Question
I have a plant I got a year ago.  the leaves have tripled in length and the bulb has at least doubled in size. I just transplanted it into a large pot.  Can I trim off the brown ends of the plant without harming it?

thank you!  sincerely

Chuck

Answer
Yes - and as the tips of other leaves brown you should prune them back to green on the leaf. This will help the plant look better and aids in keeping the plant healthy. Elephant foot plants (also called "ponytail" plants) can grow large quite quickly. In the ground outside in FL I have seen some 20+ feet tall. It is not advisable to repot them too frequently. The pot size will control how fast/large they grow.
Also you want to make sure they go dry between waterings. They do rot out quickly if kept too wet. Water your plant based on how much it weighs when thoroughly watered VS when they are ready to be watered again. Plants die from too frequent waterings, not from how much water you give them at one time. Pick the pot up and feel how heavy it is after watering it thoroughly. Don't water it again until it feels considerably lighter and the soil top of the soil is light in color. Depending on plant types, sunlight exposure and pot size plants will need water at many different rates from once a day to once a month or more.


Good luck,
Rick