That said, properly cared for Elephant bushes can thrive in a pot of any material so long as there’s a drainage hole at the bottom. Elephant Bush Care – Detailed Guide. ... A tip for Indoor and Outdoor Plants, Succulents, Cactus, Bonsai, Fruits and Vegetables in Chennai CARE INSTRUCTIONS: • Environment: A large space and large container for your Elephant Ear plant are ideal. Plant taxonomy classifies the most widely known elephant ear plants, or "taro," as Colocasia esculenta.But plants of the Alocasia genus and of the Xanthosoma genus can go by the same common name as well. For example, some succulent growers prefer a soilless “gritty mix” rather than regular potting soil. Elephant Ear Plant Care • Amazon • Home Depot • RGSucculents  • Mountain Crest Gardens. It … • Dusty, clogged leaves can lead to a weak plant that will be more susceptible to illness and pests! Indoor plants that will never make you fail. Elephant bush is non-toxic to humans. Watering should be restricted in winter unless the indoor environment is very bright and warm. This plant is grown for its colorful leaves rather than its diminutive flow… If you live in a colder climate or during winter months with … Get more information about this episode >>. Elephant bush is not cold hardy. How to Care for an Elephant Tree Plant. Water only when the soil is completely dry, then saturate the soil completely. All rights reserved. When growing in a soilless mix, fertilize when watering. In the home interior, it is much more likely to remain just a few feet tall. Fill the pot about three-quarters of the way with potting soil and then nestle the tuber in the center with the root side down. Be careful with the plant’s delicate leaves during this process, as rough handling could damage them considerably. The elephant bush loves sunlight and can be in full sun for several hours at a time. Portulacaria afra is an easy going succulent that has an attractive growth habit, with small green succulent leaves on a red coloured stem. “Elephant Bush” also comes in miniature and variegated forms. If you live in an area that gets too chilly (lower than 30° F), you might want to plant the succulent in a container that you can bring indoors. Elephant Bush Care & Growing Guide 1. Elephant Bush, or Portulacaria afra, is a treelike succulent with a woody trunk and flat, rounded leaves. Plant Rant is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This will avoid overpotting, which can lead to root rot. • Sunlight: Put near bright sun (south or west window), but not in direct sunlight. (Or you can use a mister). Spekboom. This variegated form is slower growing & stays smaller than the other varieties of Portulacaria. Terra cotta is porous and makes it more difficult to overwater, and overwatering is the fastest way to kill a succulent. Light requirements. Learn more elephant bush plants in this article. Kept indoors, they are rarely taller than 4 feet. https://theplantshop.blog/2018/12/11/how-to-care-for-elephant-bush-plant Most indoor Elephant Bushes will get by being watered every few weeks. • Fertilize your elephant ears plant with a general indoor plant fertilizer at half strength 1 x per month. If you have your elephant ear plants indoors, they will do well with bright indirect sun. Elephant bush (Portulacaria afra) is a succulent that can grow outdoors in warm climates but is also a popular indoor plant Elephant bush (Portulacaria afra) is a semi-evergreen shrubby flowering succulent native to South Africa. Outdoors, plant in a location that receives full sun in the morning and filtered light in the afternoon. • Place in a sunny spot indoors and follow the care instructions above. I throw a handful of Epsom salts into my elephant ear pots roughly monthly when watering. But if the plant is not used to a lot of sunlight, you may have to slowly help the plant get used to full direct sunlight. Portulacaria afra, commonly known as Elephant Bush or Elephant Food, is known and used around the world as a succulent garden shrub and as a bonsai subject. September 13, 2018 The Plant Shop. It is also known as Dwarf Jade … Shirley Bovshow is giving you professional tips on how to care for elephant ear plants. Portulacaria afra ‘Variegata’, common names: rainbow bush, mini jade, or elephant bush, has cream-colored and green variegated leaves. The Elephant bush (Portulacaria afra) is also known as the dwarf jade plant. Indoors is an excellent place to grow elephant bush houseplants. Soil choice for growing Colocasia inside is a well-draining, peat-rich medium. However, ponytail palms that are grown in gardens as landscape plants don’t usually get to be more than 10 feet tall. Advertisement. This can burn the leaves. Just be sure to water it when the soil starts to feel dry when you stick your finger in an inch. The bush has thick succulent brown stems with small tender green leaves that resemble a miniature Jade Plant. Size: In the wild, this plant may grow up to 20 feet tall. Elephant Bush may get 6 to 20 feet (15 to 50 cm) tall in the habitat where it is a favorite food of elephants. Care of this plant is generally simple; the most common difficulty is having to adapt your watering habits to its watering needs! The Elephant Bush doesn’t like excessively moisturized soil as its roots are quite susceptible to rot. Taxonomy and Botany . You may have to supplement lighting indoors with. • Full strength is too strong a dose for a houseplant and may cause rampant growth before it's ready for it. A few rules on how to care for elephant bush will help you grow a healthy specimen. Elephant bushes love light and thrive in south-facing windowsills. You may have to supplement lighting indoors with grow lights if your conditions aren’t bright enough for your plant to grow healthily. How to care for Elephant Bush Plant. Outdoors, plant in a location that receives full sun in the morning and filtered light in the afternoon. The pot is large enough so that the Elephant Bush can stay in it for quite a few years. Before treating, isolate the plant and remove all visible pests with your fingernail, a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, or by running it under a faucet. Elephant Bush plant is a succulent with fleshy, glossy leaves that grows as a small bush. Care for an Elephant Bush After Repotting August 12, 2018 The Plant Shop. It is similar in appearance to the unrelated Jade plant. Remove a few leaves from the bottom of the plant so that roots can grow, then allow the wounds to heal and callous completely. • Humidity is important: Place plant on a saucer with pebbles and water to create a humid ambiance. • Environment: A large space and large container for your Elephant Ear plant are ideal. A number of cultivars also exist, including types with dark leaves (for example, C. esculenta 'Black Magic'), placing them among the so-called "black plants." The small root ball adapts well to typical shallow bonsai containers, and being succulent it is more tolerant of drying than more traditional bonsai subjects such as maples or evergreens so requires less constant attention. This works great, especially for beginners. What this means is that you can grow it outdoors in full light without problems. Water when the soil starts to feel a little dry. It … When repotting your elephant bush, choose a pot just one inch in diameter larger than the previous. For growing elephant ear plants indoors, try to imitate wetland by mixing peat and perlite with organic-rich material that holds moisture, but don’t forget that every indoor plant needs well-draining soil. Choose a stem with many leaves and trim it away from the main plant with a sterilized cutting utensil. This can burn the leaves. In the winter months, your plant will need less water as its growth slows. ... How to Grow and Care for an Elephant Bush (Portulacaria afra) | World of Succulents. Otherwise, elephant bush needs very infrequent feeding. Place your cutting in water or soil to root. For indoor growing, plant the tuber in a large pot (14- to 20-inches), and get an extra large one if you want your plant to become truly monstrous. They can be kept in early spring, which means one does not has to panic about these newly unique planted fat succulent burning. Aug 9, 2015 - Choose a location with indirect sunlight when growing Elephant Bush indoors. Elephant bushes may encounter problems with scale, mealybugs, or spider mites. LIGHT. Overly bright sunlight can char the leaves and cause them to... Aug 9, 2015 - Choose a location with indirect sunlight when growing Elephant Bush indoors. But as a houseplant, it’s more likely to stay around 3 feet tall. Succulents love direct sun, but if yours is sitting in the same exact … Elephant trees (Bursera fagaroides) stand out with their stout trunks, peeling bark and dark green leaves, which emit a citrusy fragrance when handled. So, to avoid drowning your Elephant Bush, halt … The small leaves of this plant are bright green in color, sometimes with lighter variegated edges. Copyright 2020 Plant Rant. Aug 3, 2016 - Elephant plant is a succulent that grows as a small bush. • Sunlight: Put near bright sun (south or west window), but not in direct sunlight. • Watering: Soil should be maintained evenly moist but not saturated. You should also feel free to experiment with other mixes to find what works best for you. It is a perfect addition to your indoor or outdoor succulent garden. You may have to supplement lighting indoors with grow lights if your conditions aren’t bright enough for your plant to grow healthily. The non-variegated form is more heat tolerant. These succulents need well drained soil and an unglazed pot that will help excess moisture evaporate. • Fill large container 3/4 of the way with rich, well-draining potting soil. Rotate Succulents Frequently. The new growth will be beautiful too. And, of course, be sure not to overwater it as that's the quickest way to kill a plant. A diluted run-of-the-mill fertilizer monthly during growing season won’t hurt. • Wipe the leaves with a damp cloth 1 x per week to keep the "plant pores" or "stomata" open. • If your Elephant Ear plant gets too much water, it will let you know by “weeping” or dripping water from the tip of the leaf. This will increase the level of humidity surrounding the indoor elephant ear plant while preventing the roots from coming into contact with the water, which may cause root rot. • The top of the bulb should be at least 1” below the soil. Alocasia thrives indoors or outdoors at a range of temperatures, but it’s fussy when it comes to soil, feeding and watering. Ideal daytime temperatures for the elephant bush are 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and ideal nighttime temperatures for it are 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Because the plant is tropical in its origins, keeping a high humidity level is the main requirement to successfully growing an elephant ear houseplant. Terra cotta is always recommended for succulents if you are unsure of what material of pot to choose. In the wild, elephant bush grows in dry, sunny locations. It’s also just as hungry for sunlight as it is for nutrients. However, for Portulacaria afra is a perfect addition to your indoor or outdoor succulent garden. Although a popular name for this succulent is “Miniature Jade,” it is not related to Crassula ovata. This isn’t a plant you can simply forget about but, if you feed and water it regularly, it’ll give you an astonishing amount of new growth in return. In the summer months, I water my Elephant Bush as often as every 7-10 days, sometimes more during a heatwave, giving the plant a good drink. Temperatures for your elephant ear houseplants should be between 65-75 F. (18-24 C.). You don't have to do much to grow healthy elephant ear plants. Portulacaria afra ‘Aurea’, common names: yellow rainbow Bush, yellow elephant food, has leaves that are bright yellow when young and turn lime green as they age. It is a soft-wooded, semi-evergreen upright shrub or small tree, usually 2.5–4.5 meters (8–15 ft) tall. Scientific name: Portulacaria afra Synonyms: Spekboom, Bacon Tree, Pork Bush, Elephant’s Food, Elephant Bush, Dwarf Jade Plant. If you live in a humid location, you won’t need to water as much. Copyright © 2021 Crown Media Family Networks, all rights reserved. However for the best performance of your plant keeping them above 15 degrees Celsius is ideal. Some gardeners recommend waiting until the leaves near the base of the plant begin to wilt before watering, while others prefer to water when the soil is dry. The most basic soil recommendation for succulents is a mix of half perlite and half succulent soil. Create a humid ambiance aug 9, 2015 - choose a location with indirect sunlight when growing in a that! South-Facing windowsills and warm only when the soil rarely taller than elephant bush care indoor feet growing Colocasia inside is a succulent! The winter months, your plant to grow Elephant Bush, or Portulacaria ). Green in color, sometimes with lighter variegated edges Crest Gardens not has to panic these. The Bush has thick succulent brown stems with small green succulent leaves a! 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