For daily wit & wisdom, get the Almanac newsletter.

Ponytail Palm Care Guide: How to Grow This Easy, Long-Lived Houseplant

Poneytail palm indoors by a window. The Beaucarnea Recurvata, also known as Ponytail Palm, or Nolina is a houseplant with a swollen thick brown stem and the long narrow curly, green leaves flow up from this base.
Image Credit:
Renata.Ka/Shutterstock
Botanical Name
Beaucarnea recurvata
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Partial Sun
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower Color
White
Yellow
Plant Type
Houseplants
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Ponytail palms, or elephant foot palms, are unique-looking, long-lived indoor plants that thrive on benign neglect. They are straightforward to grow—provided that you don’t overwater them! Here’s how to grow and care for a ponytail palm in your home.

About Ponytail Palms

Despite its name and palm-like appearance, the ponytail palm is not a true palm. In fact, it is more closely related to desert plants in the Agave and Yucca genera (such as Joshua trees).

The typical ponytail palm consists of a large, domed stump, which tapers off into a thinner stem. As the plant ages, one or more rosettes of long, green, leathery leaves develop from the top of the stem. Indoors, the leaves can reach up to 3 feet long, but outdoors, they may be double that length.

In its native environment of eastern Mexico, the plant can reach up to 30 feet in height. However, ponytail palms grown in gardens as landscape plants typically don’t reach more than 10 feet tall. 

Kept indoors, they are rarely taller than 4 feet. However, as Susan Mahr of the University of Wisconsin-Madison explains, “In containers, ponytail palms will grow slower than if in the ground, and the plants will remain small if kept in a small pot. They can go for many years before needing to be repotted. Moving your ponytail palm to a larger pot will give it room to grow in both height and girth. They can be very long-lived and can easily outlive their owners. However, older plants may be difficult to manage because of sheer size and weight if not kept on the smaller size.”

Care of this plant is simple; the most common difficulty is adapting your watering habits to its needs.

Planting

Choosing a Growing Medium and a Pot

  • Use a fast-draining potting mix, such as one for cactuses and succulents. If you already have potting mix, sand, and perlite on hand, you can create your own desert mixture using equal amounts of each
  • Select a pot with a hole in the bottom so that excess water can be drained off. Ponytail palms do not like to sit in moisture for long.
  • Use a clay pot if possible; the porous material will absorb some of the water, drying out the growing medium more quickly (a good thing for cactuses and succulents).

Growing

How to Care for Ponytail Palms

  • Ponytail palms prefer bright indirect light.
  • Keep growing medium fairly dry. Water from spring through fall, allowing the top inch or two to dry out completely before rewatering. During the winter, water only occasionally.
  • To water, soak the potting mix and allow the excess water to drain through the bottom of the pot into a dish. Let the pot sit in the dish for several minutes, then dump out any remaining water in the dish.
  • Fertilize in the spring with a cactus/succulent fertilizer and bring into a brighter room for the summer months.
  • Average room temperature is acceptable for most of the year, but to replicate the natural dormancy cycle, keep the plant slightly cooler in the winter (50°–55°F / 10°–13°C).
  • Don’t let the plant sit too close to cold windows at night during winter, as freezing temperatures can severely damage it.

Repotting a Ponytail Palm

  • Ponytail palms will remain small if kept in a small pot. They can go for many years before needing to be repotted. Repotting every other year at the most is all a ponytail palm needs.
  • Moving the plant to a larger pot will allow it to grow in height and girth. However, older plants may become challenging to manage due to their sheer size and weight if they are not kept at a smaller size.
  • When selecting a new pot, pick one large enough to leave about an inch or so of space between the ponytail palm’s trunk and the pot’s rim.
  • Note: Use caution when handling a ponytail palm, as its leaves have tiny serrated edges.

Harvesting

Propagation

  • Rarely, a ponytail palm may produce an offset—a tiny baby plant that stems from the base of the adult plant. These can be cut off at the base when they reach at least 4 inches in height and planted in a succulent potting mix. Before planting, allow the cut wound to heal, then apply some rooting hormone (available online and in nurseries) to encourage the offset to root. 

Pests and Problems

  • Overwatering can result in stem rot. If you withhold watering, the plant may be able to internally remedy the problem. Signs of stem rot include yellowing leaves and a caudex (the plant’s base and stem) that is soft or squishy.
  • Spider mites and scale insects may find their way to the leaves, but can be dealt with by rubbing a cloth of dish soap and water on the stems. Spider mites are evidenced by the presence of spider-like webbing on the plant.
  • Brown tips on leaves can be a sign of overfertilizing or underwatering, so adjust your practices appropriately. They can also indicate that the plant is getting too much direct light and not enough water.

Wit and Wisdom

  • The plant’s unusual shape and coloration have granted it another strange nickname—elephant’s foot palm.
  • Are ponytail palms poisonous to cats? While the leaves of a ponytail palm are not toxic to feline (or canine) companions, their foliage does have abrasive edges that could irritate a pet’s mouth, so we suggest keeping the plant out of reach. 

Houseplant Guides

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

More Like This

Comments

<span>Pam Tyler</span> Sat, 07/30/2022 - 10:30
I’m trying to save a ponytail Palm plant for my son in law. He had it in a low light spot with no direct lighting. All but one clump of shoots are gone. I now have it in full sun and putting outside in the sun during the day. Will all the shoot that are gone come back in time? How can I save this plant? What little leafs that are left are half brown. Can I save this plant? I need to save this plant with your help please. Thank you in advance!!😫
<span>Birdvoyer</span> Tue, 02/14/2023 - 12:57
Pam, I believe the article states "bright light but not direct sunlight". Be careful not to "burn it up".
<span>Glenna Jones</span> Tue, 01/03/2023 - 14:57
U can save it . Moving in and out don't because it will transition to inside or outside. Find which one for the season and give it time.
<span>Emi Coffey</span> Thu, 02/10/2022 - 19:51
Please help with my 35 yr ponytail palm. From the top down about a foot or so feels mushy and one shot on the trunk as well. I'm going to cut the top off but I'm not sure what kind wax I should put on the cut? Also what should I do with the spot on the trunk. I am also planning on transplanting it and was wanting suggestions on the best succulent soil to use.
<span>Linda Valentino</span> Sat, 05/13/2023 - 12:20
Great site as i was transplanting my ponytail palm to a bigger pot and did what the article told me to do! Fingers crossed it eill do well and continue to thrive in its new home😊
<span>John Byers</span> Sat, 12/25/2021 - 09:27
My wife and I have had this pony tail palm since before we were married over 42 years ago. I’ve only repotted a couple of times, and it is still only about 2 ft tall, but keeps on surviving through many years of minimal maintenance. At this point, we are building our dream beach home in SC, USDA Zone 8b. I thought it might be a nice idea to plant the Palm outside as a focal piece in our landscape plan. Any thoughts on the survivability of such a transplant after 40+ years of indoor captivity?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 12/27/2021 - 10:01

USDA Zone 9 is the edge of where ponytail palms can be grown outdoors with success, so we would not recommend planting one outdoors in Zone 8b, unfortunately. Additionally, they can be very sensitive to salt, so a beach home might not be ideal for a ponytail palm, depending on the environment and soil. 

So, we would recommend keeping it in its pot but taking it outdoors in the warmer part of the year. If you do so, be sure to keep it in a shady spot for a week or so before moving it into a sunnier area. And don't forget to water appropriately!

 <span>Marsha</span> Wed, 12/08/2021 - 15:45
My pony tail palm is dead I think. I did not overwater. The leaves were falling off, I trimmed it and then they all fell off. Then I cut the branches which were still hard. Then we saw small sprouts growing. A few weeks later they died and now their is foam coming off the top and the base is not squishy. I think I killed the plant. I plan on repotting it with succulent soil and potting soil, or will that be the funeral ceremony. Do I need to just say good bye? Please be honest
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 12/14/2021 - 10:10

This is a tough one. You could try repotting the plant and check whether the roots look rotted (brown or black, slimy) or healthy (off-white, plump). Keep the plant in bright, indirect light and away from harsh temperatures (such as a cold window or a heating vent), and water it sparingly as it settles in. It may be time to try a new plant, however!

 <span>Black Thumb</span> Tue, 08/03/2021 - 09:52
Hi, I have had my plant for 19 years. It was beautiful and growing impeccably. Today the hard 'cap' that coverd the top of the trunk fell off. A full area of 'bristle like' things from the top/ center of the trunk, where the hard 'cap' was is revealed. I don't know if my tree is sick. I don't know if I should allow the bristles to be exposed, or perhaps seal the area. I also don't know why it has happened. Any feedback provided is greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading this.