If you are buying indoor plants for the first time and/or do not have the famous green thumb, you definitely need an easy-care plant. Nevertheless, she should look as attractive as possible. The elephant's foot fulfills these conditions and gives you many years of pleasure.

The elephant's foot is an easy-care houseplant

Buy an elephant foot

Before you buy an elephant's foot, you should take a very good look at the plant. Yellowish leaves or brown tips indicate that the elephant's foot is not doing very well. If it's in a dark or drafty corner, it's better to keep your hands off it.

Find the right location

As a tropical tree, the elephant foot needs a lot of warmth and light. Temperatures between 20 °C and 25 °C are ideal for him, but even 30 °C hardly bothers him. Since its leaves can easily burn in the midday sun, you should not place the elephant's foot unprotected in a south-facing window.

How much care does an elephant's foot need?

The elephant's foot is so easy to care for that too much is more harmful than too little. This applies to water as well as nutrients. A little fertilizer in spring and summer is usually enough. The elephant's foot stores nutrients and water in its thick foot. Always water the tree only when the soil has dried significantly.

The elephant foot in winter

It is quite possible to leave the elephant's foot in the relatively warm living room all year round. However, the plant does much better if it is allowed to hibernate a little cooler at around 10 °C. This hibernation gives the elephant's foot time to regenerate. It then needs even less water and absolutely no fertilizer.

The essentials in brief:

  • only buy healthy plants
  • slow-growing, therefore high acquisition costs for larger specimens
  • bright warm location
  • as little draft as possible
  • ideally overwinter cooler
  • water and fertilize little

tips

The elephant's foot is a very decorative and easy-care houseplant, and it also likes to spend the summer in a warm garden.

Category:

Vegetable garden