table of contents
- Brown leaves
- causes
- measures
- Repot
- care
Brown leaves
Brown or falling leaves on the elephant's foot - that must be done
It is completely normal for older leaves to turn brown and fall off after a while. But the elephant's foot gets fresh green leaves elsewhere. In this way the plant is constantly renewing itself. However, there should be a certain balance, in that at least as many new leaves grow as old leaves fall off. However, if you find that not enough fresh leaves are growing back, you should investigate the causes.
causes
Why does the elephant foot get brown leaves or even lose them?
The reasons for brown or even falling leaves on the elephant tree (botanically: Beaucarnea) are quite diverse. Discoloration of the leaves occurs especially in winter during the heating season. However, there is only cause for concern if the scale gets too large. Often this is due to insufficient humidity or a location that is too warm. You may have watered your elephant foot too little or it is not getting enough light.
Bumping into the tips of the leaves
Even if the sometimes very long leaves of the Elephant footbump it against the wall or floor, the tips turn brown. Here it helps to move the plant to a different, possibly slightly elevated place, perhaps on a small table or a plant stool.
Pot too small
If your elephant's foot is in a very small pot, then it may not get enough nutrients and, over time, brown leaf tips.
Cutting the tips of the leaves
If you then cut off these tips, these cut edges will turn brown again and again. The same thing happens if you prune healthy leaves because they are too long for you.
Waterlogging
Waterlogging, too, first leads to brown leaf tips, and later to rotten roots. Then it is difficult to save the elephant's foot. It has to be repotted in dry earth. Be sure to remove all rotten parts of the roots. Then water very sparingly at first. But do not let the root ball dry out completely under any circumstances.
Possible reasons for brown leaves or leaf tips:
- too much or too little water
- Waterlogging
- Lack of light
- Pruning the leaves
- too small plant pot
- Age of the leaves
- Nudging the leaves
measures
How can I save my elephant foot?
As a first aid measure, it is recommended to lower the room temperature and the affected elephant's foot To be sprayed with lukewarm water with little lime content, unless waterlogging is the reason for the brown leaves is. If only the tips of the leaves are discolored brown, you can cut them off, but not too far. Leave a small brown margin, otherwise more of the leaf will dry out.
Repot
If possible, you should replace a plant pot that is too small. Plant your elephant foot in a pot that is a few inches larger than the root ball. When you repot, check the roots of your elephant's foot as they begin to close rot, because maybe the soil was too moist, then the plant would soon turn brown again Leaves. Then place the plant in a light to very light place.
care
What can I do to prevent my elephant foot from losing leaves (any more)?
So that your elephant foot does not get brown leaves in the first place, you should take good care of it and put it in a suitable place. He likes it light to very light. However, you should get used to the midday sun slowly so that the tips of the leaves do not turn brown. A summer freshness in the garden makes the plant more robust and resilient. However, the temperatures should not drop below about 10 ° C even at night.
Keep the ball of the pot evenly moist, but be sure to avoid waterlogging. In summer your elephant's foot needs a lot of water. He then saves this in his thick foot. So it only needs to be watered a little in winter. Make sure that the humidity is even, around 50 to 75 percent is ideal. From November to February you should give your elephant feet a hibernation in a cool and bright place. Temperatures of around 6 ° C to 12 ° C are ideal during this time. The elephant foot now only needs enough water that the root ball does not dry out completely and no fertilizer at all. This rest period allows your elephant foot to recover and then sprout again.