Mature size & growth rate

How big does Foxtail Palm (Wodyetia bifurcata) get?

Also called Foxy Palm.

More about foxtail palm

About Foxtail Palm

Wodyetia bifurcata · also called Foxy Palm · tropical

Wodyetia bifurcata, the foxtail palm, is a fast, elegant Australian feather palm named for its plumose, bushy fronds whose leaflets radiate all around the rachis like a fox's tail. With a smooth grey self-cleaning trunk and full glossy crown, it is a popular, relatively easy ornamental for tropical and warm sub-tropical gardens and large containers.

Mature size: Reaches 8-10 m tall with a 3.5-4.5 m frond spread; relatively fast for a palm.

Indoor size vs how big it gets in the wild

Foxtail Palm is a tree at heart. Indoors a pot and your ceiling keep it to reaches 8-10 m tall with a 3.5-4.5 m frond spread, but in the ground it is a different scale of plant entirely (relatively fast for a palm.). Indoors and in a pot, expect reaches 8-10 m tall with a 3.5-4.5 m frond spread. In the ground with no restriction it is a completely different plant — relatively fast for a palm. — which is why the pot, the light and the pruning matter so much for the size you actually end up with.

It gains real height on a trunk or main stem, adding a tier of leaves a year and eventually reaching for the ceiling — this is a plant you grow up, not out.

Growth rate and years to mature

Foxtail Palm is a fast grower. Realistically, expect two to four years from a young plant to a room-filling specimen in good light. Its feeding profile backs this up: feed three to four times during the growing season with a slow-release palm fertiliser supplying magnesium, manganese and potassium. this fast grower is a strong feeder; a complete palm feed keeps the crown lush and prevents deficiency.

Want this turned into the right next pot at the right moment? The pot size calculator and the foxtail palm repotting guide cover when and how much to size up — pot size is one of the biggest levers on how fast foxtail palm grows.

How to keep foxtail palm smaller

You are not stuck with the maximum size. For foxtail palm specifically, these are the levers, in order of impact:

The decisive tool is the secateurs: foxtail palm can be topped (cut the main growing tip) to cap its height and force a bushier, shorter shape.
Keeping it deliberately pot-bound in a snug container slows the whole plant and limits ultimate size.
Prune in spring so it heals fast; remove the tallest leader back to a node to reset the height.
Expect to top or hard-prune it every year or two — left alone it heads for the ceiling.

The keep-it-smaller method, step by step

Pick the new height. Decide how tall you want foxtail palm and find a leaf node or branch point just below that.
Top the main stem. Cut the main growing tip cleanly just above that node in spring; this permanently caps the height and forces side branches.
Keep the pot snug. Avoid jumping to a much bigger pot — a slightly restricted rootball keeps the whole plant smaller.
Maintain the shape. Prune back the tallest new leaders each spring to hold it at the height you chose.

How to grow foxtail palm bigger or faster

If you want it to fill the space sooner, push the conditions rather than hoping — for foxtail palm the accelerators are:

It already wants the bright light it needs; warmth, a yearly pot-up and spring-summer feed are the accelerators.
Pot up a size every year or two while young; restricted roots are the main thing holding height back.
Feed regularly through the growing season and keep it warm — height comes from sustained good conditions.

Light is almost always the ceiling. The foxtail palm light requirements page covers exactly how bright a spot it needs to grow at its potential instead of stalling.

When foxtail palm outgrows the room (or the pot)

"Too big" usually arrives as one of these signs for foxtail palm:

The top leaves pressing against or bent by the ceiling — the classic "this is now too tall indoors" sign.
It has to be moved away from a light source it has literally outgrown.
Roots filling the largest pot you can reasonably keep indoors — at that point it is top-or-prune or move it outside (if hardy).

If it is the pot rather than the room, it is a repotting job, not a goodbye — see the foxtail palm repotting guide. If you want more of this plant instead of a bigger one, the foxtail palm propagation guide turns prunings into new plants.

Foxtail Palm size — frequently asked questions

How big does foxtail palm get?

Foxtail Palm reaches reaches 8-10 m tall with a 3.5-4.5 m frond spread when grown indoors, and far larger where it grows unrestricted (relatively fast for a palm.). It gains real height on a trunk or main stem, adding a tier of leaves a year and eventually reaching for the ceiling — this is a plant you grow up, not out.

Is foxtail palm slow or fast growing?

Foxtail Palm is a fast grower. Expect two to four years from a young plant to a room-filling specimen in good light. Foxtail Palm is a tree at heart. Indoors a pot and your ceiling keep it to reaches 8-10 m tall with a 3.5-4.5 m frond spread, but in the ground it is a different scale of plant entirely (relatively fast for a palm.).

How long does foxtail palm take to reach full size?

Roughly two to four years from a young plant to a room-filling specimen in good light. Light, pot size and feeding move that timeline more than anything else.

How do I keep foxtail palm smaller?

The decisive tool is the secateurs: foxtail palm can be topped (cut the main growing tip) to cap its height and force a bushier, shorter shape. Keeping it deliberately pot-bound in a snug container slows the whole plant and limits ultimate size. Prune in spring so it heals fast; remove the tallest leader back to a node to reset the height. Expect to top or hard-prune it every year or two — left alone it heads for the ceiling.

How can I make foxtail palm grow bigger or faster?

It already wants the bright light it needs; warmth, a yearly pot-up and spring-summer feed are the accelerators. Pot up a size every year or two while young; restricted roots are the main thing holding height back. Feed regularly through the growing season and keep it warm — height comes from sustained good conditions.