Pony Tail Palm: Questions About General Care

Discussion in 'Caudiciforms and Pachycaul Trees' started by Thad B, May 22, 2007.

  1. Thad B

    Thad B Member

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    Hello everyone,

    My mother passed away in September of 2006 and was an avid gardener. I have always loved house plants and so I inherited her collection :)

    The most sentimental one that I now have is a pony tail palm that is about 37 years old. She got it a few months before I was born. It has always been a fixture in her home and now is a fixture in mine. I am assuming it is a pony tail palm. I have looked in most of her books and online. I have seen it called a bottle palm or elephant foot palm.

    It is just over 1.2m tall and the base is about 18cm in diameter. It has a couple of new shoots coming off the sides. Do these often grow bigger? It has about 8cm of space to grow outward before it takes up the room in the pot. I am not sure what my mother put in the pot for soil, so I am wondering if I ought to re-pot it in something larger. I have seen some posts here where people have pony tail palms much taller than mine. Will a larger pot encourage taller growth, or should I work it towards a brighter spot. It currently is in the south east corner of my home and gets some direct sunlight, but might get more if I put it on our deck (hot/humid Indiana summers).

    Thank you for your time!
     

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  2. markinwestmich

    markinwestmich Active Member

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    I am well aware of the sentimental value of some plants. I have a few of my own that have been passed down through at least 3 generations and may be at least a hundred years old. Your Beaucarnea recurvata (ponytail palm) is a plant that could live for generations, as well.

    First, if you look in this forum you will see a thread called "Succulent and Caudiciform Culture Guide". In it you will find web links to three different culture guides offered by specialty nurseries. They are highly informative.

    To your specific questions:
    1) Sometimes the shoots/stem get bigger. It just depends upon which shoot/stem is dominant and, of course, the growing conditions.
    2) The pot that it is currently in is just fine. With this particular plant, keeping it root bound will help it get a little fatter...which is desireable. Tall and thin is not.
    3) The culture guides mentioned above will get into soil, light, watering, etc...so I highly recommend reading them. That said, although Beaucarnea love light, they have to be introduced to it slowly, over several weeks. Bringing indoor plants outdoors to enjoy the sunshine may only cause permanant sunburn damage to the foliage. Start out with a outdoor shady spot, then move it to a place where it can get only a few hours of sun, then move it to a spot where it can get several hours of full sun. If at any time, the foliage starts to get a faded, dry appearance, move it to a location where it receives less light. That means you may have to check on it a few times daily while it is adapting to the new light conditions.
    4) I would also encourage you not to try to get this plant to grow large, because at some point they will get too large to move around. Beaucarnea can get absolutely huge in the wild. If you give it room and the proper growing conditions, it may become too much to handle. Be careful what you wish for. ; )
     
  3. Chimene

    Chimene Member

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    How often do you water a Ponytail Palm? The base of mind seem to be shivering up?
     
  4. Thad B

    Thad B Member

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    Oh maybe once a week?
     
  5. Chimene

    Chimene Member

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    What is causing it to look it shivering up? When I bought it the ball was nice and smooth.
     
  6. Thad B

    Thad B Member

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    How often are you watering it? I am far from an expert, but it could be lack of water or too much.
     
  7. Chimene

    Chimene Member

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    I water it once a week. It is on my front patio in the shade. I live in Scottsdale, AZ.
     
  8. markinwestmich

    markinwestmich Active Member

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    Watering frequency and amount will vary greatly. To recommend, once per week, every few days, etc. may not be the best advice.

    Succulents and succulent-like plants often have a dormancy period, or at least a period where growth significantly slows down. Some are "winter dormant", others "summer dormant", therefore, knowing your plant is important. Regular watering during a dormant period significantly increases the risk of rot and death.

    Smaller plants of the same species may need more frequent watering than larger plants that have more reserve.

    Environmental conditions and soil make up will vary significantly and will demand a different watering schedule, as well. For example, my container plants in western Michigan are going to be grown significantly different than those planted in the ground in Arizona.

    Having said all of that, the best advice one could give would be a simple one, ... "water when dry", and if you have any doubt, then do not water for a few days. That means at certain times of the year, it may be every few days, or once a week, and at other times it may be every three weeks. Just pay attention to it.
     
  9. Chimene

    Chimene Member

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    Thanks, I will try using my water meter.
     
  10. Weekend Gardener

    Weekend Gardener Active Member 10 Years

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    I have kept ponytails in our house for over twenty years. I have always given them the "squeeze" test. Totally non-evidence based, but I have not killed off any of my ponytails. Basically, I allow the soil to dry out completely first. I then wait for the bulbous stem to start to lose it's tension - hence the squeeze test - it yields a bit when I put pressure on it. By this time, there is usually a visible decrease in the size of the stems. When I water, I water enough to allow the bulbs to swell up completely and harden. I.e., with the larger specimens in smaller pots, it may mean watering 2-3 times over the course of several hours.
     
  11. markinwestmich

    markinwestmich Active Member

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    The "squeeze test" may more-or-less work with some of the more "fleshy" succulents and young caudiciforms. However, as Beaucarnea mature, they become woody. The inner layers of the caudex are not soft either, but more like the wet, white tissue found in young tree branches. The other, and probably more important fact is that most large caudiciforms and succulents will store much of their water in fleshy roots. As a survival mechanism, they will use the water in the roots first, then later, the body. If the body of the plant begins to loose its turgor, then this plant may be severely dehydrated to the point where there is damage to the root system.

    All that said, if your plant is loosing turgor, then you probably have waited too long and the plant may have suffered root damage.

    There are caudiciforms that go completely dormant. Those will tolerate extremely dry conditions for a long period of time. They too, will loose root tissue. However, many will have mechanisms for going dormant before loosing water from their body.
    Beaucarnea typically do not have a true dormant period, but do have a rest period where growth slows down significantly. As such, they are at a higher risk of death if kept extremely dry for long periods of time.

    A typical "water when dry" regimen does not mean wait until the plant begins to show signs of dehydration. Succulents and caudiciforms are specifically designed for life in arid conditions and have ways to survive these conditions without dehydrating. However, that does not mean they do not dehydrate, but rather, if they do, it must have been at such an intensity and duration that it exceeded it's ability to compensate.

    Take the time to observe your plants on a regular basis.

    Mark
     

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