With its thickened trunk and long, narrow leaves, the elephant's foot is a real eye-catcher in the living room or conservatory. It's all the worse when he lets his leaves hang. Worrying is not always necessary, however.
The leaves of the elephant's foot droop naturally
Why does the elephant foot droop the leaves?
The leaves of the elephant's foot droop naturally, this is completely normal. However, if they look flabby or are becoming noticeably lighter, then you should step in and look for the cause. These can be quite diverse. Care mistakes are often behind it or the location is unfavorable.
First and foremost, you should think about the lack of light and water. Even if the elephant's foot does not need a lot of water, it should be watered regularly. Ideally, water it whenever the top layer of soil has dried. On the other hand, he needs a lot of light. If your elephant's foot is in the shade, be sure to place it in a lighter spot.
If the temperatures fluctuate sharply (especially in winter) or if your elephant's foot is in the draft, then the leaves can also hang limp for these reasons. The plant reacts similarly to root damage. These are often the result of waterlogging. The reasons for this are too frequent or too abundant watering, but also a lack of drainage layer in the pot.
Possible causes of drooping leaves:
- normal signs of aging
- lack of water
- lack of light
- draft
- strongly fluctuating temperatures, especially in winter
- root damage
How much leaf loss is actually normal?
Unlike deciduous plants, the elephant's foot doesn't drop all its leaves in the fall. Instead, it constantly renews itself. So leaves keep dying off while new ones grow back. The elephant's foot usually loses the leaves at the bottom and drives out new ones at the top. As long as about as many leaves sprout as are lost, everything is fine.
tips
If you respond immediately to the drooping leaves of your elephant's foot, the plant will usually recover fairly quickly.