The Ponytail Palm is a super fun, cute, and popular houseplant that is easy to care for and had a very unique look to it… which is probably why it is one of my favorite plants!
In warmer climates, they can grow outside and get up to 15 ft tall! I just brought one of ours outside – hoping it will get huge quickly! LOOK HOW BIG IT CAN GET:
Scientific Name: Beaucarnea Recurvata
Other Names: Elephant’s Foot, Ponytail Plant
Where to Buy: The Ponytail Palm is a fairly common houseplant, and can usually be found a Lowes, Home Depot, and oftentimes Walmart (or your local nursery). You can also get them pretty cheap online: Ponytail Palm – 6″ pot, or Potted Ponytail Palm
Watering: Allow the top two inches of the soil to try completely between watering. Too much water can cause the roots to rot (and once this has started, it can be nearly impossible to fix …. so definitely err on the side of underwatering). To help prevent overwatering, I highly recommend using a quick-draining soil blend (like one made for cacti, succulents and/or palms), such as this one here.
Lighting: Ponytail palms like bright light or full sun, but they are very hearty and can handle medium light or a 50-50 combination of bright and low light.
Temperature: Room temperature is fine indoors, outdoors it is hardy to zone 9. It can be brought outside in cooler zones in the summer, but should exposed to freezing temperatures. It does well in hot climates, and can thrive in desert-type gardens outside.
Fertilizing: Fertilizer is only needed 2-3 times a year. I swear by this Osmocote Plus Indoor-Outdoor one, mostly because it is convenient to that I can use it on pretty much everything (house plants, outdoor flowering plants, veggies, etc.)
Repotting: To help keep the soil dry and the roots happy, repot in only a slightly larger pot once the palm is completely root-bound in its current pot.
Propagation: Very difficult! You can propagate by removing one of the offshoots and applying rooting hormone.
Fun Facts: It isn’t technically a true palm, and the water is stored in the big, round base of the ‘trunk!’