Ponytail Palm Care
The Ponytail Palm is drought tolerant, slow-growing, and requires very little care. This plant is ideal for people with very little time or who travel regularly. The Ponytail Palm will be perfectly happy being watered every couple of weeks and left alone to soak up the sunlight.
How to care for your Ponytail Palm
- LIGHT
The ponytail palm thrives with bright light and can tolerate direct sun all day. It’s happy to live outdoors in the summer where it can soak up the sun! Bring it back indoors when the night temperatures start to dip.
- WATER
Let the soil volume dry 100% between waterings. Water thoroughly to encourage a healthy root system and discard any excess water in the saucer.
- HUMIDITY
As with most succulents, your Ponytail Palm will thrive in dry conditions. The drier the air, the better!
- TEMPERATURE
This plant prefers normal room temperatures between 60-85°F.
- FOOD
For best results, use a general houseplant fertilizer only once in the spring and once in the summer. Any more than that and your Ponytail Palm may develop brown tips on the leaves.
- TOXICITY
Non-toxic to humans and pets if ingested.
- ADDITIONAL CARE
Your Ponytail Palm leaves are sensitive to injury and tend to get dark at the ends. Cutting back the tips of the leaves is a good way to preserve the appearance of the plant. The key is to use a sharp scissors to cut off just the discolored parts.
Common Issues for your Ponytail Palm
Heavy lifting
Take note of the weight of your Ponytail Palm when it is freshly watered, and also when the soil is completely dry and it needs a drink. Is your plant much lighter than usual? If so, it’s time to hydrate.
Get your hands dirty
Push your finger into the soil to test the moisture level. Does the soil feel dry all the way to the roots? If so, it’s a good time to water. If you detect any moisture at all, hold off for a few days and do the “touch test” again before watering. Overwatering is one of the most common problems facing the Ponytail Palm, so only water when the soil is completely dry.
If you accidentally leave your Ponytail Palm’s soil completely dry for too long, you may see leaves go limp, droop, and possibly start to brown and curl. You may also notice the trunk start to wrinkle and go limp. If the soil is extremely dry all the way through the pot, a thorough soak is in order.
Here’s how to soak-water your Ponytail Palm:
- Place your plant in your sink or tub without the saucer. Fill your basin up with about 3-4″ of water. Make sure the water isn’t hot!
- Allow your plant to soak up water through the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot for at least 45 min.
- Feel the top of the soil after your plant has been soaking–has the water reached the top 2-3” of soil?
- If not all the soil feels saturated, water your Ponytail Palm lightly from the top of the soil to help speed up the saturation.
- When your plant’s soil is evenly damp, drain the sink/tub and allow the plant to rest while it drains thoroughly. Place the plant back on its saucer and back in its proper spot.
Watering Issues
Let’s check in on your watering. Ponytail palms prefer to dry out fully between watering, so it’s important to test the soil before giving your plant a drink. You’ll only want to water once 100% of the soil volume is dry.
You can either test the soil with your finger or use something like a wooden chopstick. If it comes up with wet soil, then check on it again in a few days. If it comes dry, then you can water thoroughly around the pot until water starts to drain into the saucer. Make sure to discard any excess water to avoid soggy soil and ‘wet feet’ which can lead to root rot.
Watering your ponytail palm too frequently can lead to discolored leaf tips and leaf drop. Even though these plants are very drought-tolerant, it’s still possible to underwater as well. If you accidentally leave your ponytail palm’s soil completely dry for too long, you may see leaves go limp, droop, and possibly start to brown and curl. You may also notice the trunk start to wrinkle and go limp. If the soil is extremely dry all the way through the pot and you’re noticing signs of extreme underwatering, a thorough soak is in order.
Here’s how to bottom water your Ponytail Palm:
- Place your plant in your sink or tub without the saucer. Fill your basin up with about 3-4″ of water. Make sure the water isn’t hot!
- Allow your plant to soak up water through the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot for at least 45 min.
- Feel the top of the soil after your plant has been soaking–has the water reached the top 2-3” of soil?
- If not all the soil feels saturated, water your Ponytail Palm lightly from the top of the soil to help speed up the saturation.
- When your plant’s soil is evenly damp, drain the sink/tub and allow the plant to rest while it drains thoroughly. Place the plant back on its saucer and back in its proper spot.
Now let’s clean up your plant. This allows the plant to direct its energy to new healthy growth.
- Remove the entire brown fronds (they will not turn green again) or the affected portion with a pair of sharp scissors or pruning shears.
- Wipe the blades of your scissors with rubbing alcohol between each snip.
- You may need to trim your plant in stages because you never want to remove more than 20% of the affected leaves at one time–this could shock your plant.