Follow the right watering schedule to prevent it from occurring. Follow the appropriate fertilizing schedule to prevent it. A native of arid regions, yucca has minimum water requirements. Discolored and dead leaves are an obvious sign of necrosis brought on by disease that usually occurs as a result of overwatering. Follow the right watering schedule to prevent it from occurring. Yuccas are often grown in pots both indoors and outdoors. Once established, it’s unlikely plants will need watering. When grown indoors, it is better to place it near east, west, or south-facing window if possible, as it allows maximum sun exposure. Images of Yucca plant and pictures. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Your email address will not be published. Suitable for growing in hot, dry, and coastal regions, it can survive through snowy winters as well. Click here to see all articles about Yucca. There is usually no hurry in repotting the plant as it remains fine even when the roots are a bit crowded. Q. Ideally, a mixture of equal parts of coarse sand, potting soil, and perlite, or a three to one mixture of sand and peat can be used when grown in a pot whether indoor or outdoor. If yucca looks dead, the roots turned brown and the leaves – yellow, reviving the plant won’t be so easy. You can do the trimming once your plant blooms unless you want to collect the seeds for a new plant. Nothing should ever be allowed to build up around the base of the yucca. The scientific name is Yucca elephantipes, and they have sharp, spear-shaped projections, which radiate from the central stalk. Dead growth will make the yucca tree look unkempt and unattractive and may hinder healthy new growth. Yucca plants are typically easy-care landscaping plants, but they can have occasional problems. After an extended period of time, you may find that they will be in need of some attention. Yuccas that grow in tree form can be pruned to cont… A quick trip to the library for a book or two about houseplants should yield some photos of assorted foliage plants or a quick web search for yucca should do the trick. Feed once a year with a controlled-release feed applied in spring. Mealybugs and scale insects can also plague yuccas and are usually immobile or feed in clusters on stems or in leaf axils. This will lead to new, bushier leaf-growth that will allow the tree to have better balance. The long, leathery, pointed leaves of a yucca plant are a foot or more in length and about an inch wide. Tip: Spider mites are a common problem with indoor yuccas as well. There is a good choice of both hardy and tender yucca listed in the RHS Find a Plant. Take a pair of sharp garden scissors and chop the flower stalk off as low as you can. Over time, most species of yucca will grow into room-devouring monsters, but this takes long enough that they provide years of durabl… Yucca aloifolia: Tender. If you want to grow the plant in your garden or lawn without containers, make sure it is planted in sandy, dry, and gritty soil instead of some rich and highly fertile soil. Although technically not considered pruning, maintaining your plants by trimming dead or damaged leaves can be done at any time. Yucca's have fairly long and thick leaves, so if any of the leaves are looking dead, brown or messy it can create a real eyesore as well as making it look like a problem exists when there isn't one. Spraying light alcohol solution or insecticide over the affected areas could be useful. Yucca Care Instructions.LightThe Yucca plant is one garden and houseplant which will be quite happy with as much sun as you can give it. Desert plants like yucca need perfect drainage. Water the plant properly at the base and allow it to dry between watering sessions. This species is prone to different kinds of rot. Can You Prune Fruit Trees Anytime in February? The plant blooms once every year from July to August, depending on the variety grown, making an attractive houseplant. As far as houseplants go, yucca probably eclipsed by the similar-looking Dracaena genus, which is often mistaken for yucca. When dead, dying or damaged leaves won’t give way, gardeners generally try to groom the plant by cutting the yellowing leaves back harshly, leaving a short stub. On some yucca trees, spent leaves may tuck or fold against the trunk while the leaves on others can give the tree a shaggy, unkempt appearance. Scale insects are relatively common, feeding on the sap, leaving behind deposits in the form of yellowish-white or black spots. The specific leaf-clump that grows the bloom stalk gradually dies, making way for new growth. In winter, water well when the topsoil layer appears dry. Outdoor Yucca plant care: Plants prefer dry soil that has full access to the sun. As they age, they do grow very big and don’t look as attractive. Each are pruned slightly differently. Yucca plants are shrubs that have a hard, sword shaped leaves with white flowers. Leaf or blight spot is another common bacterial disease characterized by dark lesions on the leaves. Pruning isn’t necessary for outdoor yuccas, though it makes for an easy way to keep it from completely overpowering the yard. Problems associated with Inadequate Care Excess watering can lead to yellow leaves with brown tips, dead leaves, and root rot. If the disease is concentrated on a few leaves, trim off the affected foliage on a calm day when it's not rainingDispose of the removed plant tissue away from the yucca tree and other desirable plants to limit the spread of the fungus. Over time, this leads to sort of a ruff of leaf stubs around the base or stem of the plant. Angela Ryczkowski is a professional writer who has served as a greenhouse manager and certified wildland firefighter. Yucca is a genus of highly drought-tolerant evergreen perennials that grow either as shrubs or small trees, requiring minimum care. This plant thrives on neglect and it’s beautiful, so it’s the perfect choice for beginner plant parents! I removed the dead leaves though the problem continued to get worse. Wet, soggy soil can cause root rot, which results in dying, yellow leaves. Simply cut off the top portion of a trunk down to the desired size. Yucca plants consist of green dagger-like leaves with towering flower stalks growing in the center to heights ranging from 5 to 30 feet. As with most species of outdoor yuccas, care is essential when handling the plants as they have sharp, cutting edges leaves with pointed tips. A spray of dish soap and water will control bugs and mites. Cutting off all of these growths as they emerge controls the size of the yucca, while selectively removing the new growing points allows the remaining sprouts to become branches. Arizona State Univeristy: Yucca Guatemalensis, University of Florida IFAS Extension: Agave and Yucca: Tough Plants for Tough Times, University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program: Agave, Yucca. Twisted yucca is also named Texas yucca, rock yucca, and twisted-leaf yucca. Water the plant thoroughly the day before transferring the plant. However, these are only common features, as there are various species available. Yuccas produce attractive, creamy white blooms on stalks that grow out of the top of the yucca. The former slowly dissolves in the soil and release the nutrients to the plant’s roots, while the latter readily supply the nutrients to the plant, promoting faster growth. If you find the brown yucca seed pods attractive, or wish to collect seed for propagation, leave flower stalks in place. It is good to know the plant is growing new leaves from the top, so it is striving to survive. The flowering stalk should be removed from the plant if … They generally need no pruning to thrive, but you can prune to shape or control the size of the yucca, address disease or remove unsightly dead leaves or spent flower stalks. Once the leaves on a yucca tree die and turn brown, they generally remain attached. Shrub yuccas, like the hairy yucca (Yucca filamentosa), are low-growing spiky plants that form rosettes of thick fibrous leaves that sprout from a central point. It is generally possible to strip old leaves off of the trunk by gently tugging each leaf downward. Attempts at pampering this sturdy plant may result in a yucca plant leaves turning yellow. Unlike most plants, where pruning means the cutting of branches and blooms, the yucca is a cane plant, and thus pruning means cutting the trunk. Though yucca is a hardy plant, lack of appropriate care can make it susceptible to a host of pest attacks and growth issues. Some yuccas, such as the soft-tipped or spineless yucca (Yucca elephantipes) and the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) have a treelike form, sometimes growing more than 20 to 30 feet tall. Since the plant is top heavy with low watering needs, it requires a well-drained soil that should be heavy enough to keep it in an upright position. So, when replacing an indoor yucca plant to an outdoor location, do it gradually over the course of a week so the plant gets a little time to adjust. Required fields are marked *, Get email updates about what's new for gardeners this season. It is also often infested by other insects such as mealy bugs, aphids, and weevils that could be eliminated by water sprays and insecticidal soap solutions. Cutting the plant back to reduce its size should be done in early spring, right before the growing season. Your email address will not be published. He started off strong, however after about a month some of the leaves started yellowing and browning. Read on to find out why this happens and get tips on caring for a browning yucca plant. Started with one but now have many large clusters. So the soil for the plant should be a well drained one. Its blooming is bird-attractive during fall and summer. If you notice the tiny red mites on your plant, take your potted yucca outdoors or into the shower and spray well, including the underside of the leaves. Trim as necessary to retain a desirable shape. Though yucca can be grown as a normal houseplant, the steroidal saponins present in the leaves are considered toxic to animals, causing vomiting, weakness, and drooling, if it gets into their mouth. The leaves were yellowing/drooping/browning to the point where I did a lot of research and suspected root rot. Removing the dead foliage can expose a yucca's unconditioned trunk to strong sun and greater fluctuations in temperature, unnecessarily stressing the plant. Yucca trees are potentially bothered by a handful of pests and diseases, including some fungal pathogens that cause leaf spots. Yucca plants can be a bush or a stalk plant. How to Remove Leaf Stubs. If you are using a tray underneath the container, empty it from time to time to avoid excessive accumulation of standing water. Pruning Yucca Plants. Hello Liveyuccalive, Yucca can take full sun, quite drought tolerant too. For best results, plant yuccas in sandy soil and don’t use organic mulch. These flowers bloom from summer to fall and most are edible. Signs of root rot will eventually appear on the yucca's foliage. Application of copper fungicide or neem oil may help in removing the spores from the leaves. Remove the plant slowly from the old pot and detangle the roots carefully with your fingers. If a yucca tree has outgrown a space, you can generally cut it back completely and allow it to re-sprout. Moist rotting foliage will encourage fungal and bacterial diseases to develop. I'm trying to remember the name of that particular yucca that I have. Adding a 2 to 3 inch layer of rocks at the bottom of the container prevents water from getting stagnated and facilitates better drainage. 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. Avoid overwatering the plant as this can cause rotting of the roots.Cut off all the dead leaves in order to keep the plant neat. Feed your plant with a low-nitrogen balanced fertilizer at 1/2 strength, containing all the essential nutrients like calcium, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, iron, and manganese, once every month during spring and summer. Water – A common cause of yellow yucca leaves is too much water. The yucca cannot withstand waterlogged soil for extended periods of time. December 23, 2019 April 6, 2020 Webi 0 Comments how to remove dead leaves from yucca plant, outdoor yucca plant care, types of yucca plants, yucca plant indoor, yucca plant problems, yucca plant pruning, yucca plant root, yucca plant uses Indirect sunlight but can survive in full-shade/lower light conditions as well the formation of multiple trunks must be in... From occurring for this plant thrives on neglect and it ’ s unlikely plants will need watering and ensure uniform! Due to overwatering appear growing out of the plant slowly from the reach of your pets perfect for! 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