I have too tall a yucca: what do I do?

Yucca is a plant that can grow a lot

Yucas are plants that are widely grown in gardens and on terraces. They do not need as much water as many other species, and they also adore the sun. Sometimes they are even kept indoors, in rooms where a lot of natural light enters, although due to their light requirements, we recommend keeping them outdoors whenever possible so that they can grow normally.

And it is that, even so, we can find that our cassava is too high. This happens when the variety we have chosen is not quite suitable for the place where we grow it. But, We can do something?

First of all, let us know the reasons why the yucca may have grown so much, since depending on it we will have to take some measures or others.

Why does my yucca grow so much?

Yucas can grow a lot

Image – Wikimedia / CT Johansson // yucca rostrata

All plants grow, if they have the space and the necessary nutrients to do so. In the case of yuccas, these are generally large plants. The species yucca elephantipesone of the most cultivated indoors, it can reach 10 meters in height; the yucca rostrataa species of the most interesting for xerojardines and rockeries due to its blue-green leaves, it reaches 4,5 meters; wave yucca aloifoliaAnother beauty (especially the variegate form, which has green leaves with yellowish margins) reaches 7 meters.

So one of the main reasons our beloved plant has grown so much is plain and simple because It’s their nature. It’s in their genes, and we can’t do much against it. Now, there is another possible cause, but this one is worrying, as it can weaken it a lot: lack of light.

Yucas, as we said before, are plants that need sun, or at least a lot of natural light. They cannot be in shadow. For this reason, if they are kept indoors, it may be the case that they are etiolatedthat is to say, that its stems grow too much in search of that much-needed light. In doing so, these stems ‘thin’, weaken, and in extreme cases could break as they lose strength.

We now turn to see what measures to take when it has grown more than we had anticipated.

What to do if my yucca is too tall?

There are some measures that we can take so that the yucca is not so big, and they are pruning it, moving it around or transplanting it, either in the garden or to a larger pot. Let’s know more about this:

When and how to prune yucca?

Cassava pruning is the fastest and most effective solution to the “problem” at hand. We are lucky that they are plants that sprout well, and that wounds heal at a good rate. Because of this, we shouldn’t worry too much if we are going to cut off some stems, or reduce their height. But beware This must be done carefully, and at a certain time of yearif not we could make the situation worse.

When was it pruned?

Yucca is an evergreen plant, so it remains evergreen. However, in autumn and especially in winter it hardly grows. Therefore, the best time to prune it is at the end of this last season, which is when temperatures start to rise and when its growth rate increases.

How to prune the yucca?

To prune it, we will need a hand saw for thick branches (you can get it here!), pruning shears for the tender ones, and for safety gardening gloves. Once we have them on, we will follow these steps:

  1. The first thing we will do is take a few steps away from the plant, to see exactly what and how much we have to cut.
  2. Afterwards, we will take the appropriate tool and, without fear, we will reduce the length of some stems a little. That is, if the plant measures 2 meters, we will leave it with 1,50 meters, but no less. It supports pruning, but not that which is drastic; that is, we cannot cut it in half and hope it survives, because that most likely will not happen. Also, you always have to leave some leaves.
  3. If it does, you also have to remove the shoots from the trunk (except if they are the only leaves it has).
  4. Finally, we will seal the wounds with healing paste.

Move it around: when and how?

Yucca is an evergreen plant

Yucca aloifolia f Variegata

Another very interesting option, whenever possible, is to move it around, either to take it away from home, or to transplant it to the garden, something that it will be done in spring. This is done when you don’t want to prune, or not so much. But as we say, it is only feasible if the appropriate conditions are met for it, which are:

  • Warm weatherwithout frost or very mild. Some species endure up to -18ºC, but it is preferable that they are not so extreme.
  • Infrequent rains. Yucas are native to arid and semi-arid regions, so they could not live in areas where it rains constantly.
  • The land has good drainagethat is, it does not flood.
  • There is room to put it in a sunny exposure.
  • Its roots are not particularly invasive, but it is highly advisable to plant it at a distance of 5 meters from the pipes.

How to transfer it?

If we have it at home and we want to take it out, It is very, very important that we put it in semi-shade and that we get used to the sun, little by littleotherwise its leaves will burn. But how to do it? Well, it really is simple, since we only have to gradually increase the exposure time to the sun king, one more hour each week.

Ideally, avoid the central hours of the day, since they are when the sun’s rays reach the most direct. Likewise, if we see that any leaf is burned, in principle it should not alarm us, since it is normal while the plant is acclimatizing. But If many burns start to appear, then yes we will have to slow down, and reduce the exposure time.

Transplanting yucca

To the garden

Once it is always in full sun, taking out healthy leaves, we can plant it in the gardenfollowing these steps:

  1. We will dig a hole of at least 50 x 50 centimeters, although we recommend that it be 1m x 1m in order to improve drainage if necessary.
  2. Then, we will fill it with water and wait for the earth to absorb it. We have to calculate the time it takes, since if it is a lot we will have to take action. The normal thing would be that you see that the water is absorbed from the first moment it is poured into the hole, but if it takes more than 30 minutes it will be necessary to do something so that the yucca does not rot, such as filling, even more or less half of the hole, with gravel (construction sand, with a grain size of about 2-5mm thick).
  3. Afterwards, we introduce the plant and make sure that it is neither too high nor too low.
  4. To finish, we finished filling the hole with universal substrate mixed with perlite in equal parts (like this one they sell here!).

To a bigger pot

The yucca will need a pot change from time to time. Thus, If you see that the roots are coming out of the drainage holes, and / or if it has already occupied it all, you will have to plant it in another larger container so that it can continue to grow. If it is not done, it is true that it will be left with a smaller size, but over time it will weaken as it runs out of space.

So if your plant needs a transplant, get a pot that measures about 7 centimeters (for example, this you can do well) at least more than the one you have now, which has holes, and fill it with high-quality substrate that has perlite. Then you just have to water it.

Small Yuccas species

It’s better to prevent than to cure. For this reason, we are going to tell you which are the Yucca species that grow little, and that therefore are advisable for small gardens, pots and even indoors if they have a lot of light:

  • yucca bailey: it is a plant that reaches 150 centimeters in height. Its trunk is short. Resists up to -4ºC.
  • yucca campestris: it does not exceed a meter in height, but yes, it usually forms groups. It resists frosts down to -4ºC.
  • Yucca constrict: grows slowly up to a meter in height. It develops a not very tall trunk. Resists up to -6ºC.
  • yucca glauca: a beautiful acaule species with blue-green leaves, with a height of about 60 centimeters. It also forms groups. Resists up to -12ºC.
  • Yucca intermediate: it is difficult to exceed 60-70 centimeters in height. It has no trunk. It resists frosts down to -15ºC.
  • pale yucca: reaches about 50 centimeters in height, with little or no trunk. Its leaves are bluish. Resists up to -18ºC.

We hope it has served you.

I have too tall a yucca: what do I do?

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