Caudex cracked on ponytail palm

16 years ago

Hi everyone. I bought another ponytail palm about 2 weeks ago and I just noticed the caudex cracked. It's a fairly large caudex , picture a very large onion. It came from a greenhouse and it has been outside since I got it. It's in the open so it gets rained on and i watered it once since I brought it home. I have smaller ones that have cracked a little, but not like this. I can almost see inside the caudex. Do you think it will be ok? Thanks in advance.

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Comments (5)

dufflebag2002
16 years ago
i HAVE NEVER HAD ONE CRACK ON ME. MINE IS 45 YEARS OLD, AND VERY LARGE. (16ft around) i WOULD RETURN IT AND SEE IF YOU CAN EXCHANGE IT FOR ONE THAT Is NOT CRACKED. CUT DOWN ON WATER, IT WILL NOT HEAL THE CRACK. i HOPE WATER AND DISEASE DON'T GET IN THERE. i REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT ADVISE TO GIVE YOU ON THIS BECAUSE i CAN'T SEE THE PLANT. MAKE SURE THE CAUDEX DOESN'T GO SOFT ON YOU. mORE WATER WILL KILL IT FOR SURE. norma
best_botanist
16 years ago
wow norma!!!! you must feel passionate about ponytail palms! all the yelling oyur doin..... oh! im just joking! yes, benny, as she said, i wouldnt water it, and keep it out of the rain.... that caudex is chooked full of water, you wont hurt it.....

this is just a suggestion, couldnt you cut the leader branch and have it send up baby sprouts from the caudex to kinda cover up the gash??
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debbysunshine
16 years ago
I have a split also from a pretty large plant I raised from a pup and was always hoping from that he would get another head. It just dried and that is still one very healthy plant.
gold3nku5h
15 years ago
Could the crack come from over-watering? somewhat of like droughted tomatoes suddenly getting a large watering, or rainfall, they split if that happens?
Denise
15 years ago
Yes, I suspect it's too much water, too. In fact, we've been getting TONS of rain and mine is really water-logged, too, so I think I'll go right out and move it where it will dry out!

Anyway, I cut mine clear back to a few inches above the caudex last summer because my dog knocked something right on top of it, squashing the foliage. It had been cut back a few years ago and had 3 heads of foliage on it. This spring, it has sprouted 8 new heads of foliage and is looking pretty darned good. I've had mine quite a few years and it's in a 10" pot with about a 6.5" caudex. But I also have one at my business I bought a few years ago, large to begin with, that's well over a foot in diameter. I have another here at home that has four bulbs still attached to each other. That one's kind of neat, too. They're pretty common, but I find them hard to resist!

Denise in Omaha

Caudex cracked on ponytail palm

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dufflebag2002

best_botanist

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