Hi Porshfan, I also love Ponytail Palms and I recently bought one (a few months ago). I had one before, and I really loved it, but it was killed when I had someone else care for it while I was away. I still had the bonsai pot it was in, and I really liked the way it looked, so I wanted to buy the same sized tree and put it in the bonsai pot. Now, please note that I am NOT an expert on plants, and I know nothing of bonsai. I'm just speaking of MY experience and just giving you my opinion. I trimmed the roots of my ponytail just like you did (a little trim, about 1/3rd of the roots)....I did this mainly so that it would fit in the bonsai pot (I initially bought the plant in a pot similar to yours). The root trimming did no harm to it, and I plan on trimming more this summer. I also gave mine a very similar haircut. Why? Because I wanted to! I didn't like the "stragly" long leaves, so I cut them. I don't think you did anything wrong by giving it a haircut. If I saw a plant in a store that I've been wanting or that I liked, but wanted to "fix it up" a little, I would still buy it. Some of my tips get brown, but I don't mind...I just trim the brown tips. Just make sure you don't trim ALL the brown off...leave a tiny bit because if you don't the brown will grow back. But I must say, I'm not sure if cutting the "leaves" makes them turn brown (but again, I'm no expert)...the reason I say this is that all my spider plants have brown tips and I haven't EVER cut them, nor do I do other things that would make tips turn brown (overwater, underwater, use tap water). I'm sure you also realized that cutting the "leaves" will make the edges blunt instead of pointy, but to me that looks a lot better than long unruly leaves. In terms of humidity, I have mine on a humidity tray, and I mist it also (misting does no harm...it may be a waste of time, but I like to do it - however, that alone won't add any real humidity). I have 3 "shoots" on mine. Chopping the trunk causes these offshoots to develop. I'm not sure why yours has 5 and mine has 3 and others have 2. But if you like it, keep it. If you don't like all 5, that's another story. I don't know what kind of growth it would force if you cut any of them off. I personally like the way your 5 offshoots look, but it's your plant! Anyway, best of luck with your plant. Here's some pics of mine...it's pretty similar to yours.

Don't sweat the small stuff....while not ideal, I've forgotten to water my "clump" of PT's several times and they only start to shrivel a little. Yes, some leaves may turn yellow, but a good drink always plumps them back up. PT's grow very slowly, so it is up to you whether you want to separate them or not, and no, they won't fuse into one giant bulb. When you repot, you should generally only move up one or two inches in pot size, but with the grouping you have there, I think you did ok. I agree with Whip in regards to the perlite though; I would make a 50/50 mix. You can repot again if you need to, you won't hurt the plant. I, personally, would plant them higher in the pot...they look to be much lower than the lip. You do have them adequately covered, so no worries there. You have a nice little collection. Nancy

A bonsai is a stunted version of a plant that, through years of regular manipulations, looks exactly like an unmolested version, but in miniature, with the same proportions as a regular size specimen. A PT palm is not a bonsai candidate since one can't cause the foliage to be smaller by regular pruning. I haven't cut one before, so will leave that part of your question to others. They can thrive in a bonsai pot though, because the bulbous trunk stores moisture and they are designed to handle periods of drought and survive on very little water. They are usually planted with the trunk exposed, so it doesn't rot and it's considered part of why this kind of plant is interesting to look at. From the droopy angle of the foliage on yours, I think it would appreciate more light, gradually.

The link you posted doesn't work for me, it just brings me to the Home Designs forum. Could you repost it or give me the name of the thread? Of course, if it's the one I started some weeks ago, never mind... Anyhow, last winter I was told that the ponytail palm I'm taking care of didn't need any light and needed very infrequent watering until growing season, but around early April the caudexes were soft and the leaves kinked terribly. A few good soaking restored the caudexes, but about half the kinked leaves broke off at the kinks, some are still kinked but not actually broken, and maybe a third are undamaged. I'm giving it more light, but although the leaves are getting stronger I have to settle for artificial light until the partly-kinked leaves are strong enough to withstand being moved back and forth between the windows (which only get 3-4 hours of sun) and the light fixtures. So do pay attention to the light requirements--this plant really needs it!