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How to Care for Ponytail Palms

Poneytail palm indoors by a window. The Beaucarnea Recurvata, also known as Ponytail Palm, or Nolina is a houseplant with a swollen thick brown stem and the long narrow curly, green leaves flow up from this base.
Photo Credit
Renata.Ka/Shutterstock
Botanical Name
Beaucarnea recurvata
Plant Type
Houseplants
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Part Sun
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower Color
White
Yellow
Hardiness Zone
9
10
11

Growing Ponytail Palm Houseplants: Watering, Lighting, Repotting, and Pests

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Ponytail palms, or elephant foot palms, are unique-looking, long-lived indoor plants that thrive on benign neglect. They are straightforward to grow—provided that you don’t overwater them! Here’s how to grow and care for a ponytail palm in your home.

About Ponytail Palms

Despite its name and palm-like appearance, the ponytail palm is not a true “palm.” In fact, it is more closely related to desert plants in the Agave and Yucca genera (such as Joshua trees).

The typical ponytail palm consists of a large, domed “stump,” which tapers off into a thinner stem. As the plant ages, one or more rosettes of long, green, leathery leaves develop from the top of the stem. Indoors, the leaves can reach up to 3 feet long, but outdoors, they may be double that length.

In its native environment (eastern Mexico), the entire plant has been known to reach up to 30 feet in height! However, ponytail palms grown in gardens as landscape plants don’t usually reach more than 10 feet tall. 

Kept indoors, they are rarely taller than 4 feet. However, as Susan Mahr of the University of Wisconsin-Madison explains, “In containers, ponytail palms will grow slower than if in the ground, and the plants will remain small if kept in a small pot. They can go for many years before needing to be repotted. Moving it to a larger pot will give it room to grow in both height and girth. They can be very long-lived and can easily outlive their owners. However, older plants may be difficult to manage because of sheer size and weight if not kept on the smaller size.”

Care of this plant is generally simple; the most common difficulty is adapting your watering habits to its needs!

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Planting

Choosing Soil and a Pot

  • Use a fast-draining soil, such as a cacti and succulent potting mix. If you already have potting soil, sand, and perlite on hand, you can create your own desert soil mixture: Mix 1 part potting soil, 1 part perlite, and 1 part sand. 
  • Select a pot with a hole in the bottom so that excess water can be drained off. Ponytail palms do not like to sit in moist soil for very long.
  • Use a clay pot if possible; the porous material will absorb some of the water, drying out the soil more quickly (a good thing for cacti and succulents).

Growing

How to Care for Ponytail Palms

  • Ponytail palms prefer to have as much light as possible, so place the plant in a bright location. Bright, indirect sunlight is best.
  • Keep soil fairly dry. Water from spring through fall, allowing the top inch or two of soil to dry completely before re-watering. During the winter, only water occasionally.
  • To water, soak the soil and allow the excess water to drain through the bottom of the pot into a dish. Let the pot sit in the dish for several minutes, then dump out any remaining water in the dish. 
  • Fertilize in the spring with a cacti/succulent fertilizer and bring into a brighter room for the summer months. 
  • Average room temperature is acceptable for most of the year, but to replicate the natural dormancy cycle, keep the plant slightly cooler in the winter (50°–55°F / 10°–13°C).
  • Don’t let the plant sit too close to cold windows at night during winter, as freezing temperatures can severely damage it.

Repotting a Ponytail Palm

  • Ponytail palms will remain small if kept in a small pot. They can go for many years before needing to be repotted. Repotting every other year at the most is all a ponytail palm needs.
  • Moving the plant to a larger pot will allow it to grow in height and girth. However, older plants may become challenging to manage due to their sheer size and weight if they are not kept at a smaller size.
  • When selecting a new pot, pick one large enough to leave about an inch or so of space between the ponytail palm’s trunk and the pot’s rim. 
  • Note: Use caution when handling a ponytail palm, as its leaves have tiny serrated edges.

Harvesting

Propagation

  • Rarely, a ponytail palm may produce an offset—a tiny baby plant that stems from the base of the adult plant. These can be cut off at the base when they reach at least 4 inches in height and planted in a succulent potting mix. Before planting, allow the cut wound to heal, then apply some rooting hormone (available online and in nurseries) to encourage the offset to root. 

Gardening Products

Pests/Diseases

  • Overwatering can result in stem rot. If you withhold watering, the plant may be able to internally remedy the problem. Signs of stem rot include yellowing leaves and a caudex (the plant’s base and stem) that is soft or squishy. 
  • Spider mites and scale insects may find their way to the leaves, but can be dealt with by rubbing a cloth of dish soap and water on the stems. Spider mites are evidenced by the presence of spider-like webbing on the plant.
  • Brown tips on leaves can be a sign of overfertilizing or underwatering, so adjust your husbandry practices appropriately. They can also indicate that the plant is getting too much direct sunlight and too little water.

Wit and Wisdom

  • The plant’s unusual shape and coloration have granted it another strange nickname: the Elephant’s Foot Palm.
  • Are ponytail palms poisonous to cats? While the leaves of a ponytail palm are not toxic to feline (or canine) companions, their foliage does have abrasive edges that could irritate a pet’s mouth, so we suggest keeping the plant out of reach. 

Houseplant Guides
About The Author
Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Mary Jane Coleman</span> Tue, 05/13/2014 - 13:27
I have had two pony tail plants that are in a small containers. I have had them for over two years. They were in a bathroom bay window with no sun and low light. I watered them very infrequently and they have done well. Some growth, but slow. Moved and now they have been in a windowless bath for a month and seem to be doing well. Noticed some new growth at top that is very light green. I just watered them and put them on the deck. can I successfully move from deck to bathroom every few days. They look so great in the bath!!!!
<span>Kori Kuritz</span> Thu, 05/08/2014 - 18:11
I have a ponytail palm. I've had it about 3 yrs. Recently, I repotted it in miracle grow. Now, the leaves are splitting and the Ball has developed a split. I'm very concerned. I love my ponytail. It's about 1 1/2 feet tall. Also, the leaves are darkening. Not like turning Brown, just darker. I don't recall this happening before. I've had several in my life. I'd love to save my baby.
<span>Setai</span> Sat, 04/12/2014 - 21:24
Hi, thank you for answering all questions ...sorry I couldn't find my answer. I live in Australia and moved beside the ocean 1 year ago. Pontail lives on the balcony facing the ocean...it was so healthy also living outside on balcony easterly position, prior to move, but now many leaves have dropped and instead of them being 3 foot long they are stunted and many have brown ends. My thoughts are maybe too much salt or wind? I have a west facing balcony where frangipani and yukka grow well! Your thoughts please.
<span>Nursey</span> Sat, 04/05/2014 - 19:45
I bought a ponytail plant a month or so ago. It has 5 bulbs in it. Do I need to repot all them or do I need to separate them. They all fill the pot quite full. Thanks
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 04/07/2014 - 12:13

You can easily divide the bulbs. Remove them from the pot, brush off as much soil as you can, and then carefully pry them apart. Repot them with a fast draining potting mix and place them in a sunny spot.

 <span>Betty Nicholson</span> Sat, 04/05/2014 - 17:14
i have a triple pony tail for probably thirty years and it is in a corner, by a southern exposure, getting some direct sun but mostly protected by an overhang. well, one of the plants is just about touching the ceiling (leaves not the stalk)-so now what? i have no other place with sunlight, unless it comes out of the beautiful antique planter (found in the garbage) and it really belongs in it. so, is there a way to trim without damage or…. thanks in advance, betty
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 04/07/2014 - 12:07

Hi Betty,

Just cut the top off at the desired height and use a commercial sealant on the cut if it is big. You should see some new growth in about a month. Replant the top with the leaves after dipping the cut in rooting hormone.

 <span>Martin Lowy</span> Sun, 08/10/2014 - 16:38
I have a somewhat similar issue. My plant is over 30 years old. i have had it since 1982, when it might have been 10 years old. For the last 10 years we have lived in Florida and we have it on our lanai. The plant loves it there. But it has three branches and one of them has become so heavy that it is not able to support itself. Everything is healthy, but it appears I should with cut this limb back or remove it. Which would be better? And if I remove the limb, I would have potentially a new plant that is about three feet tall. Is it usual that such a limb can be planted and survive? Thanks for your help.
<span>Lillian Strozier</span> Tue, 04/01/2014 - 13:48
my pony palm is 5-6 ft tall and on a balcony with sunshine. I discovered it has white mold that is sticky. You have said to correct this to spray with an insecticide/soup spray. What is this and where can you purchase it? I also have several shoots can these be removed and replanted? Thank You, Lillian
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 04/02/2014 - 15:29

You can buy insecticidal soap sprays at garden centers or other stores that sell gardening products. You can also make your own by mixing 1 to 2 tablespoons liquid soap into a quart of water. Neem oil can also be used for insect pests.

You can cut the shoot from your palm and dip the bottom in rooting hormone. Then plant in a pot with fresh soil and place the pot in a sunny window. Let the soil dry out between waterings.