Tortoise Plant

Tortoise Plant Care

Dioscorea elephantipes

What is the plant

The intriguing tortoise plant is easily recognizable by its main feature, its sharp, specific flavor.

Amorphophallus paeoniifolius is a perennial plant, species of the Amorphophallus genus of the Araceae family, also widely known as Elephant foot yam (elephant’s foot) or White spot giant arum. It comes from semiarid areas in Southern Africa.

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Humidity

Dry

Lighting

Full Sun

Temperature

10°C - 12°C

Hardiness zone

min 9b

Difficulty

Easy

How to Care for the Plant

Water
You need to water not the plant itself but the soil along the edges of the pot. Before the appearance of an inflorescence or deployment of a leaf, the plant is watered moderately and then abundantly. In summer, water the plant immediately after the topsoil has dried, and at the end of August, reduce it to a minimum.
Pruning
Trim back the plant at any time you want.
Fertilizer
Before August begins, during the period of active vegetation, it is necessary to regularly (every 1.5-2 weeks) apply phosphorus or complex fertilizers with a predominance of phosphorus to increase the tuber's mass quickly.

Disease diagnosis

Check your plant’s health

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Sunlight
A well-lit place is desirable so that you can place the plant even in the sun; however, the plant will feel the best with plenty of diffused light.
Soil
Drainage should be a third of the height of the pot. Then, a layer of soil takes up to half the pot, in which you should make a hole filled with sand, immersing the tube by one-third.
Propagation
Reproduction of the tortoise plant is possible from offsets of the corm or by fresh seed.

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Temperature
During summer, the normal air temperature is 72-77 °F (22–25 °C), and during winter, it is 50-54 °F (10–12 °C).
Container
A pot should be twice the diameter of the corm or slightly larger than that.
Fun fact
A. paeoniifolius has wide use_:_ the tubers are used for food, like potatoes and flour, in the Philippines - as pig feed, and in China - as a medicinal plant.