Ponytail Palm in Pots Without Drainage: Crown Rot from Overwatering

An indoor plant technician finds a ponytail palm with yellow/brown leaves, leaf bases rotting, leaves pulling out easily. All pots lack drainage holes.

Critical Issue: No Drainage

Water only when soil is dry to within 1–2 inches of bottom. Use bamboo skewers left in pots to monitor. Overwatering kills more plants than underwatering.

For the Affected Ponytail

If all leaves pull off, it's severely overwatered. Cut back to 1–2 inches of stalk, lay pot on side to drain, let dry completely. It may resprout from roots if any survive. Blame previous caretaker; convince owners to repot into drained containers.