In this video I show the cuts I've made to my yucca plants and the clones. If your plant is getting too tall, you may cut the trunk from the bottom and re-pot. Occasionally, leaves and blooms may start to look unsightly or discolored, especially toward the end of the growing season. Yucca plants can be a bush or a stalk plant. The long, leathery, pointed leaves of a yucca plant are a foot or more in length and about an inch wide. In frost-prone areas tender yucca species can be grown in a cool greenhouse or conservatory. 9 Aug, 2007 . rotted roots from the parent plant. You can propagate these "yucca trees" by rooting stem cuttings. You may need an extra set of hands. This will leave a sparse trunk for a while, but new offsets should sprout from the cut point. Suntrail . Most varieties don't need a hard pruning, such as cutting off the top of the plant. If you can’t see the offshoots, you may need to dig up the entire You can cut any roots to the mother plant. When caring for yucca plants, it is a good idea to wear gloves to protect your hands from the sharp leaves. However, in regions with mild winters, it is best to move the plant in fall. If the Yucca grows too thick and dense after a few years, you can take a shoot from it to plant elsewhere. Yes,I have cut down this plant and it has grown a double stem now and looking great. You can even use the cut-off portion of the trunk to propagate your plant (just be sure to mark which end is the top). Yucca glauca, sometimes called "soapweed," is not to be confused with soap-tree yucca.This plant is suitable for zones 3 to 10. Outdoors, yucca plants planted in the ground need very little care and attention. Cuts should be quick, clean and made at a slight angle. When a Yucca is cut off, it will generally form a new growth at the cut point, and sometimes more than one, resulting in a "fork," or branching. These parts should be cut off directly at the trunk. Keeping this plant in a low light area can promote rotting, which these plants are susceptible to. You can peel the old, dead leaves off the plant and trim off the dried flower stalks, but beyond removing dead or diseased wood, do not prune or shear the yucca, advises the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association. While the sap of some agaves is consumed, some plant saps can cause irritation upon contact. Either way, you will have two stem cuttings to use for yucca propagation . Yes, you can cut it. Dividing yuccas to control their growth works on the same principle. When older leaves die on a mature yucca plant, simply cut them away, usually in the spring. It can be grown indoors as an architectural pot plant, or outdoors as a landscaping plant. If the plant becomes too big, it won’t be harmful to cut off a few parts. In this case, you can simply use Caring for yuccas like this helps the rest of the plant look nicer, and allows the newer leaves to grow. For example, cutting back "Spanish bayonet" yucca plants (Yucca aloifolia, USDA zones 6 through 11) will result in new sprouts around the area of the cut, which will eventually need to be cut back as well. Cutting the top off a yucca also creates a stark, ugly … Yucca plants are famed for their large, spiky leaves growing on the top of long, thick woody stems. This is a good time to remove and discard any hard, unproductive stems or Step 4 Plant the removed tops of the dracaena plant to grow a new plant. Cut off the lower leaves with a blade if you want to remove its "skirt. " Always use fresh potting soil. You need to remove the outer layer of the leaves to expose the fibers beneath. plant. So, if you can wait till the clump is dry enough, you can just pull the whole rosette off without disturbing the rest of the plant or any new growths. Yuccas are members of the lily family with blooms of similar form but much different foliage. Turn them over and pound some more. plants thrive in the arid regions of the North American southwest, with some varieties found throughout U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 11. This is a plant that loves the sun. Yucca elata, or soap-tree yucca, is a tree form that can reach 15 feet tall.It can be grown in zones 5 to 8. Now you’re ready to lift the entire clump. I did it late summer and it really took off the following spring. is a hardy, robust plant that tolerates a little rough handling. Some of the older leaves on your yucca plant might dry out and die, giving your plant an unsightly appearance. Dried out flower stalks that remain after the plant has bloomed can also be unattractive. At least 28 varieties of yucca (Yucca spp.) If the top of a yucca tree becomes too heavy with clusters of leaves that make it bend down, you can just cut the trunk halfway down. Set the offshoots If you have shabby leaves at the bottom of your Yucca, pull them off that way you can expose more of the dramatic trunk. There are 40 species in the Yucca genus, all flowering plants, most occuring in the desert Southwest region of the United States. positive note, yucca You can cut any roots to the mother plant. If you garden or landscape with yucca plants, take the time to trim off the spiked tips which could damage eyes and ears. However, if you live in a climate with mild winters and The best time to prune is early October, that way you don’t have to wait too long for new foliage to reshoot. Wearing gloves while pruning is a smart thing to do in this case. Yuccas produce a flower spire with many dangling panicles, which are individual flowers. Caring for yucca plants is fairly simple. necessary if the plant overgrows its boundaries or if you want to share with If the Yucca grows too thick and dense after a few years, you can take a shoot from it to plant elsewhere. soil is bone dry. Certain varieties of yard-grown yucca plants, such as "Adam's needle" (Yucca filamentosa, USDA zones 5 through 10), can push flowering stalks up to 6 feet tall over 3-feet-high clumps of sharp leaves, creating a striking silhouette. The remaining stalk will probably give off at least 2 sprouts. I also agree with Tiffany and Will, yucca needs so much sun, it actually can tolerate full sun all day and never show a distress sign. Dead flower stalks will fall off the tree leaving behind a hole where water can get into the heart of the plant … Some yucca plants, such as the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia, USDA zones 8 through 10) take on the striking and distinctive form of trees. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. O'Neil around the base of the plant. The trimming can be carried out all year but it is advantageously for the Yucca if it takes place during spring. Just lop it off. When these blemishes are found, it is best to remove any affected leaves and treat the plant with copper fungicide which can be purchased from most plant nurseries. The Yucca plant comes from southern Mexico and requires direct sunlight. This involves literally cutting / sawing a large top section of the plant off, usually in early Spring. The offshoots will be on small rhizomes, Pruning off the top growing tip on a yucca effectively halts the plant growth and addition of height. Stems and offsets can be cut, the bottom few inches stripped of leaves and the cuttings planted and treated gently until they root. Landscape yucca plants can grow too large for their area, which might require some judicious pruning, but cutting the top off of the yucca plant typically encourages new growth. Lay your yucca leaves on the table. In the cooler zones like Victoria, take cuttings from December to May. This is best done during the dormant season. Be careful not to damage the yucca’s trunk. If you are moving yucca plants in spring, remember they will need extra water as … The older leaves should be pruned in the spring season. However in a short time the plant should produce new offsets from the cut edge. Yucca can be evergreen perennials, shrubs or trees, with dense or loose rosettes of stiff, sword-shaped leaves and tall panicles of bell-shaped flowers. These can be cut away from the mother plant and potted up as brand new little plants. Yes, you can cut the top 10″ off & easily root it in water & then plant it into the same pot which might add a little balance. in a cool place to dry for a few days then plant them in sandy, well-drained Set the baby yucca plants aside to dry a few days before In terms of the retaining wall, there is a chance that the roots could damage the wall in future. You can collect yucca seeds, and plant them out but be patient as the seeds are slow to sprout. Yucca elephantipes can be easily propagated by stem cutting. Gardeners can cut off agave spines to prevent injury. Cutting the top off of this yucca plant will encourage its root system to push up a whole crop of new yucca plants, called pups, according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Yucca Tree Pruning. It is suitable for modern, Santa Fe or Mediterranean style houses and landscapes. I cut off the damaged top and removed the totally brown leaves and left it out in the garden. Leaves dying off. So, when I see that the bloom is dying or old, I cut it off. 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Repotting larger yucca plants can be difficult, so larger plants can be refreshed with new potting soil by digging out the top two inches of the container and adding new soil. The flowering stalk should be removed from the plant if you do not wish for the plant to produce seed. These all turned into mini yuccas and it is now growing well again. Cut the stem with a very sharp knife then leave it in a cool place for 5 or 6 days to let the cut end dry and callus over. Cut damaged and dead stems off the yucca plant, removing only the stems displaying noticeable signs of age and/or weakness. While the plants are recovering, continue caring for the yucca plants as you normally would. Yucca Plants are very top heavy and should always be set into a heavy clay or ceramic pot to prevent them from toppling over. Yucca leaves are sharp enough to do real damage to bare skin. Larger forms gradually loose the lower leaves to expose a trunk. Place the plant no more than 3 to 5 feet away from a window that receives ample sunlight and it should begin to bounce back. blazing hot summers, divide your yucca when the plant is dormant in autumn to On plant Yucca elephantipes (I think) 8 Aug, 2007; Featured on: yuccas. Yucca flaccida derives its species name from the fact that its leaves stand fairly limp (those on most yucca plants are rigid); it grows in zones 4 to 10. Step 2 Cut straight across the hardened leaf tips just above the point where the fleshy leaves transition to hardened spines, using a pair of bypass pruners. It really just depends on how much space the roots have. Step 2. At this same time, offsets can be cut away, and replanted if desired. Be careful not to damage the yucca’s trunk. It will recover to look as good as it did before, except that it will be much shorter and more appropriately sized. 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