The ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) is a beautiful plant with a bulbous trunk base and long, arched, bright green leaves that grow from the top in a style that looks like a ponytail. This unique plant comes from the hot, dry areas of southeast Mexico.
Ponytail palms do best in warm places, but gardeners who want to grow them in cooler places often worry about how well they can handle cold temperatures. This article will talk about how cold-hardy and frost-tolerant ponytail palms are to help you decide if they can make it through the winter where you live.
How Cold Hardy Are Ponytail Palms?
People say that the ponytail palm is cold-sensitive and that it grows best in warm temperatures that stay that way. Its ideal temperature range for growth is 60 to 85°F (15 to 29°C). When temperatures drop below 50°F (10°C), growth slows down a lot. When temperatures drop to 32°F (0°C) or below, more serious cold damage can happen.
According to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ponytail palms can be grown outdoors year-round only in the warmest zones of 9-11. These zones experience minimum average winter temperatures of 20-50°F (-6 to 10°C). Ponytail palms cannot withstand winters colder than this.
Plants in zones 8b and below with colder winter temperatures are likely to suffer freeze damage when left outdoors. Ponytail palms are not very cold hardy overall compared to other succulents and palm species.
What Are the Signs of Frost Damage?
How do you know if frost or freezing temperatures have hurt your ponytail palm? Here are the main signs to look for:
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Blackened, mushy, rotten stems and crown tissue caused by ice crystals rupturing cells.
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Leaves emerging dried out, brown, or blackened due to desiccation.
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White, sunken lesions on leaves that may expand.
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Stunted, yellowed, or browned new growth instead of green.
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Collapsing or dying back of leaves from the tips.
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A softened, damaged trunk if cold exposure was prolonged.
Protecting Ponytail Palms in Colder Climates
For gardeners wishing to grow ponytail palms in zones outside their recommended hardiness range, protecting the plants from winter cold is crucial. Here are some tips:
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Move container-grown plants indoors before temperatures drop below 40°F (4°C).
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Keep indoor plants away from cold drafts and maintain temperatures above 50°F (10°C).
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Cover outdoor plants with insulating frost blankets or burlap when frost is predicted.
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Apply antitranspirants to reduce moisture loss during cold snaps.
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Add insulating mulch around the base to protect roots from freezing.
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Wrap or cover the trunk with foam or other insulating materials.
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Provide temporary protective structures if very cold conditions persist.
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Choose protected microclimates against warm, south-facing walls or structures.
Caring for Frost-Damaged Ponytail Palms
If your ponytail palm does experience some frost damage, don’t give up hope! With proper care, many plants can recover surprisingly well. Here are some rejuvenation tips:
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Prune away any mushy, badly damaged leaves and stems to improve appearance and prevent rot.
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Spray with copper fungicide to prevent disease in damaged tissue.
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Resume regular watering as growth resumes in spring.
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Fertilize occasionally with a balanced palm fertilizer.
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Ensure the plant receives ample sunshine for regrowth.
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Monitor for continued decline or signs of recovery.
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Repot in fresh soil if the original soil was affected.
While severe damage can occasionally be fatal, mild to moderate cold injury is often reversible for ponytail palms. With attentive care and protection, these eye-catching succulents can brighten gardens even in cooler climates. Just provide a little extra winter insulation and care.
The ponytail palm prefers the hot, dry conditions of its Mexican desert habitat and has limited cold tolerance. While mature plants can potentially survive brief light frosts above 25°F (-4°C), cold snaps below 40°F (4°C) can damage or kill them. Freezing temperatures are especially harmful.
Careful attention to microclimate, preventative winter protection, and prompt restorative care after frost damage are key to successfully growing ponytail palms in areas colder than USDA zone 9. With prudent safeguarding measures, gardeners can enjoy this sculptural succulent as a distinctive landscape accent even in cooler regions. Just provide a little extra care when winter temperatures drop.
Growing Ponytail Palm Outdoors vs. Indoors
Before you decide whether to grow your ponytail palm inside or outside, here are four important things to think about:
To reach its maximum potential – it can grow up to 30 feet tall – plant a ponytail palm outdoors.
Planting Beaucarnea recurvata in a pot inside is a good way to keep it from getting too big. If you choose a larger container, your plant may grow up to six feet tall. The smaller the container, the more you limit its growing potential.
Can ponytail palms take full sun? Of course! Outdoors, ponytail palms want full sun for as long as possible, at least eight hours a day. Indoors, you should place it in a window facing south and supplement your indoor ponytail palm with a grow light if necessary.
One benefit of growing your ponytail palm outdoors is the natural drainage. When you don’t water the plant, the soil will dry out completely, which will keep it from getting root rot, which is one of its main enemies.
If you’re growing indoors, you must use a free-draining cactus-style soil mix and a pot with proper drainage. Remember, this plant has a large caudex for storing water – it doesn’t need a ton from you!
You’ll only get flowers by growing your ponytail palm outside of your house. It will take a lot of time, as these are slow-growing palm trees, but small white flowers will eventually bloom.
Plant Rescue | Save Your Ponytail Palm From Frost Damage
FAQ
How cold is too cold for a ponytail palm?
This plant is hardy to the low to mid twenties Fahrenheit, and if hit by a hard freeze, it recovers slowly in the spring.
When should I bring my ponytail palm inside?
The ponytail palm thrives with bright light and can tolerate direct sun all day. It’s happy to live outdoors in the summer where it can soak up the sun! Bring it back indoors when the night temperatures start to dip.
Are ponytail palms frost tolerant?
Hardy to -5C for short periods but thrives in frost free conditions. PLANTING: Plant in full sun, or the brightest light possible indoors, in well drained soil. It does well in dry, almost desert-like places, but it will also do well in wet gardens as long as the soil is sandy and doesn’t hold water.
What is the lowest temperature for potted palms?
A palm tree’s cold tolerance can differ greatly depending on the species. Tropical palms have fairly low cold tolerance; anything below 50 degrees Fahrenheit can be too much for them. But more temperate species of palm trees can withstand subfreezing temperatures with little or no injury.