Ponytail Palm

I just got a 2 ft tall (trunk only) Ponytail Palm at HD for $19.99.. It's in good shape, I dug around and got the one that looked the best and seemed to have the best soil.

The whole thing is about 3 ft tall. Usually I see them around here about a foot tall for around $40

Now I have to figure out how to care for it.

You will love your Pony Tail plant! They can take full sun and I find them very easy.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2312/

http://www.plant-care.com/pony-tail-palm-if-only-it-were-true.html

http://houseplants-care.blogspot.com/2006/06/ponytail-palm-plant-care.html

They grow in the ground down here. I have one that I keep saying I should plant in the ground but haven't done it yet. Down the street from me a yard has a very large one in the front yard .. one of these days I'm going to take a picture of it!

mine has a trunk about 1/2" long, lol. But there are 6 of them and it was $1 :). I'm gonna try to catch up to you, lol. Just kidding, they are slow growing. I don't think I want to give it a miracle grow IV either, lol.

Thanks Lin Your always loaded with great info and links.

3jsmom, You got yours for a dollar and it has 6 trunks? Did I misunderstand your good fortune? Wowzers!!!

They are very slow growers. I've had this one for probably 15 or more years. Of course it would probably have grown a bit faster if I took better care of it ... but, it has survived all these years on a lot of neglect! Poor thing is probably starving because I've never fertilized it.

yes, but foliage and pot included, it is about a foot tall, lol. The actual foot part is like a big marble, you have a much older specimen. And I recounted, there are only 5, and I think I need to repot, the one in the middle is getting squished already. Lookout girls, I'm gonna catch up :).

Not to change the subject, but Lin, what do you pot your Christmas cactus in? I need to move mine up.

This message was edited Nov 20, 2009 6:36 PM

Ahahahahaha!!!! You will catch me only if I kill it!!!

Wonder how old mine is, Hmm? (scratching my head)...

Well, this one is little, but it sure is cute :).

3jay's Mom,

I have had one of those Multi-bulb Pony tail Palms for about 9-10 years.
I bought it in a very small pot--the 3.8" Angel Plants size. There were 5 or 6 small bulbs in it--no larger than a regular marble. I had transplanted it several years ago into a 5" or 6"pot and it slowly outgrew that.
This Spring, I transplanted them in a 10" pot and they seem to be thriving.
The bulbs now are about the size of a Jumbo egg.

Yes! They are slow growers......but they are totally care-free plants. Those "bulbs" store water, so they can go long stretches without watering.....

here's a picture of the whole plant. It is about 2' tall--pot included.

Here is a close-up of the base where all the "bulbs" are.
They seem to be spreading and growing since I transplanted this plant.

Do not rush to transplant it. Do it only when the plant seems totally constrained by the pot it is in.

Here's my single one. It is in a 6" ceramic pot.
I do not remember how long ago I got it......A long time!

I take ALL my plants outside for the Summer, keeping in mind each one's light requirements.
In the Winter--they all come inside to my "jungle"....:o)

Gita

So your multi plant is still the same spacing as when you bought it? I was thinking about potting this up soon, or ripping it out and growing them separately. It is already drying off in about 2-3 days. If I recall, these do their fastest growing when they are little, it's to do with getting enough storage to get them through the dry season or something. I would have to dig out an old tome to check if memory serves :).

What kind of mix do you use for this plant. And would you think the same for sansevieria and Christmas cactus?

3j---

I have visions--years down the road--seeing this plant become a multi-bulbed. large Pony Tail Palm.....a majestic specimen....If I live that long....
I would not rip them apart. Let them "do their thing" and enjoy it. But that is up to you.
Mine did not grow "fast" when they were little. From marble-size to a lg. egg size in 9 years. Not fast!

As for what mix I used. I have found this awesome potting mix in a discount store here called "Good Stuff Cheap".
It is a bargain outlet and they get in this and that--discontinued items, salvage items etc....Love going through places like that! Don't know why they have carried this mix now for 2 years???

They have had this potting mix, made by "Greenworld"--4bags for $10. I like it because it is a richly composted, loose mix of mini bark-chunks and peat and whatever else. I potted it into that with a bit of time-release fertilizer (like Dynamite or Osmacote) in it. I might have added a bit of Pearlite to it as well--don't remember....

Here's what the bag looks like.....Maybe it is no longer sold? Discontinued? to be in a bargain outlet...
May not be anything "special"--but I love the texture....

Gita

ok ya'll know me I love plants, the more often you repot to a bigger pot the faster it grows, I learned that by accident, I had mine in the same pot for over a year it never grew much and seemed fine, I decided I'd pot it up into a bigger pot, (never go more than 2" larger) but it quickly grew to that size, so me thinking it needed repotted did it again, so after a year of NO noticeable growth I repotted it twice this summer and it's no double its size, oh yeah and a LOT heavier, so if you want it to grow faster pot it up often, if you want it to stay manageable, as in you can move it and lift it with out getting someone else, then DON"T repot it that often! this thing is one of the harder ones to kill though, I mean the cat can eat the top completely off and it will grow back, it can get knocked around, ignored completely, or occasionally overwatered and does fine.

I just got some red ponytail seeds. Now I know it's going to be a long time til it is grown. Lol. Anyone know how to germinate the seeds?

red? what's the difference? Nope never tried these from seeds..am trying some other interesting seeds though gonna see how it goes, if just half the seeds germinate, I'm gonna have a LOT of extras, heck if even an 1/8 of the seeds take I'm gonna be in trouble...LOL

Here is a pic of my new ponytail.

oh wow that was a good deal for 20 bucks!

That looks so nice. My little guys are too embarrassed to be photographed. They are having a complex :).....

LOL

Thanks Girls, I sure thought it was a deal, that is why I scooped it up. I mentioned before that I usually see them around here for $40 at maybe a foot tall total... but that is when they put them in the "nicer" but still cheap planter instead of just a nursery pot.. I have looked at them in the past and then just passed them by. I certainly felt I was getting a bargain, no telling how many years I would have to wait for it to get this size if I bought a smaller one. I'm just not that patient.

As you can see it is stil in the nursery pot and I have just set it into the terra cotta. It seems very happy in the soil and pot that its in and it has plenty of room to grow. So I think I'm going to leave it for a while. I checked the soil before buying it and its light and airy.

I think the little multi-bulbed ponytails are just adorable.. Cute as buttons. You really should let us see your little guys 3jsmom!!

yeah let us see!

Ok, for your viewing pleasure....

Presenting baby boy Beaucarnea recurvata. He is sporting his stylish yet thrifty 3" pot, and is being attended by Hoya carnosa "rubra" (who recently went from 2 pots to 1).

We hope you've enjoyed our show :)

LMBO.....

OMG! I told you that you are always making me laugh. I'm sure I would love be your friend in person.. -- Sending your plants down the catwalk..lmao!!!

They are just darling!! I would love a piece of that Hoya if you should every feel the need to share it...

I'll try to layer a cutting for you. It can take years to bloom unless you can talk someone out of a cutting that has the bloom stem thingy :). I think I'm looking at years on these guys :). And thank you, that is very nice :). I feel the same.

Thanks Girlie,

I'm sure that I wouldn't care if it ever bloomed. I LOVE foliage more than anything. Of course I like the occasional flower (love Daisies)... : )

The red is the same as green pony tail but it is just red when it is younger. When (and hopefully) I get it grown enough I will post pics. Will be awhile lol.