- How fast or slow does an elephant's foot grow?
- Why doesn't the elephant's foot grow?
- Can I accelerate growth?
The elephant's foot is a very decorative houseplant, but unfortunately not cheap either. So the thought of buying a small, relatively inexpensive plant is obvious. The tree will then grow by itself. But that takes time.
An elephant's foot grows very slowly
How fast or slow does an elephant's foot grow?
The elephant's foot is one of the very slow-growing indoor plants. You should not expect more than a few centimeters of additional height per year. The growth follows a certain pattern. In the lower part of the crown it loses leaves, at the upper end the elephant's foot drives out new leaves.
Why doesn't the elephant's foot grow?
If your elephant foot does not grow at all, i.e. does not get new leaves, then you should check it for possible pest infestation. Although it is actually quite resistant, mealybugs, for example, sometimes appear, which are best fought immediately.
It is also possible that the pot of your elephant's foot has become too small, then it is time to repot it. However, a new pot should not be much larger than the old one, otherwise the plant will put too much energy into growing new roots. Other reasons could be too little light or a lack of water and nutrients.
Possible reasons for the lack of growth:
- pest infestation
- Diseases
- too small pot
- wrong care (watering or fertilizing too little)
- lack of light
Can I accelerate growth?
It is not for nothing that large specimens are quite expensive in the trade, the elephant's foot grows quite slowly. Unfortunately, growth cannot be accelerated directly. But it helps if you take good care of it. A bright location with a lot of light also contributes to good growth.
Water the elephant's foot fairly regularly and plentifully. Excess irrigation water should always be able to drain off easily. Then the elephant's foot only gets water again when the soil has dried well. On the other hand, you are very economical with fertilizer.
tips
Don't expect your elephant's foot to grow quickly, even with the best care it will take a lot of time.