Propagation For Ponytail Palm
June 23rd, 2008 | By: Jamie Jamison AdamsAsk the Expert: Babies on my ponytail plant
I inherited a pony tail plant about 20 years ago. Recently, It had three babies, growing between the middle and top of the plant. Do they have to be removed? Will they hurt my plant if I leave them be? If I did remove them, can I root them? If yes, how? Thank you, I really love this plant!
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June 23rd, 2008 at 9:11 am
It wont' hurt to leave the babies on your ponytail palm. The only place I have ever seen the babies is at the base of the ponytail palm. So I'm not sure what this grow in the middle is structured. But, you can try to remove the babies and root them to form new plants. I would dip the bottoms in a rooting hormone and place in a lite soil mixture (you can use cactus and succulent potting soil). Keep it moderately moist and in a few weeks it should have new roots. I'm not sure how successful this type of propagation for ponytail palms is since I have actually perform it my self. I do know that in commercial growing operations ponytail palms are propagated by seed which is a very long process. Good luck and keep me posted.
May 4th, 2009 at 7:45 am
I have a 15' Pony tail palm growing in my front yard in Florida. If I cut it off at about 2 feet will it grow a new bunch of leaves or will it die?
May 4th, 2009 at 8:43 am
You have a 50 to 50 chance of it surviving. Unlike Lucky bamboo (Draceana sanderiana), ponytial palms (Beaucarnea) will takes months to produce new leaves. I would recommend using a little Vitamin B1. You will mix it with water and pour it around the base of the tree. Then it is all about waiting. Watch for blackening of the trunk which will indicate that the plant is dying. Good luck and keep me posted.
January 2nd, 2011 at 1:33 am
Related to the above question- I have my aunt's bonsai sized ponytail palm and it is very sick/dying right now. Do I feed it B1 and cut it off and hope for the best, too?
Are the houseplant sized ones (this one is about a foot tall and the stem has maybe 5 segments) subject to damage from softened water?
January 2nd, 2011 at 5:03 am
Depending on what is casuing the plant distress, feeding it B1 would be a good thing. Cutting off the ponytail palm at this point won't help the plant. The chemicals used to soften the water could be casuing damage. Start watering the plant with distilled water or pplace your tap water in a container with a large opening and let it sit 24 hours before you use it.
April 18th, 2011 at 8:16 am
I have a ponytail palm that is flowering. It has a 12 inch shoot coming from the top of the plant that has many small flower like branches.
what will this do to the plant besides change its appearance?
April 18th, 2011 at 9:51 am
It should do any thing to change the plant.
January 4th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
I have a question. Do only young (perhaps 10" high including the ponytail)ponytail palms reproduce with multiple bulb-like offsets? IF I BUY A MORE MATURE (like 15" high, 1-gal) individual palm, will it sprout more bulb-like plants?
January 5th, 2012 at 9:28 am
If you want one that will produce offshoots, you don't want one that may have been removed as an offshoot itself. A more mature ponytail plant would more than likely be best.