The elephant foot is truly an impressive and decorative houseplant. Unfortunately, an attractive plant doesn't come cheap. This is because the elephant's foot grows rather slowly. It is cheaper to grow it yourself from a cutting.
How do I grow an elephant foot cutting?
To grow an elephant foot offshoot, cut it close to the trunk in summer, leave some wood on it and plant it in permeable potting soil. Cover the cutting with a transparent container or foil, keep it constantly warm and moist and remove the cover as soon as the first leaves appear.
Where can I get suitable cuttings?
An elephant's foot basically only has one trunk. But as it gets older, it occasionally forms small offshoots in the leaf axils. These can be easily separated when repotting, for example, in order to grow a new plant. As a rule, such an offshoot only forms when the elephant foot is already a few years old.
How should I treat the offshoots?
Your cutting will rot in a container with water. It's better to place it about five centimeters deep in a shallow pot with loose, well-moistened potting soil (€6.00 on Amazon). If the offshoot dries out a little, that's usually not a problem.
Put a transparent film over the pot with your offshoot and secure it with a rubber band or put a transparent container over it. Now keep the cutting evenly moist and warm so that it can easily form new roots.
How do I care for a young elephant foot?
Although an elephant's foot needs very little water, a young plant should definitely be watered regularly, but not too much. It first has to develop the thickening of the trunk that is characteristic of this plant. In it, the elephant's foot not only stores water for dry times but also nutrients. The young tree, on the other hand, depends on a regular supply of water and fertilizer.
The most important things in brief:
- It is best to cut offshoots close to the trunk in summer
- leave a little wood on the cutting
- plant in permeable potting soil
- cover with a transparent container or foil
- keep constantly warm and moist
- remove the hood as soon as the first new leaves appear
- Water young plants regularly but not too much
Tip
You should under no circumstances place an offshoot of your elephant foot in the water for a long time. It doesn't form a root there and would just rot instead.
