Pony Tail Palm

pinkey · #1 April 6th, 2006, 01:49 PM

I have been searching all over the net for answers on my Pony Tail Palm. Please help. I have a Pony Tail Palm that is at least 20 years old. It was a gift in a small pot and now it's too tall to stay in our living room. I rarely watered it and it thrived for so long. My husband wanted to toss it out since it looks like a stick with the top as a pony tail. He grabbed the center and it cracked not far from the top under the stem that is growing. Now I put it in a glass of water for two months now. It will not root for me. I don't know where the seeds are. It doesn't flower. I want to put it in potting soil but am afraid it will die. I read about splitting it but no one is sure that works and I'm not one to know how to wrap it with foil etc. I don't have a green thumb. Is there anything I can buy to put in the water to force it to root. It looks like it will live forever in water only. Where are the seeds?

Pinkey

**Rima** · #2 April 6th, 2006, 05:57 PM

Google Beaucarna recurvata care. It won't root in water. Scratch the trunk firmly for 1/4" and if it's green underneath it's alive, otherwise it's not. It never flowers. Why should it die in potting soil? Though I would add a bunch of grit to that so it drains fast - as you have learned it doesn't like being watered often at all. I don't know what you mean by splitting. You can't force it to root. What seeds? If the scratch test shows it's alive, stick it in cactus soil & a handful of grit mixed in, in a sunny window and leave it alone. If it has no leaves don't water it til it does.

**Junglekeeper** · #3 April 6th, 2006, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rima

It never flowers.

Not true. Have a look at this information sheet.

pinkey · #4 April 7th, 2006, 12:23 PM

I did not think that the plant can survive in dirt without roots. I thought that it needed the lower trunk for saving its water which now it does not have. It is alive with a beautiful bushy pony tail top in my glass of water. Doesn't it need dirt to survive? Is there any way to force the plant to flower for the seeds? I will try the cactus soil method. I really like the plant and hope it survives. Thanks so much for the info.

Pinkey

**Rima** · #5 April 7th, 2006, 04:19 PM

Nothing NEEDS 'dirt' to survive, almost any plant can be planted in almost any medium as long as it's basic needs of nutrition and the right amount of sun and water are met, but that does mean controlling when you water, of course. The roots of most plants (except for aquatics) tend to grow in weaker than they would in soil or rock, however, so you want to get yours into a proper mix as soon as possible.