How to Care For and Grow Your Ponytail Palm
The Ponytail Palm is an immediate standout. With a charming, bottle-shaped trunk and a burst of vibrant, blade-like foliage, the Ponytail Palm imbues instant texture and character into any space. The best news of all? Ponytail Palms, alias Beaucarnea recurvata, have a truly low-maintenance disposition. A member of the Agave family, they have simple needs that make this voluminous beauty an ideal plant for beginners and those on-the-go. Read on for simple tips on how to care for and grow your Ponytail Palm.
How much light does the Ponytail Palm need?
Ponytail Palms prefer bright light and plenty of it. Direct sun is best, but they can also thrive in bright, indirect light. With careful conditioning, they can also adapt to medium levels of light.
How often to water your Ponytail Palm
Ponytail Palms store water in their bulbous trunk, and need to be watered only sparingly. These drought-tolerant plants typically need water only every every two weeks and should be watered only when their top 2-3 inches of soil are dry to the touch.
Ponytail Palm Growth Rate
In prime conditions, Ponytail Palms can grow up to twelve inches a year, though indoors this is uncommon. Inside homes and offices, growth is slow and steady, and you can expect more like 2-4 inches a year. As an extra boost, your Ponytail Palm can be fertilized during its prime growing seasons, spring and summer.
Common problems with the Ponytail Palm
Yellow leaf tips - too much water
Symptom - yellow, droopy leaf tips
Cause - too much water
Remedy - Remove your Ponytail Palm from its ceramic pot and dump out any standing water. Place the palm, still within its plastic nursery pot, in a spot that receives ample, bright light and allow its soil to dry entirely before dressing back up. Gauge soil every two weeks for moisture, and provide water only when top 2-3 inches of soil are fully dry moving forward.
Browning leaves - underwatering
Symptom - Crispy, browning foliage
Cause - Underwatering or lack of humidity
Remedy - Prune browning foliage off with clean, sharp scissors or shears by cutting along the leaf’s natural curve in the direct of its growth. Do not remove more than 20% of your plant’s foliage at a time. Remove the Ponytail Palm from its ceramic pot to survey its soil. If the soil is dry but not parched, provide 2-3 cups of water. If the soil is entirely parched, fill a sink or bathtub with 3-4 inches of water, then place your Ponytail Palm in the water, while still housed in its plastic pot. Allow the Ponytail Palm to soak up water through its roots for about 45 minutes before returning to its ceramic pot, then proceed with standard watering routine, gauging the soil every 2 weeks and watering when the top 2-3 inches are dry to the touch.
How to maintain a beautiful and healthy Ponytail Palm
Take good care of your Ponytail Pam and it will thrive beautifully for years to come! Below are simple tips to continue caring for and growing your Ponytail Palm over time. Trust us, it’s easy!
Pruning
As your plant ages, yellowing or browning foliage is normal and part of the plant’s regular upkeep.To remove, snip blades at the base of the leaf, where they meet the Ponytail Palm’s trunk, with sharp, clean pruning shears. To manicure individual blades, cut discolored areas off with scissors while following the natural curve.
Boosting Humidity
Liberally mist your Ponytail Palm once a week to boost its humidity levels and keep its canopy free of dust. A gentle foliar feed can also be used as part of your regular upkeep.
Repotting the Ponytail Palm
Ponytail Palms grow fairly slow and it is uncommon for them to become rootbound, but if your plant is beginning to look unstable or like it is outgrowing its pot, you can consider repotting into a bigger container with fresh soil.
Indoor houseplants grow much more slowly than they do in the wild. Depending on the size of your Ponytail Palm and the density of the roots, repotting every 2-3 years can provide the benefit of fresh nutrients and encourage new growth.
When to repot - if or when the plant looks unstable as if it has outgrown its container, it may be time to repot
Pot sizing - if you want your plant to grow taller, find a nursery pot that is two inches larger in diameter than its current container.
Grab your gardening gloves - spread newspaper or a tarp on the floor and remove your Ponytail Palm from its pot. Shake off old soil, but leave at least 1/3 of its original soil to prevent shock. Place the plant in the center of the new pot, add new soil and pat down firmly. Water the soil if dry and place the plant in an area with bright light. Your plant will take 2-4 weeks to settle and adjust to its new container.
How to propagate a Ponytail Palm
Ponytail Palms can be propagated with their “pups"“, or healthy, growing offshoots. They are also referred to as “clones”, and look like mini-palms growing off of or around the trunk of the plant.
Carefully remove pups - You can carefully dig around and remove healthy Ponytail Palm pups for propagation. Use a gentle touch as you excavate the pup and loosen its roots before removing from soil.
Transplant pups into new soil - Transplant the pups into pots containing a cactus/succulent soil mix. Bury the pup in the soil, leaving its plant structure (its foliage and stems) above the soil line. Add more soil if needed and pat down firmly.
Provide water, but not too much - Provide only enough water to moisten the soil and remove any air pockets. As you move forward, water the pups only when their soil is dry to the touch. No Ponytail Palm, not even the smallest, like being overwatered!
Ponytail Palm
A stunning and spirited agave variety with a charming, bottle-shaped trunk and mane of lush blade-like foliage.