Beaucarnea Recurvata (Pony Tail/Bottle Palm)
Beaucarnea Recurvata (Pony Tail/Bottle Palm)
A succulent native to dry regions of Texas and Mexico, the pony tail is a favorite house plant because it thrives with very little attention. The lower stem is a swollen reservoir of water. As the plant ages, the upper stem longates, forming a narrow trunk topped with leaves 3/4 inch wide and up to 4 feet long. This cluster of drooping, twisting leaves gives the pony tail its common name. Spikes of small white flowers are produced infrequently. Indoor growth is slow, only a few inches a year. Outdoors or in a greenhouse, the plant grows slightly faster and eventually can attain a height of 30 feet. The spring and summer are the seasons of active growth. Pony tails are grown indoors as foliage plants; outdoors, they are planted in tubs for display on terraces and in the garden as small trees.
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Ponytail Palm
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Insider's Secret
HOW TO GROW. The pony tail grows with four or more hours of sunlight daily or with strong artificial light for 12 hours or more a day; it grows fairly well in bright indirect light reflected from light-colored walls. Night temperatures of 50° to 55° and day temperatures of 68° to 72° are ideal, with slightly lower temperatures in winter. Plants survive temperatures from 40° to 90°. Grow the plant in packaged potting soil. Water whenever the soil dries out. Feed an established plant once a month in spring and summer with an indoor foliage-plant fertilizer such as 10-20-10, used according to package directions. Every year or two, when a plant becomes overcrowded, repot in early spring before new growth starts. Use a slightly larger pot and remove old soil from the base of the plant but avoid exposing the roots. Propagate from seeds in the spring. A pony tail can grow outdoors year round in Zone 10. They grow best in full sun with a dry atmosphere. The soil should be a sandy loam with limestone and a balanced fertilizer added at planting. Feed once each spring with 10-10-10 fertilizer mixed into the soil surface. |
