Elephant foot: the bottle tree that hardly needs any water
The elephant foot (Beaucarnea recurvata), also called ponytail palm or bottle palm, is one of the least demanding plants with a swollen stem base. The base stores water, so it forgives being forgotten better than being overcared for. It is not poisonous, grows about 1.5 meters tall indoors and bears grey-green leaves up to 50 cm long. In the dry forests of Mexico it can reach 9 meters and live over 350 years, a figure I find quite impressive.
It likes very bright, sunny spots, ideally a south- or west-facing window; in summer the harsh midday sun can be softened with a curtain. Once it is used to the sun, it may go outdoors in summer. When outside temperatures drop below 8 °C, it has to come back inside. In winter 10 to 15 °C is ideal; it does not tolerate temperatures below 7 °C, and draughts should be avoided.
Water only when the soil has dried out completely between waterings: in spring and summer about every 14 days, in a heated room in autumn and winter roughly once a month, and almost not at all when it overwinters in a cool place. Feed only in the warm season, once a month, with half-strength cactus or green-plant fertilizer. A suitable substrate is permeable cactus soil with plenty of coarse sand.
Repot only every three to five years, ideally between mid-February and late March, into a shallow pot with drainage. Yellow, soft leaves usually indicate waterlogging; brown tips point to lack of water or dry air. The elephant foot is best propagated from seed or offsets; according to the article, cuttings from the trunk hardly root.
What I find interesting is the note that cutting back in spring encourages side shoots; the cut should be protected with wound sealant or wax.
Source: Gartenjournal
It likes very bright, sunny spots, ideally a south- or west-facing window; in summer the harsh midday sun can be softened with a curtain. Once it is used to the sun, it may go outdoors in summer. When outside temperatures drop below 8 °C, it has to come back inside. In winter 10 to 15 °C is ideal; it does not tolerate temperatures below 7 °C, and draughts should be avoided.
Water only when the soil has dried out completely between waterings: in spring and summer about every 14 days, in a heated room in autumn and winter roughly once a month, and almost not at all when it overwinters in a cool place. Feed only in the warm season, once a month, with half-strength cactus or green-plant fertilizer. A suitable substrate is permeable cactus soil with plenty of coarse sand.
Repot only every three to five years, ideally between mid-February and late March, into a shallow pot with drainage. Yellow, soft leaves usually indicate waterlogging; brown tips point to lack of water or dry air. The elephant foot is best propagated from seed or offsets; according to the article, cuttings from the trunk hardly root.
What I find interesting is the note that cutting back in spring encourages side shoots; the cut should be protected with wound sealant or wax.
Source: Gartenjournal
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