Ponytail Palm Crown Rot: Fungicide and Drainage Correction

Houseplant ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) in Seattle developed brown crown areas after heavy watering during a heat wave.

Ponytail palm houseplant

Diagnosis

Crown rot (primary) or sun scorch (unlikely indoors). Standing water in saucer or cache pot is the typical cause.

Water thoroughly but never leave water in saucer.
Ensure fast-draining soil.
Spray fungicide weekly for 3 weeks.
Condition may self-resolve with drying/warming, or progress to plant death.
New unaffected growth = recovery. Damaged leaves stay brown; trim if desired (leaves gap).

Plant Diseases: Madagascar Palm Trunk Collapse: Overwatering Suspected; Spider Plant Root Rot: Light, Repotting, and Recovery; Aloe Brown Spots: Fungal Leaf Spot—Trim, Fungicide, Reduce Water; Reviving a Declining Potted Palm from Overwatering; Ponytail Palm Decline: Light, Pot, and Water Check; Ponytail Palm with Glued Stones: Remove Stones, Then Water by Weight; Arrowhead Vine (White Butterfly) New Growth Stays Pink and Shrivels; Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata): Elephant-Foot Succulent, Not a Palm; Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata): Care for This Drought-Tolerant Succulent Tree; Ponytail Palm Care: Beaucarnea Recurvata – The Elephant's Foot Succulent Tree

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