Can i cut yucca plant

You can peel the leaves off the trunk by gently pulling them back and down; however, this method leaves the trunk exposed to pests, disease, and weather. Click here for pruning shears on Amazon.

A third group of yuccas popular with gardeners is the bushy, trunkless species that grow close to the ground with their spiky leaves pointing straight up. These yuccas feature dramatic clusters of white flowers on thick vertical shafts that grow up out of the center of the plant.

They are most often used in the garden but can also be potted and kept indoors. Using a sharp knife or pruning shears, snip these leaves off about an inch above the base. Be careful not to cut into the tender central core of the plant, which sits just above the ground.

Be careful: the leaves of many yucca species can be sharp and spiny, so make sure to wear heavy gardening gloves and a long-sleeved shirt as you trim. Click here for gardening gloves on Amazon. This is usually a sign that you are under-watering the plant or that the humidity level in your home is too low.

Snipping off the brown, dead tips of the leaves will improve the appearance of your yucca, but to address the problem, you must supply the plant with more water. To encourage your yucca tree to branch out, cut off its top, including the crown of new growth and any flowering spikes.

Some yucca plants, such as the Joshua tree Yucca brevifolia, USDA zones 8 through 10 take on the striking and distinctive form of trees. You can direct the form and growth of these yucca plants by topping the trunk just above where you want new branches to sprout.

This process doesn't work overnight, so be prepared for your yucca to look a little yucky while you wait for the new growth to take over. Home Guides Garden Garden Care. By Kay Dean Updated December 17, 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. You can propagate Yucca via division, root cuttings, stem cuttings and seeds.

Stems and offsets can be cut, the bottom few inches stripped of leaves and the cuttings planted and treated gently until they root. You can collect yucca seeds, and plant them out but be patient as the seeds are slow to sprout.

You can also use a shovel to dig up a section of rhizome, cut it into 3 inch sections and plant them. You should see growth from rhizome cuttings in about a month. It is quite easy to turn one yucca into a flock-o-yuccas.

Here at Plant Delights Nursery we have grown dozens of different Yucca species and cultivars over the years. Species that we really like are Yucca filamentosa , Yucca aloifolia , and Yucca gloriosa.

Not Helpful 2 Helpful 6. My yucca has root rot. Can I cut the trunk and replant the top of the tree to save it? Martine Votvik. I have done this successfully. On my yucca there was already the beginnings of roots on the stem over the rot, like little rice corns.

I cut it and after drying it for a day, I rolled some moist tissue paper around it. When the roots were half a cm I potted it. It grows well. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 2. I have new shoots coming along the yucca trunk. Can I just cut them off and not damage the main trunk?

Yes, the new shoots are very hardy. You can also push the shoots straight in the ground and they will usually take and start growing from there. Not Helpful 3 Helpful 7.

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Water the plants once every 10 days. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. You can give giving the yucca plants fertilizer times a year for best results, though it is not required. Sanitize your pruning tools with rubbing alcohol before and after you use them, as well as when you switch between plants. This way, you avoid any cross contamination. Yucca flowers are edible. You can eat them raw or after cooking. Always wear gloves and safety glasses when cutting the yucca plants.

Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0. Yucca leaves are often sharp. Wear long-sleeved clothing and gloves to protect yourself. Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1. Related wikiHows How to. How to. More References 8. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: 7. Updated: June 19, Categories: Growing Trees and Shrubs. Deutsch: Yuccas beschneiden. Nederlands: Een yucca snoeien. Bahasa Indonesia: Memangkas Tanaman Yucca.