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bookwurm140

Yellowing Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata)

bookwurm140
15 years ago

I've had a ponytail palm for a little over a year now. It's about two feet high but was in an extremely small pot that looked like it was about to burst, so I repotted it three months ago in a slightly larger pot. At the recommendation of the gardening "expert" at Home Depot I used regular house plant potting soil. The roots were so compact and seemed to be glued into the rocks that I couldn't loosen them and ended up just packing the fresh soil around the root ball. The ends of the oldest leaves have begun to yellow and die, and although there is plenty of new growth at the crown I am a bit worried.

After some research I've discovered that ponytails need much sandier, quicker-draining soil. Would you recommend repotting with some sort of cacti mix or trying to separate the layer of glued rocks from the plant? Is there any other advice I can get on making this plant more comfortable? (I live in dry Utah, and it is winter -- I have pebble trays beneath all of my plants and mist them a few times per day.)

Thanks in advance for the help! :)

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