Where can I get suitable offshoots from?
In principle, an elephant's foot has only one trunk. But with increasing age it occasionally forms small offshoots in the leaf axils. These can be easily separated, for example when repotting, in order to grow a new plant. As a rule, however, such an offshoot does not form until the elephant's foot is a few years old.
also read
- Repotting an elephant's foot - tips and tricks
- Can I pull a Christ thorn from offshoots?
- Can I pull a screw tree from offshoots?
How should I treat the offshoots?
Your offshoot will rot in a vessel with water. Better to put it about two inches deep in a shallow pot with loose, well-moistened potting soil. If the offshoot should dry out a little, that's usually not a problem.
Put a transparent foil over the pot with your cuttings, which you fasten with a rubber band or put a transparent vessel over it. Now keep the cuttings evenly moist and warm so that they can easily form new roots.
How do I care for a young elephant's foot?
Although an elephant's foot gets by with very little water, a young plant should definitely be watered regularly, but not too abundantly either. It must first develop the thickening of the stem that is characteristic of this plant. The elephant's foot not only stores water in it for dry times but also nutrients. The young tree, on the other hand, is dependent on a regular supply of water and fertilizer.
The essentials in brief:
- It is best to cut off cuttings close to the trunk in summer
- leave a little wood on the offshoot
- plant in permeable potting soil
- cover with a transparent container or foil
- keep them constantly warm and moist
- remove the hood as soon as the first new leaves appear
- Water the young plant regularly but not too abundantly
Tips
Under no circumstances should you put an offshoot of your elephant's foot in the water for a long time. It does not form a root there and would only rot instead.
