Beaucarnea or commonly known as ‘Elephant’s foot’ is originated in Mexico and is a perfect houseplant. It is also going by the name of ponytail palm or Nolina. The plant is usually found in the dry forests as a succulent tree and achieves a height of 30 feet. But, if you are planting in in the pot, then they remain small. The Elephant’s foot’ lives a longer life and when it comes to taking care of it you can easily do so. People use it as a houseplant or office plant.
Where to place it?
Elephant’s foot loves to be in the sun with full light. To your knowledge, it easily gets cold feet in the cold temperature, so you should find generous space for it. You can first place it in the shady place and then after few days to the lighter place until the leaves are adapted to the bright sunlight.
The substrate
The Elephant’s foot needs permeable and loose Earth to grow. Generally, the permeable cactus soils are considered to be suitable because the humus-rich leaf mold is mixing with ample coarse sand.
When to water?
The plant actually doesn’t need much water because of its succulent trunk. Therefore, if you are buying it then make sure you water it moderately at the growth phase. You can easily check the status of a substrate by doing a finger test. On excessive watering, the leaves turn brown and there is an occurrence of root tot.
Fertilizing
The plant needs less fertilizer to survive. Ideally speaking, it needs to be fertilized once in the summer season and then in spring with a liquid cactus fertilizer. Never fertilize in winters.
How to re-pot the plant?
The plant tends to grow slowly and do well in the minimal substrate as well. This is so because; it can store the water and nutrients for long in its trunk. So, when you are re-poting it, make sure that you carefully bring it out and put it into the pot. The ideal time of reporting is early spring which means mid-February to the end of March.
Taking care of diseased and pets
The leaves will become yellow and soft if you don’t take care of the plant. One of the reasons behind it is waterlogging which causes root damage. Using the dry air can help in keeping the spiders and spider mites away.
It is pretty clear that taking care of Elephant’s foot is not that much difficult, you just need to follow the proper way of taking care.
