How To Transplant A Ponytail Palm To A New Pot
Your potted ponytail palm has brought you great joy over the past few years. However, if you feel that it has stopped growing, the pot may be too small. These plants need plenty of room in the pot so their roots can burrow deeper, thus allowing the plant to grow more. This guide explains the proper method to transplant your ponytail palm to a new plant.
Step 1: Gather Your Supplies
- a pair of gardening gloves
- a butter knife
- a larger pot
- a gardening hose
- a pair of handheld pruning shears
- rooting hormone
- newspaper
- potting soil
- sand
- fertilizer
Step 2: Remove the Palm From Its Pot
Put on your gardening gloves and loosen the soil around the base of your ponytail palm and with the butter knife. When doing so, stick the knife into the soil only a little to avoid hitting, and potentially cutting the roots. Gently tug the tree out of the soil.
Step 3: Wash, Inspect and Trim the Roots
Wash off the bottom of the tree roots with the gardening hose. Look for cut, rotten or otherwise damaged roots and clip them off with the handheld clipping shears.
Apply rooting hormone to the bottom of all the roots. This hormone helps the roots transition well into their new home.
Step 4: Pour Potting Soil Into the New Pot
Line the larger pot with a layer of potting soil mixed with sand. Remember not to fill the pot too much; you want the tree to fit comfortably in the new pot.
Step 5: Insert the Palm
Place the new pot where you would like it to stay, once you are finished, it will be very heavy and difficult to move, so you may need a friend to help at this point. Gently place the palm into its new place.
Step 6: Mix Fertilizer Into Additional Potting Soil
Mix in the fertilizer with the remaining soil and sand. The instructions on the package indicate how much fertilizer to add. If you're still unsure call your landscaper to ask how much to add.
Step 7: Pack the Potting Soil Around the Palm
Use your final mix of potting soil, sand and fertilizer to pack around the newly transplanted palm tree. If you have any leftover, you can lightly sprinkle it on top of the pot.
Keep an eye on your newly transplanted ponytail palm to ensure that it is getting enough water and fertilizer. It won't be long before you notice it getting taller and more robust looking. If you notice that the leaves begin to droop or if it isn't growing the way you want it to, ask your landscaper or a company like JK Landscape Construction for help.
