HELP! I have a 15 year old elephant foot Palm (ponytail Palm) very sentimental, from a relative that has passed. It is about 4 feet tall and recently noticed that the palms were dropping and more were turning brown. When cutting off the dead leaves I noticed a mushy spot towards the head.. The plant has not been transferred for at least 2-3 yrs, it does have 2 baby shoots more towards the bottom. Should I cut off head underneath mushy area, transplant? I water about 2 times a month. I always wait for soil to dry out before rewatering. I really don't want to lose this plant. Thank you!!

Can you post a picture? That would actually help a lot. Even watering 2 times/month could lead to rot if you don't use the right soil.

I put was my moms, and I have a feeling she didn't have the right soil but because she neglected it the soil worked. (She was easy going on her plants ;)) I will post a picture. I bought a new pot and and soil, I am going to try and scoop out the soft spot and put cinnamon as a sealent. Or I may chop off the top...but will new buds form?

I do believe if you just lopped off the top, it would form a new head, or more than one new head... You could try to cut away the soft spot, I'm sure it wouldn't do any harm to try.

I don't know too much about soil requirements for ponytail palms.. I think 60% perlite and 40% percent cactus and succulent soil would work fine..

Here is the soft spot

This is the whole Palm,like I said I have a few babies sprouting from the lower part. The whole Palm is about 4 feet. Should I waste my time with the soft spot of just lop it off? Thanks for all the help!

I think the small sprouts off the side are a fair indication that there is something wrong with the crown. I think I would actually cut back (the whole stem) to just above the sprouts. If you don't want to go down that far, just cut from the top down, until you find healthy tissue.

Truth be told, I don't really know what is wrong with your palm, but getting rid of all the mush should help.

~palmsandsnow

So :/, I was forced to cut off the entire top until I saw healthy tissue about half a foot down. The plant had 3 babies, 2 towards the bottom one closer to the top.. The one near the top died and then slowly the two towards the bottom (lost their leaves). I transplanted and put new soil and have only been watering about once a mont.. I was about to throw the plant out but want to wait until next spring to be absolutely sure it's dead because of its sentimentality. Now it is leaking a type of sap out of the two lower babies? Is this good news, is it possible it's trying to heal itself or is this just it saying I'm dead for sure haha any advice would be great Google was no help.

I have a ponytail plant and all of the leaves have fallen off I don't know what happened ,help please

I have a mature Elephant Foot, Ponytail Palm growing (from the ground) in the garden area within my fenced patio. The garden area is about 4 feet wide by 27 feet long with a basket weave PVC fence on the back and two sides and my ceramic tiled concrete patio on the other. The palm stem or trunk is about 15 feet tall with 5 clustered branches extending about 3 up from the top of the trunk. Now those branches are each producing clustered branches, 4 or more each. My concerns are #1, that the foot or ball of the plant, which is now close to the edge of my concrete patio may crack or break the slab and tiles. #2, The tree is leaning toward the light due to an overhanging oak tree. Is there likely to be a danger of it falling over? #3, Should I be considering removal of the tree, and #4 What is your suggestion as to the best way to remove the tree without causing damage to the fence or patio? Any helpful suggestions will be appreciated. Please click on photos for full view. Thank you.

To kcanbr: Did you ever get an answer to your question? I have a similar problem. I have an extraordinarily beautiful Pony Tail Palm whose base is outgrowing the space available and may be at risk of damaging our pool and hot tub. I do NOT want to remove this tree. #1 Can anyone tell me if trimming the base will kill the tree?

#2 Are the roots big enough and strong enough to damage the pool?

msbonita716 I did have a tree expert look at my ponytail palm. His comment was, "If I'm concerned about the elephant foot growing into the patio tile ans causing it to crack, I could saw back the part of the foot that was close to the tile". He said it will not kill the tree. I have not tried that. I thought I'd wait until nexy December when we're back in Florida and see how close to the tile it is. Then I will decide if I will use a chainsaw to trim it back. You may want to check with a tree expert in your area and see if they will confirm what I was told. .... Please let me know what you find out. Good luck with your plant/pool issue. kcanbr@aol.com

My ponytail palm top broke off (large piece) after falling over in a rain/wind storm and landed in my neighbor's yard. Is there a way to root the broke piece of the ponytail? Can it be rooted in water or perlite? Or is this a loss cause. :-(

This is the perfect thread for me. I have two ponytails that had branches snapped off in Hurricane Harvey, South Texas. I cut back each one cleanly. in less than 2 weeks shoots began to appear in a circle around each branch. I need to get an idea of how to handle that. I think if the shoots are allowed to develop, they will be too heavy for the branch on which they grow. I removed several side branches at their base, and now those areas are producing. I probably will remove more, but I need advice. They are very healthy and prolific trees. What do you think?

There are several hundred latent buds everywhere on the branches and limbs.

They are also indestructible. They very very slowly repair themselves from injuries that would kill a normal "tree". I set some cut off pieces with shoots in the sand, to see if they will root. My experience is they will remain viable, but not really make roots.

I read somewhere that this plant is actually in the Lily family.

I would like to cut in half our 10 ft high ponytails, could it be done with a chain saw ? What sort of mix should I use to put top section in?

can you give me some advice please

You could put it in something like cactus mix - fast draining. I don't know what effect the chainbar oil will have on the cuts. Maybe act as an antiseptic. Hopefully won't be a toxin. I've never done it so can't say from experience, but my guess is that it shouldn't be a problem.

My "Ponytail Palm" is 25 yrs

old. It is very special to me, a gift from a deceased friend. At that time, I lived in Florida & have since moved to Tennessee. It can only stay outdoors 5-6 months of the year. It is now getting so tall, it's difficult to get it in & out of the front door. I am so afraid to cut it, but options are slim to none! Suggestions??

HU,

If you do anything, please take pictures and post them.

Hello! I have a ponytail palm that I've had for a year, it's very special to me as it wsa given as a sympathy plant after my mom died from ovarian cancer last year. It was doing fine until it was moved into a cooler room, and then the leaves got brown, and I mistakenly thought it was getting too much sun, so I watered it too much I believe, as it looked dry. It has lost all of its leaves. The top is black. I pulled the dead leaves out. My question is, can I save this plant? Also, do I need to prune the branches back more with pruning shears? the leaves were so dry and dead that they just pulled out. Thanks in advance!

Thanks, perhaps I never noticed the black top as it was healthy with it's leaves/branches before. The trunk is firm, it's not spongy. The roots are very small, they aren't white, they are brown and quite thin. I can't tell if they are dead or dried up. The trunk was planted too deep in the soil, I took out all the soil, and replaced it with a thinner soil meant for cactus/palm/citrus, and planted it correctly. I did prune the branches, and those felt soft to me, not hard, but very soft. Thanks for any insight you have, it's very helpful!

Something is happening to my pony tail palm. Live in the low desert, Arizona. It’s about 20 years old and I got it from my deceased brother. I don’t want to lose it. I noticed to the left of this hole, it is very soft. Parts of the caudex are firm. Not sure whether to remove the soft parts, just leave it alone or what. It’s been growing in this spot for 8 years. I pushed on the part where this hole now is and it broke thru.

Some of the tops are soft also. Should I cut the branches tht no longer have any greeen. We had one heck of a hot summer.

My husband and I bought one a few weeks after we married, 42 years ago. They really like to be dry and we have very little soil in the pot to keep it from developing rot. The plants are pretty cold hardy too. We have forgotten it outside in 25 degree weather under a porch.

I have 3 x 30 yr old ponytails. One of which is growing on an angle over our driveway. Can i cut the head and part of the trunk off to straighten it up? Can i plant the head to make it grow into another tree? The same tree has 4 or 5 pups growing from the top of the bulb base. Can i leave them on there to grow as they please or must they be removed and potted. I am after the best and safest way to care for the tree. All 3 are lovely specimens. Many thanks in advance for your help in this matter.

It will continue to grow and if it’s completely fallen off due to rot you don’t need to worry. I wish I’d have found this thread when I was asking myself the same question. My sister had a ponytail palm that she kept indoors and never watered, the poor thing was covered in dust and I felt so bad that I took it and move it outside but, unfortunately we had a ton of rain in California this year and what was the saddest little palm top on a decent size base for being indoors and not cared for eventually just fell off due to rot, which left me asking the same question. However I spend a lot of time gardening and most plants can be really resilient so I didn’t throw it away but, I was questioning wheather I should lop off the top area that looked like it had died and knowing nothing about these plants I googled things like, rot from rain and ponytail plant etc. and got nothing bad news. Still with everything I read pointing to death i left it alone and it is now August and the plant has numerous little green shoots coming out of areas underneath the rotted top, some even closer to the big bulb at the bottom. So I’m very happy that I just let it be bc it seems to be coming back like never before. Gotta love plants with a strong desire to live!

Last night my branching ponytail 16 years old,fell over all 15 foot of it. Can any of the branches be cut off and planted in the ground ? They would be as thick as my wrist. I will trim up the base as its rotted off about 2 foot above ground and was spoiling decking so not planning on cultivating it. Can I grow the healthy branches though ? This is in North Queensland Aust.

HU334..... the same thing happened to mine. I forgot about it one night when it froze and the top of it died and eventually came off. I left it alone and eventually new growth came out of the caudex in about 5 places. Now it's a happy plant !

Thanks there were already well grown "pup's" at the lower level so will keep them.Have sawn off 8 arms today over 2 foot long and will dump all those as waste.Thanks for helping.

Help! How do I fix this?

Well its not really a Palm they are agaves, a bit like Yuccas. You can chop the top off and it will send out side arms,the same way Yuccas do. The top wont sprout again. Mine was outside and in tropical North Queensland so not subject to cold but can sometimes get too much water. Side arms still healthy.

We have just ring barked our ponytail trying to take it out of a broken pot. Can it be saved? How can we go about it?

I would have just smashed the old pot and then re planted int the ground or a large tub. Not sure how it will react to ring barking as the trunk is quite friable.

Hi! I have a 5 yr old ponytail palm. over the last 6 months its leaves have turned brown and crispy. I think I made a mistake pruning the brown leaves as now it is quite bald and having difficulty holding its most mature stem upright. other stems had already fallen off during a recent move. It was in a indirect sun partially thru winter, and now it’s in a bright sunny spot. Any hope for resurrection? I’ll post a before (January) and after (now).

we have an outdoor pony tail tree. and my husband is allergic to bees and wasp should I cut the top of the flowers that are attracting the bees? will it still grow ?

I read through the whole thread and I haven’t seen found a proper answer m. At what part should I cut the top off? Should I even bother cutting it off or should I just wait for all the leaves to fall off?

I definitely overwatered mine :(

hi I need to move 2 Ponytail's I can not move it unless I cut the root part off, what do I need to replant the root part or can I replant the part where the leaves are? My problem is that the root part is soo big and heavy I can not move it but really want to save the plant

I have the same problem. Our Ponytail is an outside plant. It started pushing and breaking our flower box, so we decided to move it to the sidewalk in order to save it. Only problem is now, we dug a hole, dug out the ponytail, tilted it over, but we have no way to get it out now as it is probably weighing anything between 500 - 700 kg. Any advice on how to lift it out of the hole would be appreciated. We will probably have to drag it to the sidewalk once we can get it up and out.

Getting ready to lop the top off my 11 foot indoor ponytail.... think I can root the head.?

I have 2 massive pony tails with the base approx 1 metre across can I trim back the base on the side to stop it from encroaching onto my walkway will this harm the plant. Can send photos if need be Garry Brisbane

I was told by a nursery that you can chainsaw the base, but make sure it stays dry so the fibrous base can callus over and not rot. Ours are 1meter round bases and I need to make base smaller as they are 3.5 meters tall and way too heavy to repot as they are.

Can you plant the top of a ponytail palm and get a new tree?

Can anyone help me? I can't figure out what this plant is I found in yard. Something about it doesn't sit right with me

MY PONY TAIL PALM WAS GROWN FROM A SEED I PLANTED, IT IS NOW OVER 40 YEARS OLD AND HAS NEVER HAD ANY "PUPS", IT HAS REACHED THE CEILING AND I NEED TO CUT IT BACK. WILL THAT KILL THE PLANT? HOW FAR BACK SHOULD IT BE CUT? WHY NO "PUPS"?

HU, I also have an older (~30 years) ponytail palm that is getting too tall for my house, and has never had 'pups'. After reading through the comments, these are my (uneducated) thoughts. The pups/branches/heads seem to form at injury points or due to stress, maybe? When I'm ready to 'prune' mine, I'm going to try to make 4 small cuts evenly spaced around the 'stem' about 3' above the top of the soil, to see if I can get growth there, while keeping the top of the plant intact at least for a while. On second thought, I think I will start by making just one cut on the stem. Then, if that one is successful, make more cuts later, with the goal of eventually lopping off the top.

Bulb in dirt or just above dirt? I have seen both ways.

I absolutely hate my 30 yr old ponytail palm. Live to see it gone. I advert for free but no takers. I asked treelopper to come,twice never showed up.

Tday i bought a hand saw...

Game on...