What can I do to save this "tree". It is very healthy. Spends spring and summer on enclosed sun porch. It loves it outside. It is only 1 foot from the ceiling. Can top be removed and new "top" grow from cut stem? Can cut top be rooted somehow? I would appreciate any advise.
Tom21win

Welcome to the NGA;

I am going to refer you to a website so you can read about pruning ponytail plants: https://www.gardeningknowhow.c...

I guess we're advertising other websites now. Personally, I would never take advice from gardeningknowhow. Nothing is cited and quite a bit of the information shared there is absolute garbage.

But to answer your question tom21win, yes, you can top a Ponytail Palm. It will sprout new tops from the edge of the cut and maybe further down the trunk. I would wait until you move the plant outdoors for the summer.

I don't know if you can re-root the top. I know of people who have tried and not succeeded. If you want to try, leave the cutting out of soil for a couple weeks then plant it in barely damp cactus soil and wait. Don't water.

Thanks to both of you for your recommendations. I am going to top the pony in a few weeks when it is moved outside.. Any thought on how high above the base I should cut? Also if i try to root the top should I use any type of rooting agent?
Thanks,
Tom21win

Don't touch it! Really, don't.

Lopping off the top of that Beaucarnea has a serious possibility of killing it as in anything but very dry climates there's a strong possibility the stem will just rot and/or be attacked by fungi. And honestly I haven't heard of anybody who managed to radicate the looped top off a Beaucarnea: successful propagation in cultivation is usually achieved by dividing pups or, much less often, tissue culture.

That's an outstanding specimen and, honestly, I would consider simply selling it if it has outgrown your house.

Gorgeous!! How long have you had this?

Agree that it does need to be beheaded to be able to continue to get enough light in its' current location. If it is healthy and growing, I don't think there's much risk to the mama plant. The new growth should come from the top of whatever is left, so use that to decide how tall you want its' new height to be.

I don't remember seeing anyone propagate the top, but I would definitely try if I had one I decided to cut. People do cut suckers off of the base and those are often propagated so would seem that a top has a pretty good chance.

Here's a stump re-growing many new tops.

Thanks for the input.. The "Pony" was on my father's desk for 10 years before he retired. He retired 30 years ago, so I guess it is about 40 years old.
Tom21win

It's magnificent!

Ok. The pony Palm has grown even more since my last post. It seems to be healthy and doing well. It has developed a branch/pup? What should I do with that if anything. Will it develop further and become a new limb?

twinter978 said: Ok. The pony Palm has grown even more since my last post. It seems to be healthy and doing well. It has developed a branch/pup? What should I do with that if anything. Will it develop further and become a new limb?

What last post? You just became a member today.

Oh, wait, did you sign up with a new member name rather than the original one?

It is a branch. There are pics of these plants with multiple branches in the plant database on this site: Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata)

It looks like the top has outgrown the height of the window. You could trim it, or lean it if it's flexible enough and you can finagle a way to hold it in that position.

Yes, I did sign up with a new user name. I tried all combination to try and get back in but to no avail.