Low pH or high pH Pruning a yucca plant is easy but uncomfortable. Old leaves on the bottom of yuccas naturally die and turn brown. Trunked yuccas like Yucca aloifolia will develop a 'skirt' of old leaves much like a palm tree does and they can be pruned away or left in place depending on your aesthetic If your Yucca aloifolia gets too tall for its spot in the garden, you can cut the trunk in early spring prior to the growing season to a better height and the yucca plant will resprout from the cut point.
Both Yucca aloifolia and Yucca filamentosa can produce offsets that you may wish to prune away to keep them in-bounds. Yucca flower stalks turn ugly after flowering is over and they can be cut to the ground unless you intend to collect the seeds. When you prune a yucca, it goes without saying that you need to protect yourself from the leaves which are often sharp. Sharp-tipped leaves mean you should plant yucca plants away from sidewalks, paths, mailboxes and driveways.
Individual Yucca plants can grow 3' wide and with offsets, a Yucca clump can be several times that so give your garden visitors plenty of space to walk around your Yucca. However, keep mulch away from the lowest leaves to prevent rot. Divide the plant. If the Yucca grows too thick and dense after a few years, you can take a shoot from it to plant elsewhere. Choose an offshoot you would like to remove, dig a perimeter around it, and lift the shoot from below with a shovel.
You can cut any roots to the mother plant. Transplant this shoot to a new sunny area. This is best done during the dormant season. Did you know you can get expert answers for this article?
Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow. Andrew Carberry, MPH. Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. Not Helpful 3 Helpful 6. Most of my yucca seeds look like the center has been removed - are insects to blame? Not Helpful 3 Helpful 5. It has been two weeks since I cut off the yuccas to be replanted. Will they still grow? Alex Moyers. Most likely. As stated above, the germination period for yuccas is extensive. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 7.
We have a massive yucca cluster and want to remove some sections, The stems are about 20cm in diameter. What tool do we use? You can use a standard timber hand saw. This creates a clean cut right through with only a couple of strokes. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 5. We planted yucca plants in a strip of ground between our house and sidewalk, but they keep multiplying like crazy and choking out everything else.
How can I get rid of them? Cut them out of the ground as close to the roots as possible, then spray Windex all over what roots remain. Not Helpful 3 Helpful 3. While the sewage is hopefully properly contained within the pipe, it's never a bad idea to relocate it. Be careful, yucca are sharp! Not Helpful 2 Helpful 2. We had stumps removed and the dump truck ran over one yucca several times, it was down to dirt when they left.
It is now back and robust with no special care. We thought it was dead, so left it alone, it rose like a Phoenix!
Not Helpful 0 Helpful 2. We cut the stem off ours every year. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 1. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Plant the yucca with other plants that thrive in dry conditions. Butterfly weed, yarrow, and tall-bearded iris are good options to consider.
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. You can harvest yucca flowers. Check them for insects and cook them properly to eat. Related wikiHows How to. How to. More References 6. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: February 21, Article Summary X To grow yucca, start by finding a healthy shoot on a mature yucca plant.
Italiano: Coltivare la Yucca. Bahasa Indonesia: Menanam Yucca. Nederlands: Een yucca kweken. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read , times. I don't do any maintenance to it, but this year it has started to look very ill. With all the help and suggestions I can now hopefully bring it back to life. Thank you so much! More reader stories Hide reader stories. Did this article help you? Their foliage grows in rosette form either at ground level or on stalks, trunks or branches.
Many have leaves that are razor sharp and spine tipped, earning them common names of Spanish bayonet and Spanish dagger. Yuccas are slow-growers and need almost no maintenance to survive. Their toughness is both a virtue and a vice, as they can be nearly impossible to get rid of once firmly established and larger clumping types may take over. Varies by type. Smaller varieties can be 2 to 4 feet tall and wide, and larger tree types can reach 30 feet tall and spread to 25 feet wide with offsets.
If offsets are allowed to remain, clumps can grow to be many times the size of the individual plant. Varies by type; some will begin blooming in spring and others mid-to-late summer. Most varieties will bloom annually throughout their life — these are called polycarpic perennials. There are also monocarpic varieties, like Hesperoyucca whipplei syn. Yucca whipplei , that flower only once then slowly decline and die, similar to many of their close relatives, Agave spp.
Leaves can be thick or thin; usually long and narrow, sword-shaped, spine-tipped and arranged in rosettes. Foliage on some can be razor sharp. Flowers bloom on large stalks that emerge from the center of the plant, some over 10 feet tall.
Flowers are usually white or cream, and some varieties may have a hint of pink, purple or green. The sharp and spiny nature of some yuccas is usually enough to steer animals and people away.
However, if they are ingested, they can be moderately toxic to cats, dogs, and humans. The roots of the yucca plant are not edible. Start seeds indoors at any time, or outdoors in spring. Select an area that receives partial to full sun, but most importantly, a location that is well-draining.
Yuccas will develop root rot quite easily if there is residual or standing water. When choosing a location, consider the mature size of the yucca plant, as some grow to be quite large. Locate in areas where they can be appreciated, but not where their sharp, spiny leaves can be accidentally bumped into; away from walkways and play areas.
Massive root structures can grow over time that have the power to crack foundations, disrupt retaining walls, and invade pools and irrigation pipes. These large root structures are extremely difficult to get rid of and any remnants left behind can grow more yuccas. Soak seeds for 24 hours prior to planting to help with germination, or rub with sand paper to scar the surface. Plant at a depth of one to two seed lengths. Keep the seeds moderately moist, and you should begin to see signs of germination in about 3 to 4 weeks.
Transplant the seedlings at about 8 weeks into bigger pots or permanent location. See more about growing from offsets below, under Propagation. Yucca growth is quite slow and variable, especially if grown from seed. It may take a few years until they flower. Indoors, however, people tend to stick with two species:. Indoors, yucca plants occasionally need to be pruned when they grow too tall for your space.
However, doing so is a bit unconventional, especially if you're used to pruning traditional landscape plants. To prune, remove the plant gently from its pot and use a saw or sharp pair of loppers to cut the trunk in half. Repot the rooted end of the trunk, and water it well, continuing to care for the plant as you traditionally would.
In just a few weeks, the plant should start producing new leaves, eventually appearing much as it did before, just shorter. The easiest way to propagate a yucca plant is by using offsets from older plants. Here's how:. Yuccas do well if they are slightly pot-bound, as long as they don't become heavy enough to tip over their containers. You won't need to bother with repotting for at least two or three years. Repotting larger yucca plants can be difficult, so larger plants can be refreshed with new potting soil by digging out the top 2 inches of the container and adding new soil.
During a typical repotting, you can remove the yucca plant from its container and increase it by one container size, always using fresh potting soil. While yucca plants don't have a ton of pest issues, there are a few typical culprits you should keep an eye out for aphids and mealybugs among them.
Many yucca plants also have to contend with agave plant bugs, which pierce the leaves of the plant and suck the juices out. If you notice small brown scars on the leaves of your plant, chances are you have an agave plant bug problem. To treat, spray the plant with several applications of insecticidal soap until all signs of an infestation have ceased.
In addition to mild pest issues, yucca plants can be susceptible to fungal diseases, which make themselves apparent on the plant with spreading black spots. The foliage of the plant can be extra sensitive to overhead watering, which introduces excess moisture into the plant's dense core and can breed fungal disease.
To eradicate, treat the plant with a copper fungicide or neem oil until lesions have decreased. Yucca plants are beloved garden additions, in part because they erupt into bountiful, beautiful blooms.
If your yucca isn't blooming, there are a few things you can consider tweaking.
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