Yucca plants are slow-growing plants that are easy to grow and care for. The growing conditions for yucca are simple to meet and one of the most important points to remember is that yucca plants do not require much water. Overwatering is the leading cause of damage to a lot of houseplants, including yucca.
Yucca filamentosa
Giving your yucca plant the appropriate care it needs will ensure that it grows tall and reaches its maximum height. If you are looking to grow a tall yucca tree, then pick a species that grows tall such as yucca elephantipes, yucca rostrata, yucca aliofolia, etc. For shorter yucca trees or yucca shrubs, you can grow yucca filamentosa, yucca gloriosa, yucca flaccida, and so on.
Yucca plants are beautiful architectural and ornamental plants that add a dramatic expression to your garden and home. They are easy to grow and care for without requiring much fuss. In this article, we will be teaching you how to care for your yucca plant and addressing common questions when it comes to Yucca plant care. With this growing guide, you achieve the healthy growth of a happy plant.
How To Grow A Yucca Plant
Yucca is propagated in spring from the pups or offsets at the base of its wooden trunk. Yuccas can also spread through rhizomes from the main stalk that produce new shoots.
- Simply cut off an offset with a sharp knife, leave the wound to heal or dry out for a few days.
- Plant in a new pot in soil that is a fine mix of soil and compost with some grit added to increase the soil drainage abilities.
- Water generously after planting and then leave in a warm spot.
- Yucca doesn’t need much water so after the first watering, water only once a week or when the soil begins to dry.
How to grow and care for Yucca Plants Indoors
Several species of yucca plants can be grown as houseplants indoors. One of the common indoor species is Yucca elephantipes. Yucca is a good indoor plant that can be grown in pots – easy to grow, and a hardy plant that doesn’t require much of your attention. Here’s what you need to know to grow an indoor yucca plant.
- Although yuccas have a big root system, they do not need a lot of space and prefer their root mass is kept tightly with the soil so a compact planting pot with drainage holes and a drainage tray is ideal.
- Yucca plants like a lot of light. For some, indirect sunlight is better for them, however, an indoor plant should be placed close to a window facing south where it can get sufficient but indirect sunlight.
- Yucca plants are drought hardy plants. That means they require less water than other plants will and can stay longer periods without water and still maintain a distinguished look. With your indoor yucca plant, avoid overwatering the plant and only water when the topsoil is 80 to 100% dry. This might mean watering once a week or less and remember that growing your yucca plant in consistently moist soil will cause root rot.
- Although they are not fussy plants, they require some care and feeding them with a general-purpose fertiliser once a month through spring and summer is a simple way to care for them.
- Lastly, when growing yucca plants indoors, note that it is important to re-pot your plant at least every 3 years so that they can enjoy all the nutrients from new soil.
How to grow and care for Yucca Plants Outdoors in the UK
Yucca gloriosa Bright Star – Variegated Adams Needle
Growing yucca plants outdoors is the same process as growing yucca plants indoors. You may wonder about certain growing conditions like the best planting site, light requirements, how fast your yucca will grow and so on.
Starting with the planting site, the best place to plant yucca is south-facing, in a shaded location where it can get enough sunlight. Yucca plants like a lot of sunlight, but full sunlight can cause the leaf scorch. Growing yucca in a shaded area where it can still get sunlight is ideal. They might be able to tolerate low light for short periods, but it will eventually affect the foliage of your yucca plant.
The same care is given to yucca plants grown outdoors though it differs a bit when it comes to caring for an outdoor yucca plant in cold weather conditions like in the UK.
Can yucca grow outdoors in the UK?
The short answer is yes. However, not all species of yucca plants are hardy enough to grow outdoors in the UK. Some species are hardier than others and therefore can survive in low temperatures that are characteristic of the UK weather. Examples of yucca plants that can be grown outdoors in the UK are yucca gloriosa, yucca filamentosa, yucca recurvifolia, and yucca recurvifolia ‘monca’. Each of these can survive growing in temperatures below 0 degrees celsius as long as they are not waterlogged. Like most plants like this, they can tolerate lower temperatures when they are on the dry side, not wet.
Care For Flowering Yucca Plants
A common question we get around here is this “do yuccas bloom?” and “how often do they bloom?” Not all yucca plants bloom and produce flowers, but when they do, the flowers are produced in late spring and autumn. Often the flowers grow on flower stalks that tower above the leaves and produce cream or white bell-shaped flowers.
How often do yuccas bloom?
If you are lucky with your yucca plant, it will bloom flowers every growing season but the norm is for yucca plants to produce flowers once every few years. After blooming has occurred, you can cut off the flower stalks as they begin to die away if you like.
