Care Tips for Ponytail Palms

Soil and Light

• Being native to the desert, ponytail palm has a high drought tolerance and prefers sandy soil. For growing as an indoor plant, use a potting soil specifically sold for cactus. Generally, the indoor or outdoor soil should be well-draining. Fertilize the plant with a regular houseplant fertilizer during spring and summer. Avoid fertilizing during winter. Grow ponytail palm in an area of full sun outdoors. The plant thrives well in a bright spot inside the house.

Water

• Ponytail palms are finicky regarding their water requirement. The plants that are grown indoors are often prone to over-watering, especially during winter. The rule of the thumb is to let the soil in the top quarter of the pot get dry between watering. Watering the indoor plant once every one to two weeks is usually sufficient. When growing outdoors irrigate infrequently but deeply.

Temperature

• The ponytail palm does best in temperatures of 65 to 75 degrees F and in low humidity, dry indoor or outdoor areas. The plant is hardy in USDA zones 9 to 12 and is generally well-adapted to all the regions where cactuses grow well, too. Ponytail palms planted in very well-drained, highly sandy soil also adapt to regions with rainy weather. Mature plants are tolerant of temperature as low as 18 degrees F.

Problems

• The most frequently encountered problems with growing ponytail palm is over-watering that leads to bacterial and fungal infections like stem rot or bacterial soft rot. In cases of severe infection, the entire plant may die. Prune out and remove affected areas during initial stages to keep the disease from spreading. Spider mites are among the likely pests that bother the ponytail palm.