Question
My 40 yr. old Beaucarnea recurvata (ponytail palm) has had mealy bugs for many years; I've tried systemic poison which I dislike as I try to be totally organic and I've been using alcohol both as spray & on Q-tips. At this point the infestation has gotten very bad again and I'm considering removing all foliage (it only has one set of leaves), in effect beheading the plant to see if I can finally eradicate the bugs. I would wait till spring but can a plant this old with a 40+" stem withstand such severe treatment? Thank you for your attention.

Answer
Hi Gale,

Pruning off the of of your Ponytail Palm is dicey - it may or may not lead to new growth. However, it will not solve the mealybug problem.

Mealybugs are quite persistent. They require very thorough treatment and they also are symptomatic of a plant under stress for other reasons, such as inadequate light, too large a pot or improper watering.

Mature Ponytails should never be repotted so if you repotted in the past couple of years, there is a very good chance your plan is suffering from over watering and root rot. If it is properly potted with the pot diameter no more than an inch wider than the width of the Ponytail bulb, then it should be watered only when the soil is dry halfway down into the pot. Ponytails require a lot of very bright indirect light all day long and some direct sun for at least part of each day. That means it should be located very close to a sunny window that is uncovered throughout the day.

So the first thing to do is correct whatever pot size, watering or light deficiencies your plant may have. Then, thoroughly spray the plant with a solution of 5 parts water, 1 part isopropyl alcohol and a squirt of liquid soap. Cover all leaf and stem surfaces until they are dripping wet. It is important that you not miss any surfaces otherwise a few critters will survive, reproduce and come back to haunt you. Q-Tip application is a waste of time. Keeping your plant healthy will help it resist future pest attacks.

I have written articles on Ponytail care and on plant pests that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who sends a request to me at [email protected].

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and nomination for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.

Need more information? Visit my website at www.HorticulturalHelp.com
or email me at [email protected] or call me at 917-887-8601 (EST)
 
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC