by Carol Dunn

Created on: April 06, 2009

There are three common names for Beaucarnea recurvata, including ponytail palm, bottle palm and elephant foot tree. The plant, not a true palm but a member of the agave family, resembles a ponytail of green, slender, wavy fronds that cascade down around the slender, bottle-like stem. These plants grow slowly and can live to be decades old. In temperate regions, older houseplants can reach five feet in height with fronds that touch the floor. The bulb of older plants sits partially exposed above the soil line and has a slight resemblance to an elephant's foot. In their native environment of Mexico, the plants can grow to thirty feet in height with a "foot" four to ten feet in diameter.

The ponytail palm is ideal for the homeowner who doesn't have a lot of time to fuss with houseplants. It seems to thrive on neglect. It can store water in its oversize bulb and has relatively short anchor roots, both adaptations of a dry climate. The ponytail can last long periods, months actually, without water, but the plant eventually will suffer, and the bulb will shrink and wrinkle. Rehydrating the bulb can also take months because overwatering can kill the plant.

In warm climates like Southern California, the ponytail can grow outdoors and benefits greatly from the heat and sunlight. Indoor climates generally have low humidity and will result in the tips of the leaves turning brown. It is generally recommended that you not trim off the brown tips, because the tip that remains will just turn brown again.

Eventually lower fronds will completely die back, and they can be removed to keep the plant looking neat. If a crown of the plant is broken off, new growth will sprout from the plant. Although it is a slow grower, the ponytail will grow faster if it is repotted each spring.

The ponytail palm grows well in soil that is two parts loam, one part peat and one part sand. Some small gravel should be used in the lower part of the pot for good drainage. Use a houseplant fertilizer monthly during the growing season. Plants can be watered once every three weeks during the growing season and once every couple months during winter. Overwatering is the greatest cause of death for ponytail palms. Scale and mealybugs will attack ponytail palms, but they are not usually a problem.

The ponytail needs at least a half-day of sun each day. It will thrive in temperatures ranging from as low as 40 degrees F at night to 90 degrees F and greater during the day (5 to 32 degrees C).

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