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My Mom gave me this plant after some animal (her neighbor said it was likely a cat) ate all the foliage off of it. She said it originally had leaves similar to my crappy drawing on the first picture. She had not watered it for ages and presumed it was dead.

I took it in an effort to resurrect it and after 6 months it has a small new sprout (look closely at the second picture)!

Questions:

  • What is this plant?
  • I was told not to transplant it for fear of killing it but it has obviously outgrown its container, can I transfer it to a larger pot without killing it?
  • Obviously it prefers partial shade, but what else should I know about caring for it?

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Jimmy Fix-it
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  • Ponytail Palm? Google Some pic. Yes, I think you should transplant it to an inch or two(no more than that) larger pot. But I think you should transplant it in spring or summer. If and If it is Ponytail Palm. Wait for experts to answer. Show her a pic of Ponytail Palm and let s know if this is it. There are, I think, many bulbous plants. – 4-K Aug 15 '16 at 07:18
  • yes, ponytail palm, no, do not transplant at the moment as it has had a rough time, keep where it is and wait till it grows new foliage before moving to higher light – kevinskio Aug 15 '16 at 09:53
  • Hi Jimmy Fix-it! Some users think this question might be a duplicate of the one @kevinsky mentioned. Is the information on the other one, in addition to what you've received here, giving you what you need? As you probably know, marking it a duplicate wouldn't delete or keep people from voting on it, it would just lead people to the other one. Also, you'd be able to edit it to make it more unique if you wanted. What are your thoughts? – Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL Aug 18 '16 at 15:10

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Also, you will loose leaves (eventually kill your plant) if you over water it. To avoid this, you can insert a wooden chopstick into the soil (approx. 4" deep & when it comes out dry, it needs water) water when the soil is dry. Transplanting typically causes a plant to stress so a good time released fertilizer (often granular you apply to the soil so when you water, nutrients are released) & good luck.

JS Zachry
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  • Thanks, seems like good advice; however, the size of the giant bulb in relation to the size of the pot it has outgrown makes me think that there probably isn't any soil left. – Jimmy Fix-it Aug 18 '16 at 03:40
  • Two things: 1. General rule, keep the level of the soil the same so, don't reveal plant stalk that was previously below the soil level or raise the level too far up the stalk....true for most plants and trees. 2 It's not a bulb like a tulip bulb,. Think of your plant as a mini-palm tree with an unusually wide trunk. – JS Zachry Sep 02 '16 at 17:32