What's up plant family? Devin is here and we are back for another houseplant basics. Today we're
going to be talking about the ponytail palm or the elephant palm, Boccarnea rey corvada. Now this is
a succulent that's native to the deserty areas of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and as a succulent in
those desert dwelling areas it's one of the most easy low maintenance houseplants with a very unique
look great for beginner gardeners. So let's talk about how we can take care of these as house plants
so that we can enjoy the unique look in our homes for decades and decades because that's exactly how
long they'll live inside the home. So as a succulent hailing from the deserty areas these
prefer to be grown in bright sunny locations inside the home and if you're able to put them
in a southern facing window for those of us in the northern hemisphere that is going to provide
the fastest, most rapid, lush growth from our ponytail palms. However, I have found that you can actually place them
in areas that are a little bit less optimal lighting, and they still absolutely look beautiful in the home They may just sort of maintain their appearance rather than continually growing as they would in your southern facing window
but they can still do absolutely fine in less than optimal sunny conditions. However, if you
have them in the brightest locations, that's going to allow them to not only produce this
beautiful wispy grass-like foliage that can extend feet and feet, but it's also going to
help to produce a thicker, more robust caudex more quickly, which is one of the unique characteristics
about this plant. As a succulent, it holds water in its bulbous trunk, which we call a caudex
and that's what allows us to water these very sparingly. Out in nature, they're used to getting
a nice intense rainfall followed by a long period of dryness, and that's exactly what we want to
provide for our plants as well. I will typically water mine maybe once a month, but I'll give it a
nice deep watering and then I'll allow it to completely dry out and actually remain dry for
a few weeks before I will water it again That what makes this a great plant for those of us that are quite neglectful or if you tend to be kind of traveling around a lot and you don want plants that need constant care constant watering this is a great option Now coming from
the deserty areas, they are used to very porous, great, rapid draining soils. So I will typically go
with a bagged houseplant potty mix, three parts of that with one part of perlite. That's going to
enhance the drainage and keep it from remaining waterlogged. Remaining waterlogged overwatering
is definitely the number one cause for death of a ponytail palm. And in terms of fertilizer
these are a very low key plant. They don't have tons of nutrients out in the desert. So I will
typically use my family's blend, Roberta's Bounty. I'll use it two to three times a year
once in the spring, once in the summer, and then once in the autumn. And that's all
In areas of the world where these can grow outdoors and including their native regions
These can actually grow up to 30 feet tall and have a bulbous trunk that's like 10 feet wide
But for most of us, we love that bonsai look. I know I do. I especially love this unique tree-like form in a small plant
And that can best be achieved when we are allowed to keep our plants in a relatively small container nice and snug In the desert they don have lots of root areas they don have a lot of areas for their roots to extend Likewise by keeping them
in a smaller pot that's going to keep them very happy and it's also going to keep them at a very
manageable size. I've actually had this plant in here for over five years and I have no intention
of changing it anytime soon. I don't even change the soil on this. One quick tip is they respond
very well to normal haircuts. This is going to keep the foliage looking good. If you have any
brown tips, you can just simply cut it off. And as you cut it off, it's also going to help to
focus the energy on forming a thicker caudex, which is another great aspect about giving it
that regular haircut just like that. This rugged looking natural bonsai is one of the easiest
houseplants to grow. It's perfect for neglectful gardeners, beginner gardeners, or experienced
gardeners because there's really nothing else like it. It's very simple to care for and that's what
makes it a part of this houseplant essentials list. If you enjoy this video make sure to give it a like
and subscribe to our channel so you can stay in the know when we're releasing more of our houseplant
essential videos just like this. Anyways thank you guys for joining me here on Plant Vibrations. I'll
catch you soon. Ciao