In the last decade, the elephant leg plant has taken a rather strong place in the greening of restaurants, boutiques, office patio gardens, apartments. It is interesting for its details, in an adult good condition it looks expensive and relatively unpretentious.
Plant care elephant leg
Nolin, "horse tail", bokarneya, elephant leg - this is the name of a single plant Beaucanea recurvate. The elephant leg comes from the south of the USA and Mexico, from rather arid regions. Therefore, this plant has the ability to store moisture at the base of the stem. At an early age, the elephant leg forms a stem resembling an onion, then the stem swells, stretches out and resembles a bottle in shape. In nature, Nolin reaches a height of 10 meters, and in the lower part of the trunk can be up to a meter in diameter. The trunk is bare, but since the bark has a cellular unusual pattern, it is pleasant to look at.
The trunk of the elephant's leg is crowned by a bunch of hard, long and narrow leaves. And when the plant is still branching, something like a dense crown is formed, I must say the spectacle is spectacular when the plant is at an age. Pruning gives a result when the plant feels well, then within a month, 2-3 buds, the beginnings of new trunks, swell under the cutoff.
The elephant's leg, along with the dracenes, is also called a false palm tree. About palm reminds only the general appearance of the plant, fruiting and flowering. In nature, the flowering of Nolina is a magnificent sight in the life force and power. The paniculate inflorescences with yellow flowers, similar to the flowers of the date palm, rise high above the crown and lean on their sides under their own weight. Then the fruits are hung down whole bunches.
All this happens in nature, and in the room an elephant leg can please a bunch of drooping curved leaves, a beautiful bark and an unusual form of trunk. To keep these leaves clean is a big problem, if the plant is large, you can not wear it in the bath and it will be difficult to wipe every leaf. From this you can find a way out, not frequent washing, sprinkle the crown with liquid special wax, which will give the leaves a gloss, it will act like an antistatic agent. And you can use dust collector whiskers, many mistresses have already mastered them and dust them from the bookshelves and other places.
Watering is a delicate matter, do not overdo it, it's better to forget to water it twice than to pour the plant. Soil for the plant needs clay, to it is mixed compost humus, gravel and sand. Utensils for the elephant's leg need shallow and wide, and for a large plant a bowl resembles a large bowl.
In winter, the vine should be kept in a cool and bright place with a temperature of no higher than 16 degrees. That's why Nolina feels herself perfectly in the autumn-winter period in the boutique halls, in the halls of public buildings, where the temperature is 5 degrees lower. But if the apartment is hot, there is nothing terrible, here the main thing is not to pour.
The elephant leg does not grow fast, and to grow a large plant, it will take a lot of effort and resources. But then the plant lives for years in a comfortable and even in a dark room, during growth it creates a reserve of vitality, which allows you to "keep the shape" for a long time. There may be a slight problem, the leaves will have brown tips. The reason for this will be a lack of light and dry air. The problem can be solved if you make an easy trimming of these tips, and even repeatedly applying pruning, it will not affect the appearance of the plant for a long time.
After this acquaintance with the elephant leg, if you have a desire to purchase this plant, then go ahead for the purchase. And if you are going to save, then the noline can be propagated by seeds. Well, if you are an amateur florist, then you can propagate by cuttings.