Rhizo you make me laugh :) Trying to keep the peace, I like that.. I agree, she misinterpreted...I was trying to "re-interpret". It's ALL good ;-) By the way, Mehawkes, I just got a ponytail (second one, the last one died on me). I think it's a toughie because it's tropical but also succulent. I think it needs a lot of humidity (correct me someone if I'm wrong), but not much watering in Winter. I'd go by what Webkat said....that sounds about right. Going by a schedule is good but should only be secondary...in other words, water about monthly but first and foremost go by your instincts, how dry the soil is, and how the trunk looks. No clue how to answer the shoot question though..sorry :) Good luck.

If only we'd had this discussion a week ago. My nephew is a master glass blower and just finished a fellowship at the Toronto Institute of Art. He JUST this week packed up after a visit home and in preparation for his relocating to Vancouver Island. He met a young woman from Toronto while studying in New Zealand, fell in love, and is moving to the island where she teaches. While in New Zealand, he blew all the glass steins, bowls, flasks that were used as props and backdrops in the Hobbit movie that came out last year or year before. I'm going to link you to a thread that discusses soil/water relationships and the impact that relationship has on plant vitality and your ability to help your plant realize its genetic potential. If you do spend some time at that thread, please ask the others if they know where a suitable bark product can be found in Toronto. This link will take you there. The fastest way to a green thumb isn't so dependent on how long you've been at it, as it is on how much you know. Al Here is a link that might be useful: This one should be helpful, too.

I adopted a Ponytail palm a few months ago in a healthy seeming condition. It has long (18-24") shoots coming from each of its three heads. I assumed that these were some sort of flower like you get with grasses. However, as these 'shoots' spring from the middle of the head there is nowhere for new leaves to sprout from. Old leaves are dying off at a slow but steady rate and so the foliage is beginning to look a bit thin. What should I do? The plant stands 4' high (6' including the longest shoot) and is in a 10" diameter pot. I understand that I am not supposed to water too often as it is winter here in London and sunlight hours are short. The ends of the leaves are dried out and curled up. Many thanks in advance for any advice.

I just tried to sort out the top center leaves and found that one was dislocated from the plant and a few more were damaged at the center and I could pull them out. I'm not sure if there is damage there or not, the leaves are light green which may mean they are not healthy?