How to Care for a Ponytail Palm Tree
The Ponytail Palm trees are normally grown in containers and indoors. They are known by many names, such as a Bottle Palm, Monja and Elephant Foot. They can reach heights of 20 feet with the right conditions and they love the bright light. These plants are not really palms though, they are a member of the lily family but look more like palms. They are easy to care for and drought resistant for those of us who tend to forget to water our plants. You can give your home or office a touch of the tropics by adding a Ponytail Palm to your indoor landscape. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Ponytail Palm Care
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Place your Ponytail Palm in an area that gets full sun. The plant can be placed outdoors in the summer, but should be kept inside once the temperature goes below 55 degrees. If it is normally indoors and you take it outside, do it a little at a time until it gets used to its new environment.
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Water the plant every 7 to 14 days. The Ponytail Palm stores water well and doesn't like too much water. Make sure the plant dries out to at least an inch down in the soil before you water it again. Watering deep and less frequent is better than watering a little every day. Make sure the soil is draining well and the roots are not sitting in water.
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Re-pot the plant only if you want it to grow taller. This type of plant likes to be root bound so it is not necessary to put it in a larger pot if you see that there is not much soil and a lot of roots. However, if you desire the plant to be larger, re-pot it in a larger pot. Clay or ceramic work best as they have been known to bust out of plastic pots. Don't worry if it does not grow fast, Ponytail Palms are slow growers.
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Mix a teaspoon of Ivory or Dawn dish soap in a quart spray bottle filled with water. If you see any bugs or mites on the plant, spray it with the mixture in the morning and again in the evening until they are gone.
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References
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Comments
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They glue the pebbles on top, I guess, to keep them in place, so this is typical. I got mine at Lowes over a year ago and it is thriving. Just water it through the pebbles every week or two, as instructed. Lift the pot away from the dish when you water to let the excess water drip out and when the dripping is finished, but the pot back onto the dish. It will grow it you repot it, but if you don't want it to grow, then leave it in the pot it came in as this tree actually likes to be rootbound...
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I got mine at Lowes
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I have one that also has pebbles on the top. I just water it according to the 7 to 14 day suggestion. I have had it for almost a year now, and it is doing great!
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What do I do with a ponytail plant that has little pebbles that are all glued together on top of the soil. I like it this way and I don't really want the plant to grow, so I won't transplant it. Can I keep the pebbles and just water through them? It does make it hard to tell when it is dry enough to water again, but maybe if I keep to the 7 to 14 days that the article said? Has anyone had experience with this?
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One of my neighbors brought the tree to me yesterday to show her sympathy on the loss of my doggie, Keva. We both would see each other as we walked our dogs in our neighborhood.
