WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Beaucarnea recurvata (Nolina recurvata), WUCOLS IV

How often to water ponytail palm in California

In July on the north-central coast, established ponytail palm in loam needs a deep soak only about once a month or less: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy. Ponytail palm is not a true palm but a slow-growing evergreen from Mexico with a swollen trunk base that stores water. Narrow, leathery leaves cascade from the top like a fountain. It wants deep but widely spaced water in summer and a dry winter, and wet soil around the trunk causes more trouble than drought.

ShrubTreeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water ponytail palm, month by month

Your city
Canopy width
10 ft
Your soil

Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for ponytail palm and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1.5 feet of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area under the branches, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure canopy width

A tree with its canopy width marked across the widest branches and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the branches, from the tips of the outer leaves on one side to the tips on the other. A tape works, or pace it out.

Water the whole circle under the branches, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that circle.

A wider canopy means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While the tree is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Soil dry 4 inches down beside the trunk in summer signals that a ponytail palm in the ground can take a deep soak
  • A swollen trunk base that looks shrunken or wrinkled can indicate a long dry spell has drawn down its stored water
  • Spots or streaks on the leaves point to a leaf spot disease rather than a water problem
  • A soft, mushy trunk base or yellowing leaf crowns over damp soil point to overwatering and stem rot
  • New leaves stalling in summer while soil stays wet suggest poor drainage around the roots

How to water it

  • Water around the trunk base, not into the leaf rosette, with a slow hose or a couple of emitters
  • Soak the soil deeply in summer, then let it dry well down before watering again
  • Plant in fast-draining, rocky or sandy soil, on a mound if clay holds water
  • Greatly reduce water in winter and let rain carry the plant where it falls
  • Spread water slightly wider as the trunk thickens and roots reach out

Through the seasons

Water a new ponytail palm deeply and then let the soil dry before the next soak through its first summer. Established plants rely on their trunk for stored water and need only occasional summer soaks. It stays evergreen and grows slowly, and it prefers a dry winter. Cold, wet soil is the main winter risk. WUCOLS rates ponytail palm low water on the north-central coast, on the south coast and in South Inland. It rates moderate water in the low desert. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the Central Valley, and has not evaluated it for the high desert.

In pots

Ponytail palm is a classic container plant and does well in a heavy pot of cactus mix. In summer, water deeply but let the mix dry out between waterings, so check it often in summer heat. Water until it drains from the holes and empty the saucer. Indoors it handles heated air well. In winter, water very little, and bring potted plants inside or under cover before cold weather.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Ponytail Palm for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Ponytail Palm as not suited to this region for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Ponytail Palm: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.15–0.310.31–0.78
Feb0.21–0.320.35–0.93
Mar0.35–0.460.52–1.52
Apr0.47–0.560.64–1.95
May0.58–0.640.78–2.45
Jun0.64–0.690.92–2.79
Jul0.64–0.791–2.85
Aug0.6–0.740.93–2.6
Sep0.5–0.60.74–2.08
Oct0.35–0.460.53–1.49
Nov0.19–0.330.36–0.96
Dec0.12–0.260.27–0.68
Year4.8–6.27.37–21.08

How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.

Plants with the same water needs 16

Rated not suited to this region in the Central Valley, like ponytail palm. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Chenille PlantAcalypha hispidanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCopperleafAcalypha wilkesiananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSugar MapleAcer saccharumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQueensland KauriAgathis robustanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCherimoyaAnnona cherimolanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingYellow Bell BauhiniaBauhinia tomentosanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple Orchid TreeBauhinia variegata (purpurea)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingToogBischofia javanicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMagic FlowerCantua buxifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingClustered Fishtail PalmCaryota mitisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWhite SapoteCasimiroa edulisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingHawaiian TiCordyline fruticosa (Cordyline terminalis)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFilbertCorylus maximanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSpotted GumCorymbia maculata (Eucalyptus maculata)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingDove TreeDavidia involucratanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRoyal PoincianaDelonix regianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes ponytail palm, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.

Questions people ask

How often should I water ponytail palm in summer?

In July, established ponytail palm in loam needs a deep watering about every 27 days on the south coast and about every 22 days in the South Inland zone. Sandy soil holds less water, so waterings come closer together. Clay stretches them. Check the soil before each watering and skip one after a soaking rain.

How much water does ponytail palm need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established ponytail palm needs about 1.6 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 6.5 gallons a day under a 20 foot canopy. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for ponytail palm change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates ponytail palm separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not suited to this region in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, low water in the South Inland zone, not evaluated in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Is ponytail palm a real palm?

No, it belongs to the asparagus family and is related to nolinas. The swollen trunk base, called a caudex, stores water. That is why it handles long dry spells.

How do I water an indoor ponytail palm?

Water deeply in summer, then wait until the mix dries out. Greatly reduce water in winter. Give it a sunny window and a cactus or succulent mix.

Why is my ponytail palm trunk soft?

A soft trunk base usually means stem rot from too much water. Stop watering and check the drainage holes. If the soft area is spreading, the plant may not recover.

Does ponytail palm flower?

Older plants in the ground can bear upright clusters of small creamy or pinkish flowers in spring, though not every year. Potted plants rarely bloom. Flowering does not change its water needs.

Can ponytail palm stay outside in winter?

It prefers dry winters, and cold, wet soil is the main risk. In mild coastal gardens it is grown outdoors in the ground. Elsewhere, move potted plants under cover before cold weather.

More plant watering guides

Solomon's SealQuaking AspenShaving Brush TreeCommon GuavaFlame VineNikau PalmCup-of-Gold VineAfrican Tulip Tree

Sources