Ponytail Palm Plant Care

Ponytail Palm Plant Profile

The ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) makes a surprisingly interesting desktop plant, considering that when grown outdoors it can be a full-size tree that towers over homes. When planted outside in full sun, ponytail palms can reach 30 feet tall, but they typically stay closer to 6 feet tall at maturity when grown indoors. Despite the common name and the appearance of the foliage, this plant is not a true palm, but rather a member of the Asparagaceae family that includes edible asparagus.

Indoors, these novel little trees are often grown in shallow pots, with a tuft of strappy green leaves emerging from a bulbous stem that seems to erupt from the soil. (The bulbous trunk is the source of one of its common names, “elephant’s foot.”) Given time and the right conditions, a small desktop plant will grow into respectable specimen plants, up to 6 feet in height or more. Ponytail palm is native to arid regions in Central America and is among the easiest of small trees to grow indoors.

When planted outdoors, spring is the traditional planting time, though a ponytail palm can be planted at almost any time. This is a very slow-growing, long-lived species. It may take five years or more for a 1-foot-tall plant to double in size.

Botanical Name Beaucarnea recurvata
Common Name Ponytail palm, elephant’s foot
Plant Type Broadleaf evergreen shrub/ tree
Mature Size 6 to 8 feet tall; 3- to 5-foot spread (up to 30 feet tall when planted outdoors)
Sun Exposure Full sun
Soil Type Sandy, well-draining soil
Soil pH 6.5 to 7.5 (neutral)
Bloom Time Seasonal bloomer
Flower Color Creamy white
Hardiness Zones 10 to 11 (USDA); usually grown as a houseplant
Native Area Semi-desert areas of Central America

How to Grow a Ponytail Palm

Ponytail palm can be grown as an outdoor plant only in USDA Zones 10 and 11, where it prefers a sandy soil in a full-sun location. When grown outdoors, it is best planted in a cactus/succulent potting mix and placed in the sunniest spot you can find; in the right location, it is largely trouble-free, provided it gets a modest amount of water at regular intervals.

As an indoor plant, the ponytail is basically a “plant it and forget it” kind of plant, providing it has enough light to thrive and somewhat steady water throughout the growing season. Keep in mind, though, that the ponytail palm is an extremely slow-growing plant, so don’t expect your desktop plant to transform into a corner specimen in one or two growing seasons.

Light

Ponytail palms like full sun or bright indirect light. When grown as an indoor plant, situate it in the brightest location you can find—a window that gets direct sun or plenty of indirect light.

Soil

This plant is native to semi-desert areas of Central America, and when planted outdoors it does best in relatively sandy but organically rich soil. As in indoor plant, it does well in a cactus/succulent potting mix augmented with peat to improve its richness.

Water

For potted indoor plants, water a ponytail palm during the growing season every seven to 14 days. The bulbous stem stores water, so be careful not to overwater it. During the winter season, cut back watering to monthly.
A ponytail palm planted in the garden rarely needs to be watered if you get any kind of regular rain. In dry climates or during periods of drought, a modest watering every two weeks is sufficient.

Temperature and Humidity

Ponytail palms prefer warm, arid temperatures, above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. However, they will survive down to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, providing these temps are not prolonged.

Fertilizer

Feed weekly with liquid fertilizer during the growing season, or use a slow-release pellet fertilizer in the spring. Reduce feeding during the winter.

Potting and Repotting

For growing indoors, pot a ponytail palm in a smallish container filled with a cactus/ succulent potting mix that is blended with some peat. Repot in the spring as needed. If your goal is to grow a large palm tree, repot it every year, but if you want to keep it smaller, repot every two or three years. Ponytail palms will thrive when slightly underpotted in a container that confines the roots.

Propagating Ponytail Palms

Ponytail palms sometimes develop offsets (“pups”) from the base, which can be removed and potted up individually. Generally, however, this is a difficult task to master because of a lack of roots on the offsets. If you want to try, use a rooting hormone to stimulate new root growth on the offset. A ponytail palm rarely (if ever) flowers indoors to produce viable seeds.

Pruning a Ponytail Palm

Damaged leaves should have the tips trimmed off back to healthy tissue. If the offsets (“pups”) send up secondary shoots, you can prune these away to maintain a central trunk and classic tree-like appearance. However, a multi-stemmed tree is often desirable, and many people welcome these secondary shoots.

Common Pests/Diseases

Like most houseplants, a ponytail palm can be susceptible to spider mites, mealybugs, and scale. Horticultural soaps or oils are good non-toxic methods for controlling these pests.

Potential but rare disease problems include leaf spots, stem rots, and bacterial leaf streak. Watering too much is the most common cause of fungal problems and stem rot.

Ponytail palms are unique-looking, long-lived indoor plants that thrive on benign neglect. They are very easy 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. From the top of the stem, one or more rosettes of long, green, leathery leaves develop as the plant ages. Indoors, the leaves can get 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 that are grown in gardens as landscape plants don’t usually get to be more than 10 feet tall. Kept indoors, they are rarely taller than 4 feet.

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

PLANTING

Choosing Soil and a Pot
Use a fast draining soil, such as a cacti and succulent potting mix. If you have potting soil, sand, and perlite already on hand, you can create your own desert soil mixture: Simply mix 1 part potting soil, 1 part perlite, and 1 part sand.
Select a pot that has 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.

Normal room temperature is fine for most of the year, but keep the plant slightly cooler in the winter (50-55°F / 10-13°C) to replicate the natural dormancy cycle.

During winter, don’t let the plant sit too close to cold windows at night, as it can be severely damaged by freezing temperatures.

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 give it room to grow in both height and girth. However, older plants may become difficult to manage due to their sheer size and weight if not kept on the 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 rim of the pot.

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 small 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 a bit of rooting hormone (available online and in nurseries) to encourage the offset to root.

WIT AND WISDOM

The plant’s unusual shape and coloration has 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.

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 over fertilizing or under watering, so adjust your husbandry practices appropriately. They can also be a sign that the plant is getting too much direct sunlight and too little water.

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Jade Plant Care

Jade plants (Crassula ovata or C. argentea), also known as lucky plants or money plants, are a favorite houseplant thanks to their adaptability and attractive, gem-like green leaves. With a bonsai tree-like growth habit, these charming and easy-to-propagate plants can grow well in any area of your home with bright, indirect light. Jade plants can beautify your space for years with the right conditions and a little routine care. If you have pets in the household, be careful to keep your jade plant out of their reach, as the entirety of the plant (both leaves and stem) is toxic to pets.

Botanical Name: Crassula ovata or C. argentea
Common Name: Jade plant, lucky plant, money plant
Plant Type: Succulent
Mature Size: 5 feet tall
Sun Exposure: Bright, direct light
Soil Type: Fast-draining soil
Soil pH: 6.1 to 6.3
Toxicity: Toxic to pets1

Plant Care

Jade plants are some of the hardiest succulents available. With the right care and growing conditions, your plant can live a long, flourishing life. While some varieties are dwarf types, others can grow up to five feet tall when mature.

Allow your jade plant’s soil to nearly dry out between watering, but always be sure to water thoroughly. When displayed in areas with less light, it will need watering less frequently. During the summer months, when your plant is in growth mode, keep the soil slightly moist. Fertilize your jade plant every four months or so. Road side trees are especially prone to abiotic stress by exhaust fumes, toxic road debris, soil compaction, and drought which makes them susceptible to fungal infections and various plant pests. When tree removal is not an option, because of road ecology considerations, the main challenge is to achieve road safety (visibility of road signs, blockage-free lanes, etc.) while maintaining tree health.

These comprehensive care tips will guide you through the process of selecting, planting, and caring for the right tree for your space.

It’s important to remember that proper tree care starts when you select a tree. And what you do to your tree in its first few years of life will affect its shape, strength, and even its lifespan. Following these steps will make sure your tree gets a good start for a healthy life.

Jade Plant Care: Best Growing Conditions for Jade Plants

Jade plants are succulents that grow best in dry conditions with bright light, low humidity, and cool temperatures. Plant your jade in fast-draining soil like a potting mix formulated for cacti or succulents.

Choose a spot in a south-facing window: Aim for at least four hours of direct sunlight each day to give your jade plant the brightest light possible. To create that signature reddish tinge on its paddle-shaped leaves, display you’re jade in a spot with more light.

If you plan to move your jade plant outside for the summer, let it acclimate gradually. Start with a shady spot, then slowly move it to sunnier areas until it’s in full sun.

When it comes to watering, if you start noticing yellow or drooping leaves, your plant likely needs water. Conversely, waterlogged soil or root rot are signs you need to scale back the watering.

On the hottest days of the year (above 90 degrees), move your jades into the shade to avoid sunburn. Check soil moisture levels during this time, and water accordingly so the plant doesn’t dry out.

Despite the fact that they’re sun-loving succulents, jade plants grow well indoors thanks to their adaptability to temperature. While temps between 50 degrees and 70 degrees are preferred, jade plants can tolerate temperatures between 40 and 100 degrees without damage. Especially for variegated species, moderate temperature by placing your jade plant further away from windows during extreme temperatures outside.

Types of Jade Plants

While there are over 1,400 types of jade plants, some of the most common variants include ‘Tricolor’ (pink flowers at certain times of the year), ‘Variegata’ (ivory leaves streaked with green), ‘Sunset’ (yellow leaves with red tips), ‘Red’ (reddish-purple leaves), ‘Monstruosa Hobbit’ (curled yellow-green leaves), ‘Monstruosa Gollum’ (elongated leaves), ‘Copper’ (green leaves with bronze edges), ‘Bluebird’ (gray-blue leaves with red tips), and ‘Ripple Leaf’ (wavy-edged leaves).

How to Propagate Jade Plants

The jade plant is one of the easiest plants to propagate by stem or leaf cuttings, although the latter takes longer to show new growth. Here are the best ways to propagate your jade plant:

How to Propagate Jade Plants via Stem Cuttings

Step 1: Use clean, sharp gardening shears to cut a thick stem (3 to 5 inches long) with healthy leaves. Remove the lower leaves, then set the cutting in a sunny spot for a few days until the cut end forms a callus that’s lighter in color and feels firm.
Step 2: Fill a small pot with succulent soil and create a long, thin hole in the center. To help roots grow faster, apply rooting hormone (powdered or liquid) to the bottom inch of the callused stem. Gently place the stem into the pot, then pat down the soil until the cutting stands up on its own.

Step 3: Keep the cutting out of direct sunlight for three to four weeks. Once new growth appears, gradually move it closer to a window with bright sunlight. Water sparingly during this time.

How to Propagate Jade Plants via Leaf Cuttings

Step 1: Using a clean, sharp blade, remove a large, healthy-looking leaf.

Step 2: Place the leaf onto dry succulent soil away from direct sunlight until roots begin to grow. Rooting hormone can be applied to the cut end of the leaf, and a mix of equal parts succulent soil and perlite or vermiculite can lighten the soil texture to encourage growth.

Step 3: Look for tiny roots to sprout from the cut end of the leaf, which can take several weeks. Place the leaf in a small pot of fast-draining soil mix such as a perlite-sand blend. New growth will appear, and the original leaf will shrivel completely as the roots are established.

Jade succulent plant: Potting and Repotting

Since jade plants are so slow-growing, it’s not urgent to repot your plant on a regular basis—they can live happily in a too-small container for years. Jades should be repotted every few years as a matter of routine, and they can be safely repotted any time of year. Choose a pot no more than two sizes larger than the current vessel. The best option is a ceramic pot with ample drainage.

Common Problems With Jade Plants

Jade plants are relatively easy to care for, but there are a few common problems you may encounter. When you’re growing your plant, watch out for these signs that it needs extra care:

Root Rot

Since jade plants store water in their fleshy leaves, it’s important to avoid overwatering or poorly-drained soil, which can cause root rot. Dropping leaves, dark or soft stems or leaves, and mushy brown roots are all common signs. Treat this by taking the plant out of the pot, then removing as much soil as possible. Allow the plant to air out for a few days, then repot it in fresh succulent mix once the roots are dry.

Spotty, discolored, or dropping leaves on a jade plant that hasn’t been watered in a while can indicate the opposite problem: drought stress. If you see these signs, water the plant and monitor the soil moisture going forward.

Mealybugs

Watch out for mealybugs, which can infest your jade plant with a white cotton-like substance. Treat mealybugs by swabbing the entire plant with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, then rinse the leaves and stems with water or insecticidal soap.
Continue treatment until the infestation has disappeared. Mealybugs nestle in the space where leaves and stems meet, so check those crevices when treating the plant.

How to Get Jade Plants to Bloom

Some specimens, particularly those that are pot-bound or mature, will sprout small white or pink flowers in winter. If your jade is in a space with lights on overnight, moving it to a place that’s dark at night in the fall can help to promote blooming, which is triggered by the longer nights in winter.

FAQs

Are Jade Plants Easy to Care for?

Jade plants are especially easy to care for when it comes to common houseplants. They are very adaptable to temperature and can thrive in any space with bright, direct light.

How Fast do Jade Plants Grow?

An indoor jade plant typically grows about 2 inches each year but may grow faster in a very sunny area.

How Long Can Jade Plants Live?

Species like jade plants in the Crassula ovata family can live for several decades, with some variants surviving upwards of 100 years.

What’s the Difference Between Jade Plants and Elephant Bush?

Although they look similar, elephant bush (Portulacaria afra) is not related to jade plants. Native to South Africa, elephant bush has darker stems and grows less upright than jade plants.

Can Jade Plants Grow Indoors?

While they don’t grow as fast as they do outside, jade plants are hardy houseplants that can thrive indoors with simple care steps.

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