ponytail palm

[knecaise]

I have a ponytail palm that's at least 30 yrs old. Recently moved and it was slightly beaten up in the move. ALL of the leaves turned brown and fell off and now I think it has root rot. The base is turning white near the soil and looks like it's "splitting" around the base. It is about 4 feet tall and gets bright light in a southeast window of the house. It's only a standing stick now, but if I scrape a little of the stem with my nail, it's green. I have read it needs to be soaked in anitbacterial/fungal solution. Is this true and can I save my favorite plant?
Thanks

[Weekend Gardener]

I am sorry to hear about your ponytail palm. 30 years! There must be a lot of sentimental value, and memories, associated with such a long standing companion.

They are pretty tough plants. We have five in our house, 2 of which started as mere seedlings 20 years ago. The most common reason for their demise is excessive watering. Excessive moisture around the root is particularly disastrous for the plant when the temperatures are low. They do originate from semi arid parts of Mexico, where they receive very infrequent water. I usually wait till the bulbous stem has shrunken a little and yields slightly when I squeeze it before I water it. I.e., wait for signs that the plant is drawing water from the stores in the stem. I take care to never allow the pot to stand for even short periods in water. The growing media is fast draining.

It certainly sounds like excessive moisture around the roots may be the problem with your plant. When was the last time your ponytail was repotted? A build up of salt in the soil may hasten the problem. If it's not been repotted for more than several years, you might want to remove all the old soil and repot into a fast draining growing media. This will also allow you to examine the root system, and more importantly, the bulbous stem that is usually buried under the ground level. If the root involves this bulbous part of the stem, there is usually not much you can do to save the original plant.

I haven't had the misfortune of any of our specimens affected by rot (touching wood right now!). But if any of them does, the following is my contingency plan:
1. Remove the plant from it's pot, clean and wash away all the soil.
2. Removed all diseased parts and most of the roots. This includes slicing back the "bulb" to clear looking material.
3. Soak in a 10% solution of househould bleach for 15 minutes.
4. Remove most of the leaves, and shorten the rest.
5. Leave the stem and bulb to air dry for 4 weeks.
6. Replant into fresh fast draining growing media, after another soaking in bleach.
7. Water only when the "bulb" loses it's turgidity and has shrunken a bit.
8. No fertiliser application until new foliage has emerged. Even then, I will be using 1/4 of the recommended strength.

I don't have any provision for using any fungicides in this contingency plan.

As for propagation, you can root off shoots, but I have never had the fortune to get any on my plants. I am not aware that terminal stem cuttings will root.