Yucca Plant
Yucca elephantipes
The spineless yucca plant, a native of Guatemala and southeast Mexico, is an ideal easy care houseplant. 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. Yucca Plants are very top heavy and should always be set into a heavy clay or ceramic pot to prevent them from toppling over. A yucca is a plant that complements a Southwestern look in your home or office.
Light
Yucca plants grow best in bright indirect lightVery few houseplants should be placed in direct sun. High light refers only to bright indirect light since direct sun often burns the leaves of indoor houseplants. An area that is too hot and dry encourages Spider Mites and causes blooms to quickly fade. A northern exposure really doesn't provide enough light for high light plants. These plants need to be placed directly in front of an east-facing window, within 1-3 feet of a west-facing window, and within 5 ft. of a south facing window. A high light area has over 300 ft. candles of light.. A Yucca can survive indoors in lower light but will need very little water. The slow growing yucca will be even slower to produce new leaves in low to medium light. An ideal location is near a west, east, or south-facing window.
Water
A Yucca plant originates in the deserts of Mexico and Guatemala so it likes to be kept dry. Allow at least the top 50% of the soil of a to dry out before watering. Over watering is the main and probably the only way to kill a yucca.
Fertilizer
Feed monthly in the spring and summer with a basic houseplant food at 1/2 the recommended strength.
Temperature
A yucca can adapt to temperatures as low as 35° and as high as 90°.
Humidity
Yucca plants do well in basic and even low household humidity.
Pests
Usual household Plant PestLearn how to identify and treat the plant pest called Whitefly at https://www.houseplant411.com/glossary/whitefly-plant-pestss stay away from a Yucca; even spider mitesLearn how to identify and treat Spider Mites on plants. This sucking plant pest causes yellow blotchy leaves with a red haze and a gritty feel to them. avoid this plant. If you do notice Mealy BugsLearn how to identify and treat Mealy Bugs, a houseplant pest that leaves sticky, white, cottony residue on houseplants. or scaleSoft Brown Scale is the most common scale that attacks indoor houseplants especially ficus, ivy, spider plants, ferns, aralia, and schefflera. It appears as small bumpy brown spots that appear to move. As the scale sucks on the sap of the plant it secretes a sticky substance called honeydew. The honeydew attracts black mildew. Because of the shell-like exterior, sprays are only partially effective against scale. Wipe off the lines of brown oval bumps with your finger, a cloth, or a child’s toothbrush then spray the plant with Neem Oil. Use the Green Solution to clean off the black mildew., spray with the " green solutionIf you don't want to use a commercial chemical product to treat plant pest problems try the “Green Solution.” This is a mixture of water, alcohol, biodegradable liquid soap, and mineral oil. Always test any spray on one or two leaves to be sure it won’t damage the plant. Depending upon how severe the infestation is, you can use these ingredients in varying proportions. If there are only a few pests, dip a Q-tip in alcohol and gently swab them off. For a more widespread problem, start by using a spray of warm water mixed with a few tablespoons of biodegradable soap. If that doesn’t cure the problem, make a solution using 8oz. water & 8oz. alcohol, add two tablespoons of biodegradable soap and two tablespoons of mineral oil. Spray all areas of the plant. Use this solution on leathery leafed plants (except palms), never on fuzzy leafed plants like African Violets or Begonias. For palms, omit the alcohol from the Green Solution. Never spray a plant that’s sitting in the sun or one with very dry soil.
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Soil
Use a good quality, well-aerated, loose houseplant soil that drains quickly for a Yucca Plant. Add sand to the soil if it seems too heavy or clay-like.
Pot Size
Yucca plants like to be root-bound in small pots.
Pruning
If a yucca plant becomes top heavy and keeps falling over, cut the trunks off 1/2 way down. New growth will appear on the old trunk making it bushier and less apt to topple. Start new yucca plants using the sections of trunk that you cut off.
Propagation
A yucca plant is propagated by stem (trunk) cuttings and offsetsHouseplant offsets, or pups as they are sometimes called, are the baby plants that form at the base of certain houseplants.Plant offsets can be used to easily propagate new plants. Wait until the plant offsets have grown at least several inches, then gently detach them from the "mother"plant. Hopefully the plant offsets will have a few roots of their own at this point. Plant the offsets in a small container and keep the plant barely moist but never soggy at all times..
Poisonous Plant Info
Why are the bottom leaves on my yucca tree turning light brown and crispy?
When the bottom leaves on a yucca turn light brown and crispy, it usually means the plant needs more water. Be careful not to over do it, but water your yucca a little more frequently.
My yucca has only one stalk left. I over- watered for a while and lost the other two stalks. This last stalk has green leaves on top of a bare cane and some new leaves coming out at the bottom of the cane. How should I prune my plant to help it look better?
My suggestion to help your yucca look better is to cut the main stalk off just above the new growth at the bottom. This will encourage lots of new shoots on the cane. Plant the green top section that you cut off, include about 12" of the stalk, in the bottom of the existing pot. This Yucca cutting should root in about four weeks and you’ll have a great looking plant.
Why is the stem of my yucca houseplant soft and mushy?
The stems, or stalks, of yucca houseplants get soft and mushy when they are overwatered. Take your yucca out of the pot, get rid of all the wet soil, and allow it to lay out bare root for a day or two. Remove all of the stalk above the mushy part of the stem. Repot in dry succulentLearn the definition of a succulent plant and why they are called a "fat plant." soil. The pot should barely fit the roots of the plant. If the roots aren’t totally destroyed, your plant should start sending out new shoots in about a month.
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