Can You Cut the Top Off a Ponytail Palm?

Beaucarnea recurvata, the ponytail palm, is one of the most fascinating houseplants I’ve ever seen–and not just because some people call it elephant’s foot. It’s a curious-looking succulent that resembles a palm but for its peculiar stump, which it uses to store water and survive droughts. However, the plant’s distinctive physiology might have some gardeners wondering if cutting its top off is possible.

You can cut the top off a ponytail palm plant, but you need to use clean tools and care for the plant after it’s been cut. Some gardeners cut the top off ponytail palms for practical purposes–mainly to control growth–as well as for health reasons, but you can also cut it to make multiple trunks.

Regardless of your reasons for cutting the plant’s top, the good news is that the ponytail palm’s leaves will grow back after a while. Still, you must correctly cut the plant, or you might severely damage it. Keep reading this article to learn how to cut the top off a ponytail palm, as well as tips for keeping it healthy afterward.

How To Cut the Top Off a Ponytail Palm

Cutting the top off a ponytail palm is similar to pruning or trimming the plant but requires a few more steps. However, you need roughly the same tools to get the job done, and your plant will benefit if you keep your tools clean throughout the process. You can check out this article to learn more about ponytail palm pruning and how you can deal with overgrown leaves: What To Do When Ponytail Palm Leaves Are Too Long

Here’s how to cut the top off a ponytail palm:

1. Grab all the equipment you’ll need to cut the ponytail palm plant. You’ll need a pruning saw, a pair of pruning shears, bypass pruners, garden gloves, and garbage bags to clean up. You can lay all these out on a clean cloth for easy access.
2. Clean all your cutting tools using an alcohol-soaked piece of cloth. You can use any suitable cloth, but ensure it’s a clean material. I recommend using rubbing alcohol instead of drinking alcohol to clean your tools, but ensure you keep the fabric and alcohol close throughout the process.
3. Carry the ponytail palm outside or to a spot where you can see it better. Carefully check the plant for shoot and leaf damage, pest infestations, symptoms and signs of diseases, and any other blemish. You can skip the next step if your plant is healthy and fine.
4. Get rid of pests, remove fallen leaves and clean up the plant’s surroundings. Cutting off any part of a plant is a big deal, so you’ll need to keep the plant and its surroundings as clean as possible. This step might seem small, but it’s a big deal and reduces the chances of hurting the plant.
5. Trim the ponytail palm to ensure its long leaves do not get in the way when cutting off the plant’s top. You can use pruning shears since they encourage precision cutting, but be careful not to damage the plant’s trunk. Be as cautious as possible.
6. Use the pruning shears to remove diseased, weak, or wounded leaves as well as pups that may be growing close to the plant’s roots. You can also prune the entire plant, but ensure you cut just below the leaf stalk. The amount of pruning and trimming your plant needs is entirely up to you and will help improve visibility.
7. Cut the top off the ponytail palm plant with a pruning saw at a point where the trunk’s length is more than 6 inches (15.24 centimeters). Younger plants might not need much effort, and you can cut these using a sharp pruner. You should cut just below where the lowest leaf grows out of the plant.
8. Remove the top of the plant and place it in a garbage bag. It’s rare for the top of ponytail palms to form new plants, so I don’t recommend using it as cutting. However, you can use the pups you removed earlier to start new plants.
9. Rub some melted candle wax or rooting hormone on the exposed part of the ponytail palm plant. These will help prevent shock, reduce the risk of infections, and accelerate plant growth. I recommend using rooting hormone concentrate for your ponytail plant, as it will stimulate root growth.
10. Add a little water to the soil and move the plant to a spot with lots of sunlight. You’ll need to treat the decapitated plant like a seedling to ensure it grows back. Most ponytail palms grow new leaves in a few weeks.

Remember to clean your tools after each cut, but wait till the alcohol dries out before using them again. The entire process might take longer because of this, but it’s an excellent way to reduce the risk of infections and shock.

I recommend using a repotting mat when cutting the top off a ponytail palm. It’s an easy way to minimize the mess. Using the mat also ensures your surroundings stay clean during and after cutting.

How To Cut a Ponytail Palm To Make Multiple Trunks

Ponytail palms are notoriously hardy plants that survive in almost any climate and grow from seeds and cuttings. But they typically grow a single–albeit tough–trunk throughout their life. Fortunately, you can cut off the top of the plants to make them grow multiple trunks.

Here’s how to cut a ponytail palm to make multiple trunks:

1. Collect all the necessary tools you’ll need to decapitate the ponytail palm plant. As when cutting its top off, you’ll need a pruning saw, a pair of pruning shears, bypass pruners, garden gloves, and garbage bags to clean up. You can lay all these out on a clean cloth for easy access.
2. Use a piece of cloth soaked in alcohol to clean all of your cutting tools. Any fine fabric will do but make sure it’s clean. Remember to keep the cloth and alcohol nearby at all times.
3. Take the ponytail palm outside or to a location where it will be easier to view. Examine the plant thoroughly for flaws, like when repotting or taking its top off. 
4. Get rid of pests, remove fallen leaves and clean up the plant’s surroundings. As I’ve mentioned, cutting off any part of a plant is a big deal, so you’ll need to keep the plant and its surroundings as clean as possible. Don’t skip this part of the process.
5. Trim the ponytail palm to ensure its long leaves do not get in the way when cutting off the plant’s top. You can use pruning shears and be careful not to damage the plant’s trunk.
6. Remove sick, weakened, or injured leaves with the pruning shears, as well as any pups that may be forming close to the plant’s roots. I recommend pruning the entire plant but cut the leaves just below the leaf stalk.
7. Use a pruning saw to remove the plant’s top where the trunk’s length is less than 6 inches (15.24 centimeters). This height will cause the ponytail palm plant to branch, resulting in multiple trunks. Remember to use a sharp pruner and cut just below where the lowest leaf grows out of the plant.
8. Put the top of the plant in the garbage bags and clear the surroundings. Remember to be careful when moving things around, as your ponytail plant is susceptible to severe injuries.
9. Rub some melted candle wax or rooting hormone on the exposed part of the ponytail palm plant. These will help prevent shock, reduce the risk of infections, and accelerate plant growth. 
10. Move the plant to an area with lots of sunlight after adding some water to the soil. You should notice new growth in a few weeks.

It’s important to note that this process only works on young ponytail plants, so your older ponytails will only grow new leaves if you decapitate them.

Of course, a gardener is half as efficient as their tools, no matter how skilled or knowledgeable they are. Therefore, you should use only high-quality tools to cut the top off a pony palm plant.

Key Takeaways

You can cut the top off a ponytail palm. And although that might seem like it will kill it, your plant will grow new shoots in a few months. Decapitating the plant can also be a way to manage the plant growth or help it develop multiple trunks.

However, you need to be careful when cutting off plant parts as it can lead to shock and death. Fortunately, this article offers step-by-step instructions on how to cut the top off a ponytail palm.