How to Grow Elephant Foot Yam (Jimikand) in a Deep Pot or Bed
How to grow elephant foot yam (jimikand, suran) at home: in March or April, plant a piece of corm weighing roughly half a kilo with a bit of the central bud on it, in a deep 50 to 75 litre container or a sunny bed, water lightly until a shoot appears, and dig up a much bigger corm about eight to ten months later when the single umbrella leaf yellows and collapses. It is one of the lowest effort crops you can grow. Gloves are not optional.
In brief
- Plant: a corm piece (sett) of about 500 g to 1 kg, or a small whole corm
- Planting months (plains): March to April, as soil warms
- Container: 50 to 75 litres, at least 45 cm (18 inches) deep
- Sun: full sun to light shade
- Sprouting: slow, often several weeks
- Harvest: about 8 to 10 months later, after the leaf dies back (November to January)
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Grow it or skip it?
Plant it if you have a deep container or a corner of ground and patience. It needs almost no care once up, survives on the plains, and stores for months after digging. Skip it if you have only shallow pots, or children and pets who would chew on a cut corm: raw jimikand is full of calcium oxalate crystals that burn the mouth and skin. For why it itches and how to cook it safely, our jimikand cooking guide covers the kitchen side.
| Zone | Verdict | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Karachi, coastal | Plant | Warm, humid; ideal |
| Multan, Sukkur, Bahawalpur | Maybe | Grows, but give afternoon shade and mulch in June |
| Lahore, Faisalabad, Delhi | Plant | Monsoon growth is strong; dig before hard frost |
| Islamabad, Peshawar | Maybe | Plant in April; shorter season, smaller corm |
| Hills | Skip | Season too short and cold |
When to plant jimikand in each region
- Karachi: late February to April.
- Multan, Sukkur, Bahawalpur: March, so the leaf is established before peak heat.
- Lahore, Faisalabad, Delhi: March to April.
- Islamabad, Peshawar: April, once nights are warm.
The corm doesn’t care much about the exact date. It cares that the soil is warm and not waterlogged.
Preparing the corm piece, step by step
- Buy a firm, healthy jimikand from the sabzi market in late winter, or save a small corm from last season. Avoid any soft, mouldy or wet spots.
- Put on gloves. Find the dent at the top centre: that is the bud. Cut the corm into pieces of roughly 500 g to 1 kg so that each piece carries part of that central bud. Research from Kerala describes 500 g to 1 kg as standard planting material; smaller pieces sprout but give smaller corms.
- Dip cut faces in a slurry of cow dung and water, or dust with wood ash, and dry in shade for a day so the cut seals over.
- Plant bud upward, with about 5 to 8 cm of soil over the top. In the ground, space pieces about 90 cm apart, which is the spacing trial plots use.
- Water once to settle the soil, then only lightly until a shoot appears. Too much water before there is a leaf rots the piece.
The glove rule, and the itch fix
Wear rubber gloves for cutting and planting, and don’t touch your face. If skin does start to itch, wash with plenty of cool water first; many cooks rub a little tamarind water on hands afterwards, a household tradition that some find soothing. Keep cut pieces out of reach of children and pets while they dry.
Container and potting mix
Depth matters more than width. Use a 50 to 75 litre drum, tub or grow bag at least 45 cm deep, with big drainage holes. Mix 2 parts soil, 1 part well rotted manure or compost, 1 part sand; see potting mix ratios for the basics. Loose, rich soil is what lets the corm swell.
Sprouting, growth and watering by season
Sprouting is slow, often several weeks. Don’t dig it up to check. Then a single fat, mottled stalk rises and opens into one big umbrella shaped leaf. That one leaf feeds the whole corm, so protect it from breaking in storms.
- Before sprouting: keep the soil barely damp.
- 45°C summer: water deeply when the top 5 cm is dry; mulch thickly; afternoon shade helps in Multan.
- Monsoon: it loves the humidity but must drain; standing water causes collar rot at the base of the stalk.
- Autumn: water less as the leaf starts to yellow.
- Frost nights: the leaf will already be gone; dig before the ground gets cold and wet, or keep the pot dry under a roof.
Feed compost or rotted manure at planting and again about two months after sprouting. A balanced fertiliser with a good share of potash supports corm swelling; elephant foot yam removes a lot of nutrients from the soil.
Problems and first organic responses
| Problem | Sign | First response |
|---|---|---|
| Piece rots before sprouting | Soft, smelly corm when dug | Use a firm sett, let the cut dry and seal, water less |
| Collar rot | Stalk base turns soft and the leaf falls | Improve drainage, remove plant and soil around it |
| Leaf scorch | Brown, papery leaf edges in May and June | Water deeply, mulch, give afternoon shade |
| Mealybugs on stored corms | White fluff on skin | Brush off, store dry and airy |
Yellow leaves in October and November are not a problem. That is the plant finishing and sending everything down into the corm.
Every part of raw jimikand irritates the mouth, throat and skin. Never let children or pets chew the leaf, stalk or a raw piece; if someone does and has drooling, swelling or trouble swallowing, rinse the mouth and get medical help promptly, and seek emergency care for any breathing difficulty. Large containers of wet soil are heavy: put them over walls or beams on a roof. Mature corms sometimes send up a tall, foul smelling flower instead of a leaf in spring; it’s harmless, just cut it if the smell bothers you.
When and how to harvest elephant foot yam
Wait until the leaf has turned yellow and fallen over, usually eight to ten months after planting. Field trials harvest at about that stage. Stop watering for a week or two first. Dig wide, since the corm sits deep, lift it gently, brush off soil, and leave it in shade for a few days so the skin hardens.
A corm with a hardened skin keeps for months in a dry, airy spot. Keep the smaller ones, or the bud ends, to plant next March. In a container, expect a corm of a kilo or a few kilos, not the giants farms grow.
Elephant foot yam growing questions
Can I grow jimikand from a market bought corm?
Yes, if it is firm, unwashed and free of soft spots. Cut it so each piece has part of the central bud, let the cut seal, and plant in March or April.
How long does elephant foot yam take to grow?
About eight to ten months from planting to harvest on the plains, so a March planting is dug from late autumn into winter.
How long does a jimikand piece take to sprout?
Often several weeks, sometimes longer in cool soil. Keep the pot just damp and wait.
Does elephant foot yam have seeds?
Home growers don’t use seed. It is grown from corm pieces or small daughter corms, which are far quicker and reliable.
Can I grow elephant foot yam in a pot?
Yes, in a deep 50 to 75 litre container. The corm will be smaller than a field grown one but well worth it.
Why are my jimikand leaves turning yellow?
In autumn it is the natural end of the season and a sign harvest is near. In summer, yellowing usually means waterlogged roots or collar rot at the base.
When to harvest jimikand?
After the single leaf yellows and collapses, roughly November to January for a spring planting.
Is the jimikand plant poisonous to pets?
Raw parts contain calcium oxalate crystals that cause painful mouth irritation in pets and people. Keep pets away from leaves, stalks and cut corms.
Jimikand kaise ugaye?
Aadha se ek kilo ka tukra jis par beech ki aankh ho, March ya April mein gehre gamle mein lagayein, kam paani dein, aur patta peela ho kar girne ke baad khodein. Dastane zaroor pehnein.
Browse more grow guides in Kitchen Garden, or start smaller with five first plants for beginners.