Ponytail Palm Flowers: Everything You Need To Know

Ponytail palm flowers are probably not that common, but they’re definitely prized for their beautiful and rare appearance. The Beaucarnea recurvata is one of the best plants you can grow to a towering height in your garden or even as a bonsai or desktop plant.

So, keep on reading so you learn more about when ponytail palms bloom and how to care for them.

When Does a Ponytail Palm Flower Bloom?

Ponytail palms are seasonal bloomers which is why they might bloom only when the temperatures increase. However, you can also extend their blooming window by controlling the climate, so the plants will bloom several times from early spring to fall as long as the growing requirements are right.

After the blooms appear on your Beaucarnea recurvata plant, the fruits will appear. This takes several weeks, and then the flowering spikes will wither and wilt. When this happens, you should prune and trim them to keep the plant in excellent shape.

Even with optimum plant care, seeds you get from mature fruits are rarely useful. It’s always best to grow new plants from offshoots that appear at the base of your elephant’s food plant. Seeds you get from outdoor plants can be a little more useful, but propagating this plant from seeds is quite challenging.

What Are the Factors That Help Ponytail Palm to Flower?

The factors that help ponytail palm to flower are having more light on the plant, providing it with rich soil, and watering it less than before. Moreover, ensure that the temperature is adequate, the humidity is lower, and the right fertilizer is provided.

– More Light

These plants thrive in full sun or bright indirect sunlight, whether inside or outside, which is why the more sun this plant receives, the healthier it will be. It can tolerate some shade, but the lack of light will affect the plant’s growth and prevent it from blooming.

So, if you want to encourage blooming, you need to pick the sunniest spot to plant your outdoor ponytail palm. Growing it under the shade of a taller tree in your garden will prevent it from blooming. But if you’re growing this plant inside the house, place it on your deck or patio or put your plant pot near a south or west-facing window where it can receive more light and bloom better.

– Rich Soil

This attractive plant thrives in well-draining, relatively sandy, and organically rich soil. Although keep in mind that it can survive in slightly acidic to neutral soil, which is why amending the soil with compost and organic matter will encourage healthy growth.

If you want your plant to be flourishing, you can grow it in a special succulent potting mix to allow for better draining and protect the roots from excess moisture. You may aim to amend the soil with peat as this will help increase the nutrients will be a good idea, as it might encourage the blooming of an indoor plant.

– Less Watering

Providing your elephant’s food plant with too much water will harm this plant. This plant is native to dry climates and doesn’t need regular watering. Remember how if you have grown it outside, you’ll rarely have to provide your ponytail palm plant with any water as long as you get regular rainfall. In drier climates, you can water your plant once every 14 days and less often in winter, when the plant becomes less active.

Inside the house, you will need to water your plant once every two weeks in the spring and summer. You must always examine the soil to make sure that it’s dry before watering. This plant flowers in dry conditions, and too much water can harm it and cause the foliage to droop.

– Adequate Temperature

The elephant’s foot plants thrive in warm temperatures. They’re native to the deserts of Central America and will bloom only when the climate is warm and dry in your garden or home, so in short, these plants stay healthy when the temperature is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. However, they can survive in lower temperatures, up to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but only for a short time.

As the temperature increases, your ponytail palm will grow creamy white flowers. These flowers are slightly fragrant and are pollinated by bats. They appear on top of the downward curving sword-like leaves that hang like ponytails, giving this beautiful plant its common name. Usually, these pretty flowers will last for several weeks before turning into fruits.

On the contrary, as the temperature decreases, your ponytail palm might not bloom. Lower temperatures can also make this plant more prone to diseases and pests. Note that, if you’re growing your plant on the patio, you might need to bring it inside for winter, it won’t survive outside if you live in a colder climate than USDA Zone 10.

– Low Humidity

The elephant’s foot plant thrives in dry weather, so when there are higher levels of humidity, it won’t kill this plant but will make it more susceptible to infections and might prevent blooming.

This plant will be healthy in dry climates, as the average humidity levels can be between 30 and 40 percent inside the house. These levels are generally too high for your plant. Although they won’t kill your beautiful plant, they will prevent it from blooming. As a result, you can encourage blooming by using a dehumidifier and placing plants properly to allow for better airflow.

– Adjusting the Fertilizer

Compared to other plants, elephant’s foot plants require more feeding. Although the nutrients in organically rich soil might be enough for a while, these nutrients quickly get depleted, and you’ll have to provide additional nutrients to keep your plant healthy.

During spring and summer, this plant will experience its growing season, and you’ll have to provide your elephant’s foot plant with weekly liquid fertilizer. You can also amend the soil with slow-release fertilizer pellets in the spring to continue releasing the nutrients in the soil as the plant blooms.

Conclusion

Ponytail palms are beautiful indoor and outdoor plants that thrive in arid conditions. They produce seasonal fragrant flowers that usually last for weeks before turning into fruits, so in short:

• The flowers of the Beaucarnea recurvata rarely appear when you grow this plant indoors.
• You can encourage blooming by maintaining warm and dry conditions and they would flower.
• Regular fertilizing in spring and summer will encourage blooming from spring to early fall.
• This plant is one of the effortless indoor plants to grow and is a perfect choice for arid climates, as it thrives in USDA zones 10 and 11, yet, it rarely blooms when grown as an indoor plant.
• You should trim off the flowering stalks after the fruits dry to maintain the plant’s healthy look.

It’s quite rare to see the elephant’s foot plant’s flowers, but if you maintain adequate growing conditions, you can enjoy their presence several times a year. Check out our list of similar to Ponytail palm plants to have as alternatives!