ponytail palm

I know this is a silly question but ,,How would you trim a ponytail so it would not look so unruley ??? it can,t be bonsai i know but am courious thanks john

All you can do is trim the leaves a little. You can inquire further on one of the houseplant or succulent forums.
Iris

Ponytail Palm is not really a bonsai subject, since it is a monocot, that is it grows from only one point (under normal circumstances) it can't be trimmed, you can pull off old leaves, it will tend to match the pot, if keep in a small pot it will remain small, it is NOT a true Palm, but has similar growth habit.

Thank you,, Both for your answers ! I was just thinking about them since that is all that is here to buy this year.. that is a shame but west virginia has NO bonsai at all !!! thanks take care john

Hey John,
They will never make a traditional bonsai but if you find one with some interesting feature they can be controlled to a ceratin extent & even get a bit of leaf reduction happening in time. This is my bit of fun...

That was a couple of years ago & with annual leaf pulling they have gotten to be about half the length, its still in a bigger pot & also has a tile under to spread the roots. One day I plan to transfer it to a really shallow tray that should help reduce the foliage even further, just want a bit more height in a couple of the trunks.
Matt

If a Ponytail Palm gets nipped by cold it can sometimes cause multiple trunks to form, this illustration looks like real damage to the caudex (big fat base) that healed in an interesting form. Other times the cold will kill it dead.

Billy, the original crown had died while in the nursery, I don't know why, as it rotted it carried on down into the base. When I found it the new trunks had shot but were very small & weak, the centre still full of soft rotting mess & i didnt give it much hope of survival. On getting it home all the soft flesh was removed back to healthy wood & the entire rootball removed back to the base. It has healed nicely & despite leavng a depression in the centre no further rot has ensued, I keep meaning to drill a drain hole... one day

Edit: It doesn't get cold enough where I am that it could be the cause of the original decline.

MattA wrote:Billy, the original crown had died while in the nursery, I don't know why, as it rotted it carried on down into the base. When I found it the new trunks had shot but were very small & weak, the centre still full of soft rotting mess & i didnt give it much hope of survival. On getting it home all the soft flesh was removed back to healthy wood & the entire rootball removed back to the base. It has healed nicely & despite leavng a depression in the centre no further rot has ensued, I keep meaning to drill a drain hole... one day

Edit: It doesn't get cold enough where I am that it could be the cause of the original decline.

Maybe physical damage, anything that damages the growing bud, maybe even insects or animals