The elephant's foot is a very decorative and easy-care houseplant. The elephant foot is therefore very well suited for beginners, but not for very small rooms. It needs enough space to thrive.
The elephant's foot grows extremely slowly, but can grow up to 9 meters in height in Mexico
How fast does the elephant foot grow?
An elephant's foot does not grow quickly, the annual increase is only a few centimeters. This circumstance also explains the fact that a medium-sized elephant's foot is very expensive on the market. However, for adequate growth, the plant needs optimal conditions. In addition to good care, this also includes the right location.
There are a few things you can do to positively influence growth. Fertilize your elephant's foot regularly, but only in small doses. The situation is similar with casting. Before the next watering, the soil should always dry out a bit.
How big can the elephant foot get?
In its tropical home, an elephant's foot can reach a size of around nine meters and an age of more than 100 years. Of course, it cannot do that in your living room or conservatory. As a houseplant, it hardly grows more than 1.5 meters tall. Under ideal conditions, he might even reach the 2 meter limit.
The essentials in brief:
- slow growing
- maximum size in home country: approx. 9 m
- maximum size as a houseplant: approx. 1.5 m to 2 m
- Sprout of new leaves only at the top of the plant
tips
Neither with plenty of fertilizer nor with excessive watering will your elephant's foot grow faster. Rather the opposite is the case. Your elephant foot could die as a result.