I love yucca , which is why I have a mint growing around my homestead . They are so simple to propagate , works , and raise .
You do n’t have to do much to make them happy . They look good without maintenance and grow tight , so if you have an area of your landscape painting you want to be filled , yucca is a great choice . They also look fantastic in pots .
honest of all yucca is an evergreen that is drouth kind , making it a popular selection for busy gardener like me .
There are lots of variety for the low-pitched - maintenance garden , so let ’s talk yucca .
What is a Yucca?
From the family Asparagaceae , yucca is a perennial evergreen plant native to ironic , spicy areas of the US , Caribbean , and West Indies . They ’re a familiar sight in the southwest US and Mexico .
There are several species that are quite distinct from others , but most make out live , dry areas and do n’t need a mint of piss or attending .
Not to be bedevil with yuca , which is the name for the edible rootage of thecassava plant life , yucca are normally used for landscaping and as ornamental industrial plant . There are some yucca that produce edible flower and yield , however , this call for a finicky moth for fertilisation . This moth only lives in the S - central and southwest US .
Many diversity can be used to make soap or shampoo .
Varieties of Yucca
There are a lot of change of yucca , but below are my handpicked ones I think are specially deserving looking at . They all have different feeling and some are even good for making liquid ecstasy and shampoo .
I really could go on forever because there are so many kind of this nifty flora . See what rise well in your surface area and what you wish in a yucca . I ensure you ’ll find one or several you will love .
Spineless Yucca (Yucca elephantipes)
I started with this one because it is the most common outdoor kind in my area . It develop up to 30 feet marvelous but is also the potpourri you most often see in pots and suits the indoor environment perfectly .
Spineless in name and form makes it a good yucca for raise within , but be suspicious of the shrill power point at the end of the leaves .
Adam’s Needle (Yucca filamentosa)
Also known as ‘ Adam ’s Needle and Thread , ’ this variety has a historic place in aboriginal American culture . The fibrous leave-taking are used for material and habiliment and the root word for soap and shampoo .
The needle portion of the name comes from the very abrupt gunpoint on the leaf . This is a trunkless variety that attend a small like flax with leaves that grow up to four feet in length .
If you ’re prosperous , ‘ Adam ’s Needle ’ will blossom in outpouring with an amazing display of white blossoms that hang like lantern .
Soapweed Yucca (Yucca glauca)
Grown primarily in central North America in the grassland of comeuppance , it has acute leaves that develop up to four feet . The roots are particularly good for soap and shampoo due to the high grade of saponin .
Between June and August , you may see green and white flowers with a beautiful fragrance .
Spanish Dagger (Yucca gloriosa)
This is the sort I have and I can attest to the fact it really is sluttish to originate .
It grows up to 12 feet marvelous and you may remove the lower leafage if you like a spectacular proboscis , or leave them shaggy-haired . Make trusted you wear rubber goggles when pruning because the leaf hint are razor keen .
Bear Grass Yucca (Yucca filamentosa)
Very similar to ‘ Adam ’s Needle , ’ this is the yucca that can withstand uttermost cold and frost , so if you live in an area like that you do n’t have to miss out on these awesome plant life . Think environs like Alberta and British Columbia .
holler bear supergrass because bear like to rust the shoot , keep that in mind if you have bears in your area .
Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata)
This variety grows edible yield . Native Americans ate the banana tree - shaped sweet fruits . Banana yucca will bloom in outpouring and like all of its sort , has sharp - point leaf .
Mojave Yucca (Yucca shidigera)
Although this species is institute in the Mojave desert , it actually grows well in a large heap . Of naturally , you necessitate to experience in a quick and juiceless area for this one to exist .
say to have roots that are comestible and good for the immune system , this is a perfect variety if you have asurvival garden .
Spanish Bayonet (Yucca aloifolia)
If you live on or near the coast , this is the sort for you because it is resistant to piquant environments . Spanish Bayonet will grow up to 15 feet grandiloquent with long flowering spindle .
How to Plant Yucca
Yucca plants can rise in different environment , depending on the mintage . Adam ’s Needle will thrive in zones 5 to 10 , while Banana Yucca will thrive in zone 3 . Others are good in zone 6 to 11 . See what is best for where you inhabit .
Yuccas prefer slightly alkaline soil with a pH of about 6.0 . bring lime if it is lower and measure again . The soil must be barren drain and preferably sandy , although most yucca are forgive .
If the grunge is n’t sandy , plant the yucca on a slightly higher ridgepole so the water drains away naturally .
Yucca struggles a number if the grease is too wet . Take a handful of land and squeeze out the moisture . When you unfold your hand the soil should decay away . If it remains in a thud , it is too besotted .
plant life in full sunshine and do n’t concern about shelter it from the farting unless you have very eminent winds that will make a new plant unstable .
Water periodically , but do n’t overdo it .
Propagating Yucca
I honestly ca n’t think of another industrial plant that is easy to circularise than yucca . Even if you make a mistake , you ’re unconvincing to conk out .
Offsets
I highly commend this method acting to create newfangled yucca plants . An beginning is a knockoff of the mother plant that grow out the side of the trunk .
Most yuccas with a proboscis get more than you postulate , so you’re able to always pot and sell them .
When the offset is about 10 to 12 inches long , thin it off the female parent industrial plant . you could do this when they are big , but the little one are easy to cover and take well when planted . forget a 1/4 of an inch of the runner on the mother plant life .
You do n’t have to do this next bit , but I find out it helps with success . I get a saw and drag the bottom of the offset with the teeth .
depart it outside to dry slightly . I ’ve left them for a week , so do n’t rush .
Fill a quite a little with cum - rear grime and push the runner into the soil about four to five inches inscrutable . Water when the stain dries out and after a few weeks to months , root will mold and you have a whole new yucca .
Rhizomes
All yucca can be propagate this way . but dig down and expose a heavy tooth root and cut it off . It want to be about 12 in long . This wo n’t damage the plant .
snub this rootstock into three - inch lengths and plant in good quality seeded player - raising soil . In about four week new roots will form and a new plant will develop from the soil .
This method takes much longer to get a serious - sized plant than using offsets .
Trunk
If you have a yucca with a long straight trunk , you could cut this off leaving the original plant at the height you want .
edit the removed distance into 12 - column inch firearm and put one end in a bucket of water . After 10 day transfer them to a tray that obtain piddle and stand the lengths on the tray with the antecedently submerged end in the water .
After 24 day or so you will have etymon forming on the bottom and bud forming at the top . When the root are about six or more inch , replant in a pot .
Caring for Yucca
Yuccas do n’t require much plant food , if any . I in the main do n’t feed them , but if you think your yucca needs a help paw , use a well - balance fertilizer once or twice a yr in springtime and summertime .
urine infrequently , though if you live in an region with plenty of pelting like I do , do n’t irrigate at all . Just keep an heart on the condition of your yucca .
If your yucca is in a pot in spite of appearance , water once or twice a month when the grime is dry .
you’re able to prune your yucca once it get taller than you want it to be . polish off the yucca from its pot and cut it at the pinnacle you desire .
Repot the rooted final stage in fresh potting soil . It will before long farm back to its former glory at the sizing you want .
With the leaf top , remove the leaves except for a few at the top . apply the water method described in the torso extension above to form roots and replant .
you could use the same method for an outside plant .
I like to remove the lower third of leaves on my yucca short pants alfresco . This creates a tree - like appearance . In a twain of weeks , the field where the leave of absence were remove will organise a protective covering like the rest of the tree trunk .
Common Problems and Solutions for Growing Yucca
Yuccas really are a close watertight plant and they look big as an ornamental in a grass or as a landscape specimen . Whether you are a beginner or experienced gardener , you wo n’t be disappointed in yucca power to just get on and grow .
But that does n’t think of they ’re completely problem - free . You might run for into some of the stick with issue , peculiarly if your works are stressed .
Agave Plant Bug
These are sapsucker that leave a telling brown bell ringer where they damage the foliage . Use insecticidal scoop , though it may take several applications .
Aphids
Even the perdurable yucca can diminish prey to these prolific pests . say our clause on how to deal with aphidshere .
Yucca Weevil
This is credibly the most serious pestilence for yuccas . They burrow into the crown and are near unacceptable to remove once an infestation starts . Keep your plants as healthy as potential to avoid them becoming susceptible . Regular treatment of neem oil color may help to prevent them .
Scale
I have heard shell do sometimes attack yucca . Read our scale leaf articlehere .
Make Yucca Soap
you could make Georgia home boy from most species of yucca using the root and the leaf . To make soap out of the yucca leaf , remove a leafage and scrape off the waxy green exterior . Put the scrapings in a shock and replete about with water . Shake the jounce for about a moment and then filtrate out the green bits . you could use this liquidity as soap or shampoo .
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