Question
I have a 9 ft. pony tail palm that is touching the ceiling in my garage.  Can I top it to say 4 ft.?  It's base has filled the pot it's in - about 2 ft. in diameter.  Should I repot the bulb?  The plant is about 30 years old.  It was a gift to our local library.  Three years ago when renovation to the library was being done - I took the plant to my home and it is doing well except it's too tall to return to the library.  It needs cutting back.  What should I do????

Answer
Dear J.,

Yes, you can top it at 4 ft. or even 3 ft. It will send out a lot of new shoots and you should pick no more than 2 or 3 to allow to grow. The ones you cut off may be rootable. You may also be able to get the old top that you cut off to root by dipping it in or rubbing it with rooting hormone and inserting it into a new pot of soil. As for repotting the old bulb, if you do repot in a larger pot it will grow even faster. If you do try not to go to a pot larger than 26-28 inch diameter. Cutting it back will slow it down for awhile. I have no idea how many times you can cut a pony tail palm off before it is ultimately fatal to the plant but at this point I am sure it can be cut off at least once. Cut back on the watering after you cut the top off until you see signs of new growth. Just give it a cup or 2 of water a week so it does not feel real wet.  Good luck.

Darlene