I cannot for the life of me remember the name of this plant. It started out indoors as a houseplant, but then in the spring I realized it would make a great hanging plant outside on the porch, so I relocated it there. I don't think it's going to make it through the winter outside though, not here in Tennessee, so I'll be bringing it back in soon. My question through is can I separate it and make more than one plant out of it? There are all those bulbs that you can see in the different pics of it...and that last pic has a sprouting of growth that doesn't even look like it's coming from a bulb, though I imagine there is one under the surface! So my first question is can I separate those bulbs, or separate one of them from the mother plant to make a new plant? And then how do I do that? I mean, just sort of break them off from the main plant? (I'm assuming they're attached) And when? When I bring the plant inside...is that a good time? Or should let it overwinter inside intact and then do the separation in the spring? It's been very healthy, and probably has doubled in size in the past year.
Fall is usually best for dividing bulbs of any kind. Turn the pot over and dump the plant out. Each bulb (those might be rhizomes) should have it's own set of roots so you can just break them apart or use a serrated knife and cut them apart then re-pot them. Don't plant them totally under the soil, some bulbs need to have some of the rhizome above the ground to grow properly and since you can not remember just what they are it would be best to leave them uncovered a bit.
It looks like a Beaucarnea recurvata or a ponytail palm. I agree with toni. Did you buy it like that? I would take them out of the pot and carefully loosen the roots from the bottom until you got close to the bulbs. Then see it they are connected. They probably are not. Now you have many little plants that you can plant in separate pots. That's what I did some 25 years ago....
Thanks Toni. So...would each of those bulbs be a whole plant? I mean, if I wanted to, can I make six or seven separate plants out of that one whole one? I don't know that I want to do that...I like the fullness of the mother plant. Just wondering...
Barb! Thanks....I didn't see your response before I responded to Toni. Wow, that looks like a big plant! How tall is that one? In answer to your question, yeah, that's the way I bought it. The numerous bulbs weren't as much in evidence when I first got it a year and a half ago...I didn't pay much attention honestly. But it really liked being outside I guess, because over the summer I would say it's almost doubled in size and now the pot can barely contain the number of bulbs.
They can get 15 feet....LOL They actually have a caudex. That is the same as a bulb but not.....it is a caudiciform....funny little thing...it is a "fat plant"... Mine is only 3 feet tall.....LOL
I agree, ponytail palm. When I got mine, there were 4 in the pot, about the same size as yours. I separated one and it has done great! Just repotted again earlier this summer. The trio was put in a mini garden but was killed by its' 2nd winter outside. Some pics of mine and other people's plants here: http://www.gardenstew.com/plantstew/9000118
