i have had a plant a friend's mom gave to me, a spiky slow grower for a year and never knew what it was. cruising google i discovered i have a pony tail palm, a very young one, with no trunk to speak of but coming straight out the bulb. it has green shoots coming from the top, and maybe looks to have about 6 growth spurts as the leaves are arranged from the bulb. the fully grown trees look gorgeous and all my other plants are growing new shoots every day. i just repotted it into a larger pot, with rich loam/peat and a drainage dish. my apt is semi-humid and anywhere from 67 to 73 degrees F. how do i make this thing grow?
Take it OUT of the 'rich loam-peat' ASAP. That will hold water like crazy, the last thing you want to do with a p-t (Beaucarna recurvata), especially in winter with such short 'light days'. Mine are growing in almost pure 'bedding stone' gravel (1/2 size of pea gravel - even aquarium gravel's good), with only a little soil mixed in, and that allows water to just about run right through it (and never let the pot sit in drain water). They're desert plants and need to stay dry most of the time, but if you're an inveterate waterer, at least you won't do much harm if there's a lot of grit in the coarse compost (not potting soil). And give it lots of sun.
thanks! i have lots of old aquarium gravel, so that will work out good. its new spot is right in the living room window, with as much sun as it can get here in anchorage. i was all stoked to figure out what it was, like "I have a palm tree!" i'm lazy about going to home depot, so i guess i can give the rest of my plants that lovely dirt. is the palm dangerous to cats? mine just found it and likes to slink under it and sniff it, not sure if she chews on it... any thoughts?
The cat will decimate the tree (if it hasn't already!). They go after anything that looks like grass, which is why half my things are in a closed bathroom, or on a shelf so small there's room only for the plant, etc.
hm. i've been gone out of town for a week so i'll see if kitty has killed it. so that's what happened to my other cute little palm thingy that looked just like grass...i finally put that one on the fridge up high. i read that giving cats their own grass, like edible stuff takes their interest away from houseplants. thanks again - this is my first foray into an actual interest in my plants, and i'm taking a few shoots home from mom to plant. new hobby i guess. happy holidays!
Umm, good intentions, but don't put plants on the fridge as it's too warm and will dry them out pronto (even ponytails). Sorry!
i have 2 plants on top of the fridge, one feathery palm something or other and a philodendron and you're right they get drier faster but the philly is growing amazingly fast, new shoots every other week. i did repot the ponytail in aquarium gravel, its doing fine. how long have you had ponytails? are yours tall?
