drafts are also unfavorable for elephant feet.

What can I do for my elephant foot?

To ensure that your elephant's foot does not get yellow or brown leaves in the first place or even loses them, you should pay attention to good care and the right location. Above all, avoid waterlogging and draughts.

Only water your elephant's foot when the soil has dried a little, in this respect it is really easy to care for. In summer, the elephant's foot is welcome to stand outside in the garden. Slowly get him used to the fresh air and especially the sun.

The essentials in brief:

  • some loss of leaves okay
  • basically the lower leaves fall off
  • observe the falling leaves in the upper area
  • excessive leaf loss problematic
  • possible reasons: wrong care or wrong location

tips

The only time you should worry is if leaf loss is excessive (more falling leaves than regrowing).

Category:

Vegetable garden