Print
EmailBotanical name: Beaucarnea Recurvata
Plant type: Houseplant
Sun exposure: Full Sun, Part Sun
Ponytail Palms are a great, long-lived indoor plant. (Despite it's name and palm-like appearance, it's not a true "palm.")
This plant has long green leathery stems that develop as the plant ages. Indoors, they can reach up to 3 feet high. The only thing that is difficult about this plant is adapting to its watering needs.
Planting
- Use a fast draining soil, such as cactus potting soil.
- Normal room temperature is good for most of the year, but keep it cooler in the winter (50 to 55° F).
- Find a location with bright light.
Care
- Keep soil fairly dry. Water from spring through fall allowing soil to dry on the surface before re-watering. During the winter only water occasionally.
- Fertilize in the spring and bring into brighter room for the summer months.
- Re-potting every other year at the most is all the Ponytail Palm needs.
Pests
- Overwatering can contribute to stem rot. If you withhold watering, the plant may be able to internally cure the problem.
- Spider mites occur on the leaves, but can be fixed by rubbing a cloth of soap and water on the stems.
Wit & Wisdom
Another name for Ponytail Palm is Elephant Foot Palm.
From The Old Farmer's Almanac: Sign up to receive a FREE guide (A $4.95 value!) plus updates from Almanac.com.
Comments
By Anonymous
- reply
i have just bought my ponytail palm, which came with four, i separated them and put two in each pot, I had some moisture stay soil and switched it out about 3 days later into cactus potting mix, but now my palm is browning rapidly, I have not watered it since I figure It was feeling over watered, what did I do and if I cut back the brown leaves will it continue to grow? Any advice would be great..
drazor02@yahoo.com
By Almanac Staff
- reply
Be sure that your plant is not sitting in water.
The "moisture stay" soil, which from the sounds of it retains moisture, may not have been a good idea.
Propagation such as you described can be tricky; several methods have been recommended. The "baby" plant, or offset, could be given a dose of rooting compound and rooted in sand or a very well-draining potting soil. Another treatment would have been be to wrap/layer the offset in sphagnum moss and alternately moisten the moss and then allow it to dry. This would encourage roots on the baby; when those appeared you could remove it from the mother plant and pot it separately in well-drained potting soil.
This plant like to be watered deeply but does not like to sit in water; the water must be allowed to drain out. (Too much water can/will cause root rot and drown it.) Allow the soil to dry between waterings.
About the browning leaves: this could be from excess salt in your water. Repotting into cacti soil is recommended. However, some sources say some browning of leaves is normal; new leaves should appear from the center.
By the way, this plant is not a true palm; it is a succulent.
We hope this helps. Best wishes!
By Anonymous on May 17
- reply
Left my ponytail out a couple winters ago & she almost died. I cut off most of dead leaves--she was almost bald. She has since grown all & then some back & her bulb is nearly triple in size.
By Anonymous
- reply
My palm seems to have lost all its leaves an the onion looking thing is sort off mushy on top , so I put it in the sun, took all the leavea off, do you suppose it is dead now? Iam not normally a plant killer but with this one Iam not sure what happened, maybe to much water?
By Almanac Staff
- reply
It does sound like you did give the palm too much water. Let it rest for a bit and give it water only if the soil is very dry. Then water it thoroughly once every 10 to 14 days.
Post new comment