Question
Hi, I have two cuttings that I rooted a year ago from my small ponytail palm, one is now 12 inches of large leaves the other is 6 inches. When do they start growing a trunk? What makes them start to be a tree? I have been using a compost tea that I make for my plants, do they need more of something? Thanks for any advice you can give me.

Answer
Hi Gracie,
   Ponytail Palms naturally grow very, very slowly and there is really no way to get them to grow any faster. Extra fertilizer will not make the plants grow faster, it will only harm the plants. You will just have to wait for the plant to grow to the size you want. Depending on the size the plant is now and the size you want, it could take years. That is the reason I always advise people to buy the size Ponytail Palm they will want instead of getting a smaller one and waiting for it to grow.

Compost tea is great for plants. It is actually better than commercial fertilizers. Compost tea is safer for plants than chemical fertilizers that can seriously harm plants if over fertilized. Compost tea has micronutrients in it that are not commonly found in commercial fertilizers. Compost tea also has natural enzymes that are not found in commercial fertilizers. These enzymes often have an invigorating tonic effect on plants.
However compost tea is generally only given to plants a couple of times a year from early spring to fall.
The most common use of compost tea is to water plants with full strength compost tea (or even extra strength) once in the spring, when a lot of plants are coming out of their winter dormant cycle and starting into an active growing cycle, then use a regular well balanced commercial fertilizer during the rest of the summer as usual. Some people will also give compost tea to plants in late summer/early fall as well.

If you dilute the compost tea with distilled water (about 25% compost tea to 75% distilled water) then you can give it to the plant about once or twice a month.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions or need additional information please don't hesitate to ask.
     Thanks
       Tracy