Ponytail palm dying
Tia Davis
2 years ago
Hi can someone please assist me with my ponytail Palm I bought it in November of 2021 I repotted it in part organic dirt and succulent mixture and part paralyte and part sand and it has been failing ever since I do not water regularly and I'm trying to see if it's dying or what should I do the shoots are peeling and have a lot of flakes on it and it doesn't seem to be growing but there's a little green left can I please salvage it please help. Also when I did soak it I didn't know it was sitting in water for almost a month. So I took it to work for better lighting conditions and to repot again into a dryer soil mixture. But the leaves continue to get soft. I asked around that they say they think I shocked it from the weather bringing it to work, the soil and different environment. A nursery said just leave it alone and see but the green foliage shoot are getting hard and grow ing up near the foliage.. i don't know what to do
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Comments (15)
callirhoe123
2 years agoTia Davis
2 years agoRelated Discussions
My Ponytail Palm plants look terrible
Comments (3)I don't know or grow these, but I'll share 2 plant growing tips. Pls. stop fertilizing, it's not like medicine to fix ailing plants. It's best to fertilize healthy plants when they're in active growth. Given to ailing plants it won't help, sorry. 2nd tip: I'd suggest you take the whole plant out of the pot & inspect the roots for damage, rot &/or insects. One of my best plant growing mentors used to say that trying to diagnose an ailing plant w/out unpotting it out to check the roots is like trying to see while blindfolded. HTH = hope this helps....See MorePonytail Palm shoots (flowers?)/ new leaf growth problem.
Comments (0)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....See Morehelp! Save this large ponytail palm – dying??
Comments (6)Giving your plant little tiny sips of water is doing more harm than it is any good. Tap water has dissolved minerals within it. When you give your plant a small amount of water, none of it drains through the soil and out the drainage holes. Your plant soaks up this small amount of water and the dissolved solids get left behind in the soil where they eventually begin to accumulate, more and more, each and every time you give your plant another little sip. When you water any plant, always flush out the whole entire pot with more than enough water. This washes away any excess mineral buildup from the soil. "Overwatering" a plant isn't about giving your plant too much water. That's where most novices get confused. It's about having a soil that holds on to too much water and remains soggy. Even though plants take in carbon dioxide thru their leaves, they also breathe in oxygen through their roots. And having a soggy soil with too much moisture essentially cuts off this supply of fresh air to the roots, which ultimately leads to those roots suffocating and rotting away. I stopped typing to give your photos a much closer inspection and I noticed the overturned wine bottle sticking up out of its pot. Are you using this as a water globe? If so, then it's entirely unneeded. Ponytail palms store water in their caudices (caudex/trunk). Compound this wine bottle/water globe with what I suspect is a glazed pot with no drainage, and I think we have the answer to at least one of your problems. Glazed pots are completely fine, just so long as they have adequate drainage. It's what I have all of my ponytail palms planted in. Well, all except for one (long story). I would advise you to repot it as soon as possible into a pot with drainage holes, as well as with a fast draining soil mix. For mine, I use the Miracle Gro brand soil for cacti and succulents and it works fine. I don't even add anything to it, either. And when you water it, always flush out the whole pot. If other members on here saw how much I water mine, they would think I was crazy, and that I was drowning my plants. But they're all kept outdoors down here in the South, where it gets very hot and very humid. Plus, they all are planted in a soil that never gets soggy, even when I "drown" my plants. Because all of the excess water always drains away. Now, about the leaves... Your ponytail isn't getting enough sunlight. This is why the leaves hang straight down. These plants are notoriously tough and remarkably tolerant of less than ideal growing conditions. But even they can endure only so much. Just because a plant can tolerate low light levels, that doesn't mean that it prefers lower light levels. I would suggest gradually moving it to a much brighter window, or brightly shaded porch. All of mine grow in full, direct sunlight almost all year long, with no shade whatsoever. But they are used to receiving that much sunlight. Yours isn't. It would need time to acclimate and adjust without getting sunburned....See MoreDying ponytail palm... help!
Comments (0)Hello! I have a lovely ponytail palm that was doing quite well for about 4 years. I moved into a new apartment a couple of years ago and didn't have a great window spot for it so noticed it wasn't as happy but was still doing ok. However, things took a turn for the worse in the past couple of months. I think I may have overwatered it during the winter months and I'm pretty sure it has root rot. I repotted it and haven't watered it in about 2 weeks, but the base is feeling hollow. I took it out of the soil today and cut into the caudex - it's mostly white but some spots are light brownish and it's very moist. Goopy liquid comes out of the holes whenever I push on it. I'm not sure what the inside is supposed to look like so not sure what is normal. Take a look at the photo below. This is a very special plant to me - any help would be appreciated. Hoping its not too late....See Moreken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years agoTia Davis
2 years ago
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
2 years agoTia Davis
2 years ago
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
2 years agoTia Davis
2 years agoTia Davis
2 years agoTia Davis
2 years agoTia Davis
2 years agoHi everyone thank for all the feed back and assistance..I'm back at work and I took the plant out and I see the roots are still damp..I think some fool watered it..but here is the photo of the root..I know I should leave it but I have to check the roots and hers what they look like
Tia Davis
2 years ago
Bianca Milke
last year
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