Worth knowing:
The Ponytail Palm is named after its roundly thickened stem and its elephant-skin-like bark. It has daintily, narrow growing and overhanging dark green leaves that evaporate only a small amount of water. Because of its typical thickened stem it is also called Bottle Tree or Bottle Palm. In its natural habitat it has to endure the blazing sun and long dry periods, so its stem can store large amounts of water. The Ponytail Palm is carefree and easy to cultivate at home.
Natural Location:
Its natural habitat is the southern USA, especially Texas, and the arid regions of Mexico.
Cultivation:
Seed propagation indoors is possible throughout the year. To increase the germinability, you should place the seeds overnight in warm water for priming. Then plant the seeds about 1 cm deep in moist potting compost and cover the seed container with clear film to prevent the earth from drying out. Don’t forget to make some holes in the clear film and take it every second or third day completely off for about 2 hours. That way you avoid mold formation on your potting compost. Place the seed container somewhere bright and warm with a temperature between 20°C and 25° Celsius and keep the earth moist but not wet. The germination should start after five to ten weeks.
Place:
Due to its origin, a very bright spot would be best. The Ponytail Palm can resist even direct sunlight in the summer time. It can also be kept outdoors as a tub plant, but sheltered from the rain. For that it is recommended to familiarize the plant with the new environment for about two weeks in a more shady place first.
Care:
For planting substrate you can use every type of flower or cactus compost enriched with a bit of sand. Because of its good water storage capacity it is only necessary to water your tree when the earth has dried out. Water logging is more an issue with that plant than not watering enough. Between April and beginning of September you best fertilize every two weeks with a weak dosage of fluid cactus fertilizer or similar fertilizer for evergreen plants. Every three to five years you should shift your Bottle Tree in spring to a bigger pot. In case the plant is getting to big or you wish more branching, you can cut the trunk in spring and treat it with a wound sealant. Soon there will come up a couple of leaves below the cut and become new branches over time.
During the winter:
The Ponytail Palm likes to be kept in a bright spot with a temperature of 5° to 10° Celsius during hibernation. Water the plant at a minimum. Plants that are kept at room temperature during winter time, should stay as much in a bright spot as possible and should be given water a bit more.
Picture credits:
- © © Hectonichus - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Sabine Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Sabine Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Sabine Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Sabine Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Sabine Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Hectonichus - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
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