As it grows older, when the trunk of Yucca becomes bare, it becomes like a tree - indoor palm tree. At the same time, its decorative effect is lost, it is more and more difficult to care for it. The question arises: how to return the flower to its usual acceptable size and former attractiveness? To do this, you can use our tips and one of the ways to propagate Yucca at home. In addition, in the article we will talk about common problems of growing Yucca, about the treatment of diseases and pest control.
If you cut off the top of Yucca with a bunch of leaves and part of the trunk (at least 10 cm), then rejuvenate the old plant and get one or more new ones. This operation is best done in the spring, when Yucca begins to grow. Water the plant well beforehand. After a couple of days, the top can be cut off. Use a sharp, clean knife or pruner. If the remaining stem is too tall, you can cut off another part of it so that the old flower has a stem of the desired height. Let all the cuts dry a little (about 20 minutes), and then treat them with crushed activated charcoal or garden pitch.
Transfer the old hemp pot to a slightly shaded place for a couple of months and do not water it - having lost its crown, Yucca will stop consuming water. Watering can lead to root rot or other diseases. When the lateral buds begin to wake up on the stem, when new rosettes of leaves begin to appear from them, then the flower should be taken out into the light, watered and further looked after in accordance with all the rules.
Reproduction by the top of the flower
We did not forget the cut top of the flower. It's gorgeous planting material for rapid reproduction Yucca. To do this, cut off the lower leaves with a clean knife or scissors. We drop the end of the cutting into a pot with wet coarse sand (perlite, vermiculite) and cover the entire structure with a bag to create a greenhouse effect.
Yucca can also be rooted in water. It will take about a month to root. All this time, the cutting should be in a warm place with diffused lighting. When the top acquires its own roots, it should be transplanted into its own pot with suitable soil where the young yucca will grow further.
Reproduction by part of the trunk
From the trunk of an adult Yucca, after the top is cut off, another part is usually cut off for reproduction if there are dormant buds on it. The sections are air-dried for 20 minutes, then sprinkled with activated charcoal or smeared with garden pitch. This stem is placed in a container with a lid, in wet sand, horizontally, well compacted. From the awakening buds, new rosettes of leaves will form. How many buds wake up - so much you get new shoots. It remains only to carefully separate them, dry the sections and treat them with activated charcoal, and then plant each shoot in a separate pot.
Propagation by child lateral shoots (cuttings)
If you chose this method of reproduction, then carefully separate the child side shoot from the adult plant. For rooting, it can be placed either in a jar of water, where you put an activated charcoal tablet to prevent rot, or in a container with wet sand, after treating the sections with the same crushed charcoal. When roots appear on the shoot, you can transplant it into a pot with prepared soil.
Propagation with seeds
This method of reproduction at home is used very rarely. As a rule, it is not possible to collect your seeds, since indoor Yucca blooms extremely rarely. But, if you got seeds somewhere, you can try - Yucca seeds usually germinate well. First, prepare the landing container. It is good to use a container with a lid for this purpose. Fill it with a mixture of sand and turfy earth in equal proportions, moisten. Spread the seeds on the surface, slightly deepening them into the substrate. Close the lid. Place the container in a bright and warm (25–30 gr.) place. Every day, ventilate the container, if necessary, moisten the substrate with a small spray gun with warm settled or boiled water. Wait for the first shoots in a month. Then take care of transplanting seedlings from separate pots.
Yucca diseases and their treatment
Indoor Yucca is quite hardy, rarely gets sick, endures ailments steadfastly. It is only important not to miss the moment of defeat. Yucca's health status is usually judged by its leaves. Any change in their color or shape should alert you.
If the leaves are covered with large light brown spots, you may be too carried away by watering the flower and spraying it. From waterlogging of the substrate and air space, a fungus settled on the leaves of Yucca. All leaves affected by the fungus must be removed. Treat the plant with some fungicide preparation from fungal disease(Topaz, Maxim, Cabrio). Move the pot to a room with lower humidity. Stop spraying the flower and the air around it.
If the fungus has struck not only the leaves, but also the Yucca stem, most likely the plant cannot be saved. You will have to get rid of it so that the disease does not spread to other flowers in your collection.
If the tips of the leaves dry to look like a healthy Yucca, this is a signal that the plant does not have enough moisture when watering or the air in the room is dry. Adjust watering, if necessary, start spraying the room and the flower.
If brown spots appear on the leaves, dry and brittle to the touch, this is an occasion for more frequent watering in the hot season. It seems that you often forget to water and overdry the substrate. Watering the plant is necessary after upper layer the substrate dried out by 5–7 cm.
If spots on Yucca leaves light color, then this is a signal of an overabundance of sunlight. You should rearrange the pot with light partial shade or block the flower from the direct sun with blinds or a curtain.
If the Yucca leaves drooped and began to lose elasticity, their ends began to wrap and wither, perhaps your beauty is freezing. Move it to more warm room, or find a seat in the same room, but closer to the radiator or away from the window pane.
If Yucca's lower leaves turn yellow and dry, and the upper ones continue to grow actively, then you should not worry - this is a normal process. The life of Yucca leaves lasts two years, then they die off. Damaged lower leaves should be carefully disposed of (not cut off, but cut off) to maintain the decorative appearance of the flower. Due to the fall of the lower leaves in the natural environment, Yucca just becomes like a Palm tree.
But, if the plant began to shed a lot of lower leaves at once, pay attention to care. Perhaps the flower is standing in a draft, or the temperature in the room is too low.
Pests
Conclusion
Diseases and pests appear on Yucca only when it is no longer cared for. If you create a good microclimate in your house, provide Yucca with the necessary comfort, then by doing so you will protect her from all troubles and troubles. (How to do this correctly, you can find out in the article:). And she, in turn, will effectively decorate the interior of the house and protect the owner from the evil eye and negative emotions.
Let us find out in more detail what diseases yucca is susceptible to.
Diseases and treatment
They are mainly related with non-compliance with the irrigation regime yucca.
Watering during the dormant period in winter has an extremely detrimental effect. Excessive dryness of the room also contributes to the weakening of the plant.
Why does the palm tree turn yellow and leaves fall, their tips
Why do yucca leaves drop? What to do if in room conditions turn yellow, dry and fall off the lower leaves? When the plant begins to turn yellow, this does not mean that the cause lies in the disease.
It could be due to natural process getting rid of false palm trees from foliage. This is essential for continued growth.
In the case when it is the lower foliage that is shed, this may mean that too much or too little moisture. Get acquainted with the recommendations on how to properly water a false palm tree and correct the situation.
Well, if the roots are not affected, then there are more chances for resuscitation of the yucca.
Brown spots on leaves
If when the leaves fall, they have yellow spots, which then become oval and change color to brown, which means that the plant was struck by brown spotting.
To cure it, you need to figure out whether you properly cared for the yucca, and then treat it.
Causes of drying
Why do yucca leaves turn yellow and dry? What to do, how to care for a palm tree so that this does not happen? How to save? When there is not enough light, the plant also has yellowness on the tips of the leaves, they begin to dry.
For the normal passage of the process of photosynthesis, it is desirable to provide it with bright illumination with diffused rays, but in no case direct, so as not to provoke the appearance of burns.
Temperature effect
An alarm signal when growing a false palm tree at home is if yucca leaves are curling.
Low temperatures adversely affect the vital activity of the plant, because it comes from the subtropics and categorically cannot stand the cold.
Under the influence of low temperatures the leaves turn brownish at the edges and gradually curl up. There are times when the temperature drops at night, and the sensitive yucca freezes overnight. In winter, it is better to remove it from the windowsill in the evening until the morning, until it gets warmer.
With severe hypothermia, foliage can fall massively. The false palm tree does not tolerate drafts. It is better to take care in advance that the flower is warm and cozy, especially in winter.
Pests
false palm quite disease resistant and is rarely attacked by pests. But if the disease has already struck the foliage or stem, it is better to immediately take the necessary measures.
To do this, it is desirable to know what pests we can deal with in order to respond in time and cure the plant, and not throw the yucca and the pot out from under it.
spider mite
Appears if the living conditions are not suitable for the plant, and it weakens - from excessive dryness of the air or due to heat. He settles on reverse side leaves and feeds on its juices. By sucking the juice from the false palm tree, it makes it weaker and contributes to wilting, because then the flower gets almost no nutrients.
Light spots and yellowness appear on the affected foliage, they are entwined with a thin cobweb, provoking the gradual drying of the yucca.
It is quite difficult to see the spider mite itself on the leaf, but by the above signs you can easily determine what exactly it infects the plant.
Shield aphid or scale insect
It mainly affects plants of the genus Agave, including yucca. She settles on the foliage. Dangerous because breeds rapidly and is well adapted to the home microclimate.
On early stage diseases it is problematic to notice the shield aphid on the plant. When it becomes an adult, it is covered with a wax shield. Under it, the larvae ripen.
damaged plant stops growing and withers. This is due to the fact that the scale insect begins to eat the leaves, and if the necessary measures are not taken in time to eliminate it, the false palm tree will die.
How to save a palm tree from death?
How to revive a yucca? A timely response will allow resuscitation of the yucca. It is important to know what to do if it is affected by fungal diseases or pests.
Resuscitation from fungal diseases
If the problem is fungi or bacteria, get rid of the affected parts of the plant, and healthy foliage is treated with a systemic fungicide. We reduce watering, do not spray at all.
These are productive measures for the first phase of the disease. When the disease is already actively progressing, the plant cannot be helped. It needs to be thrown out. We also throw away the pot from under the dead flower.
Fighting spider mites
Start spraying and flushing the foliage, mainly its reverse side with a low concentrated solution of tobacco, onion peel or chamomile decoction, garlic infusion. We wash the leaf, starting from the stem and ending with the edge of the leaf. The procedure is repeated until the final destruction of the tick.
Salvation from the shield
The best helper will be laundry soap.
We dip a cotton swab or cloth into its solution, wring it out slightly and remove pests with their help.
At the same time, we spray the larvae with a solution of tobacco mixed with kerosene or alcohol.
Purchased can be used insecticides- phytoverm, actellik.
If the yucca has suffered from improper care
You can try to reanimate the plant. First of all change the soil. We clean the root system from dead and rotten areas. We disinfect the roots with a weak solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour, and then dry them and transplant them into new soil. Not earlier than 15 days later, it is allowed to feed the false palm.
Yucca (Yucca) belongs to the Agave family, although this plant is very similar to a palm tree. This family includes over 45 species, but no more than 7 species are cultivated as indoor ornamental species, and a few more can be found in gardens and parks. Yucca is popular with flower growers due to its graceful trunk, the top of which is decorated with a shock of beautiful long emerald leaves.
These evergreens are from North American countries. At home, yucca is cultivated not only as ornamental plants. serves as a source of fiber from which clothes, bags, ropes and baskets are made. And from the roots of culture, local residents have adapted to extract natural red dyes, and parts of the plant are often used by traditional healers. Yucca leaves contain starch, so they are often used in cooking.
Tree-like trunks of yucca, with one or more points of growth, can be crowned with drooping or erect narrow long leaves. With the help of competent pruning, the trunks can be given bizarre shapes and the desired branching. Yucca can bloom and bear fruit only in natural conditions, where they are pollinated by special butterflies. flowering ornamental varieties you can wait extremely rarely and only from hybrids.
With the creation of favorable conditions and tireless care, homemade yucca can bloom only after 6-7 years. This event takes place in the summer. But experienced gardeners have learned to stimulate the laying of flower buds in adult plants by creating cool conditions in winter. The temperature at this time should not exceed 14 degrees. Yucca flowers are similar to small white bells and gather in panicle inflorescences.
Ornamental plant species do not grow quickly, but some specimens can reach a height of four meters.
All decorative types of yucca have common characteristics that distinguish them from other plants:
- culture grows like a shrub or tree with a powerful trunk
- emerald leaves of a dense and hard texture, usually monochromatic, but sometimes diluted with white veins
- leaves, the length of which reaches a meter, are collected in rosettes
- panicle inflorescences are formed in the middle of rosettes of leaves
After flowering, fruits are formed on the plant - these are berries, which eventually turn into seed boxes. In indoor floriculture, you can most often find two types of yucca:
- Elephant, which is often referred to as a false palm. It is a shrubby plant with long pointed leaves. The elephant yucca gets its name from its trunk, which thickens considerably with age and resembles an elephant's foot. The homeland of this species is arid regions with a small number of pests, so the plant is characterized as unpretentious.
- Aloe leaf - with leathery hard leaves resembling aloe leaves. Where did its name come from. To grow this species, you need to make some effort. The crown of an adult plant is spherical and crowns a thick cylindrical trunk.
All types of yucca have a positive attitude towards fresh air, therefore, in the warm season, it is preferable to place plants on the street. A place should be chosen with abundant but diffused sunlight.
- Lighting. Yucca needs plenty of light, but direct Sun rays detrimental effect on plants. Miniature false palm trees should be placed in the western or eastern rooms near the windows. If necessary, the duration of daylight hours is increased by artificial lighting.
- Temperature regime. In the summer, the temperature of the plant content should not exceed 25 degrees. If the yucca overheats, then it is placed in a cool place and sprayed, and after a while it is returned to its place. In winter, yucca is comfortable at a temperature of 11-13 degrees.
- Irrigation. Watering decorative palm trees should be, taking into account the size of the plant itself and the pot, as well as the temperature and humidity of the air. In summer, watering is needed abundant. The soil should not dry out more than 2 cm. On average, watering is carried out once a week with settled water. room temperature. In autumn and winter, watering is reduced.
- Spraying. Spraying is carried out in order to prevent spider mites, but excessive waterlogging can lead to deterioration decorative look plants. Therefore, this procedure should be carried out carefully and in small quantities.
- Priming. For yucca, a ready-made soil mixture for dracaena and palm trees is suitable, which contains trace elements necessary for the normal development of plants. Also, the soil can be prepared at home by mixing two parts of soddy, leafy soil and sand and one part of humus. Such a composition is optimal for young plants, and for adult specimens, a mixture of turf and leaf soil is suitable, to which sand is mixed in a ratio of 3:2:1.
- Top dressing. Yucca needs to be fed during intensive growth once a month. Suitable as fertilizers and. Solutions are used for spraying inner sides leaves.
- Crown formation. In order for the trunk of the yucca to begin branching, it should be cut off. The procedure is applicable for young and healthy plants, not higher than 35 cm. In the second half of spring, yucca is cut off two-thirds of the trunk. But it is necessary to ensure that leaves or buds remain on the main stem. Sections should be decontaminated to prevent infection. Over time, new shoots will grow from the remaining trunk, and a new plant will grow from the cut top.
The main problem in growing homemade yucca is the loss of decorativeness. The leaves of the plant may turn yellow and dry, but this is not always the result of a disease. If only the lower leaves dry out and die, then this is a natural development process. And when intensive leaf fall is observed, then the cause of the problem should be found and eliminated.
The miniature palm may lose leaves due to improper care or pest infestation:
- The leaves of the culture turn yellow and dry out due to an excess of light, low humidity air or improper watering.
- Due to excessive lighting, dry spots form on the leaf plates, so the plant should be protected from the active sun.
- When waterlogged, the leaves become covered with brown spots.
- If the edges and tips of the leaves dry up, then there is not enough humid air in the room, drafts are walking or the palm tree does not have enough watering.
- With hypothermia, the leaves of the flower begin to curl and their edges darken.
- The lack of lighting leads to yellowing of the leaves, and the shoots of the flower are stretched.
- Formidable enemies of the false palm are scale insects, spider mites, aphids and thrips.
The first step is to transplant the affected specimen with a complete replacement of the soil mixture. Roots are cleaned from the ground and damaged areas are removed. After that, disinfection is carried out with a manganese solution. After drying the roots, you can plant in a new soil. False palm feeding should be postponed for a while.
What and how to treat a plant:
- If the plant has suffered from fungal diseases, then you need to remove the damaged areas and carry out the treatment. During treatment, water the plant is not worth it. These measures are effective if the disease is at an early stage. In case of extensive infection, the flower is thrown away, and its pot is treated with high quality.
- When attacked by spider mites, palm leaves are sprayed and washed with tobacco, onion or garlic infusion. Procedures should be carried out systematically, until the pests are completely destroyed. If such measures do not give the expected result, then you need to resort to help fungicidal preparations. Heavily damaged parts of plants must be removed, and when in large numbers pest culture will need a transplant.
- When attacking scale insects, a strong soapy solution is used. Each leaf must be wiped with a cotton pad soaked in the solution to remove insects. After that, spraying with an alcohol tobacco solution is carried out or insecticidal preparations are used.
With proper care, yucca is able to please its owners for many years. Bribing with its unpretentiousness and decorativeness, the mini palm tree is gaining more and more popularity in indoor floriculture. In addition to decorative qualities, the plant also has a number of useful properties one of which is indoor air purification.
More information can be found in the video:
Very often they ask how to distinguish yucca from dracaena? There are species of dracaena that look very similar to yucca, for example, Dracaena aletriformis Dracaena aletriformis or species Dracaena fragrant (massagena) Dracaena Massangeana (not variegated). The differences are:
- yucca has small teeth along the edge of the leaf: a noticeable roughness along the edge of the leaf, if you draw from the tip to the base
- yucca leaves are tougher, denser, on young tops stick up straight
- the edges of the leaves in yucca are usually straight, in dracaena often with a slight waviness (the leaves themselves are softer)
- in yucca, the top of the leaf ends in a prickly thorn
- yucca has reddish roots, sometimes quite intense shade, dracaena roots are always white
- with the same crown size, a yucca trunk is always thicker than a dracaena
How to care for yucca
Question: Tell me how to care for yucca, different sites advise different things: will its trunk grow, or just leaves?
natalie: Yucca loves sunlight, I personally have it on the southern windowsill, which is not shaded by trees. In winter, there is always not enough light, and the south window is just right. But in the summer, sometimes shading may be required during the hottest hours - at noon on a sunny day. In the center of the room, a yucca should not be placed at all, if it is large and grows in a tub or a large pot on the floor, then it should be placed by the window. It must be watered so that the earth is not wet, the top layer of the earth must necessarily dry out. Water should not remain on the pan, but spray very well 2 times a day, but only in the heat, or if there is a battery nearby. At other times, spraying is not necessary at all.
Yucca is too susceptible to overflow - it rots easily, so make drainage at the bottom of the pot and make it high enough, a layer 2 fingers thick.
Yucca leaves drop
Question: In my yucca, the leaves do not stick up, as they should, but hang down a little (like a dracaena), I spray it, water it after the earth has completely dried!
natalie: If your yucca is large, that is, the leaves are long (more than 20 cm), if she feels good and there are no signs of illness, then such drooping of the leaves is normal. They droop as if from their own weight. However, if short leaves droop (up to 15-20 cm), especially if they are sluggish, then this is from excess moisture in the ground. It just seems to you that you are not flooding, but try to dig up the ground and touch inside - how wet it is. In rare cases, in the heat, the leaves may droop from overdrying. Therefore, you need to rely only on the state of dryness or moisture content of the soil inside the pot.
Question: A week after the purchase, the leaves of the yucca began to dry, then the leaves drooped and dried out. For some reason, a small process simply fell off, although it was green. What am I doing wrong?
natalie: Most likely, your yucca suffered from systematic waterlogging. Yucca leaves are dense, so they look like they are drying out from overflow, but this is a deceptive impression. Repot, inspect the roots, if you don’t have drainage in the pot, do it. Only transplant before watering when the ground is dry. Firstly, it is easier to scatter the old earthen ball, and secondly, to check whether the plant has been flooded - normally, the soil should be dry before the next watering. Make the drainage high - about three fingers high, so it's better to protect yourself from overflow. Do not tamp down the new soil strongly - it will cover itself. If the lighting is good, then the yucca can be sprayed less often, in a day or two. Yuccas suffer much more from a lack of sun in winter than from dry air!
Irina Gorsh: I advise you to carefully feel the trunk. A big problem- softening of the barrel, alarm. Look deeper into the soil, maybe only the top layer is dry, and the bottom one may not have time to dry. I have a yucca in a small pot, and I water it once a week, and then poorly, yuccas often suffer from overflow.
sweetie: When my yucca leaves began to droop, I changed the watering regime - I practically didn’t water at all! Spilled with phytosporin-m (dilute the paste). But previously transplanted into fresh soil for yucca. I cleaned the roots, but did not wash them - I rinsed them in a bucket with diluted phytosporin. Drainage made 10 cm (I have a high pot). I didn't water for a week after transplanting.
Question: At first, the yucca leaves were juicy green and stretched upward, but now they are sluggish and pale. But recently the baby fell off. The process rotted right on the trunk. What can be done?
Puffy: Dry the earthen ball! Take the flower out of the pot onto the newspapers, and change its "diaper" if it's overflowing, which I think it is.
Elena: An additional reason is the lack of light - if there is little light, overflow occurs faster, more often, because with a lack of light, the processes of photosynthesis and growth slow down, metabolism is inhibited and the need for moisture decreases, and you continue to water as if it "worked" in the light.
Yucca has a hole in its trunk
Question: When transplanting yucca (due to waterlogged land), I found a large void on the trunk under the bark. A month or a little more has passed, and now the lower leaves are turning yellow and at the same time new healthy leaves are appearing.
Irina Gorsh: If new leaves grow healthy, then it does not bend. If the conditions for yucca are normal (in short: in winter - coolness, more light, including sunshine and infrequent watering), everything should be fine. For the future, if flooded, do not immediately grab a transplant, especially in winter. It is enough, depending on the root system, to take a stick selected in width (the thinner, the better) and pierce it to the base of the pot in many places. The earth will dry out quickly and will "breathe" in a day. Another thing is if the root system has already begun to bend, and there are external signs"wrong" with the plant, then when transplanting, remove the "dead" roots without touching the "live" ones and plant them in another land.
Question: I felt the trunk, well, it seems to be hard near the ground, but in those places where the kidneys have died, it is not that soft, it seems to be empty.
Berry: If the trunk is hard (even with an air gap) - not everything is lost, the main thing is that there is no rot, that it is not soft. You need to provide it with good light and observe.
natalie: The bark of the yucca becomes looser or dries out from changes in moisture, in this case the soil. If the soil is always evenly moist, then there will never be swelling, the bark fits snugly against the core of the stem. In one case, the bark will swell if the yucca is heavily flooded, rot under it, the plant dies. In another case, the bark begins to flake off, but the soil has time to dry out, rot does not form or dries up, the trunk develops, but the void remains. There is always an alternative - cut off the tops and root, grow a new plant.
Yucca - breeding
Question: My yucca is dying from waterlogging of the soil, I am trying to propagate: I rooted two offspring in a pot (without roots), covered with polyethylene. I don’t know if it is possible to make cuttings from the trunk and also root?
Anna: Just put the cutting (cut off the top) in a jar of water. Do not pour a lot of water so that it covers the trunk by 1 cm no more, so that it does not rot, and periodically add water (it evaporates). In a week, the yucca will have roots. Wait until small lateral roots grow about 3-4 cm, and plant in the ground. Most importantly, don't overdo it. But in winter, for the rooting of yucca, additional lighting is needed!
Alice: Yucca reproduces vegetatively quite easily, but only if it is light and warm, and the biorhythms of the plant are on the rise. Just try not to prune yucca in autumn or winter, best time for breeding - from late January to June. You can also in July, if there is no heat. If the temperature is above 27C, this is also not good, the cuttings will not have enough strength to absorb moisture during rapid evaporation by the leaves. Therefore, if you cut a large sprig of yucca for rooting, you need to cut off some of the leaves, leaving 4-5 maximum.
How to save a yucca
Question: I flooded the yucca and it started to rot. How can you save what's left?
Veta: If the roots are rotten, then just try to re-root the top.
freya: In any case, immediately pull out of the pot! If at least something is left of the roots - cut off all rotten ones, sprinkle living remains with charcoal, dry, plant in suitable soil, drain well. Soil for planting - dry, do not water immediately. On the second day, pour (not much) water with heteroauxin or zircon. Cover with a bag (only fix the bag along the stem, not the pot!) If the roots are all rotted, try rooting the top, as mentioned above.
Question: Yucca leans strongly to the side, you have to prop it up with a stick. I thought the roots had rotted, but I don't know. Moreover, her bark does not fit tightly at the trunk. But at the same time, new leaves appear normally.
irinabahus: If you don’t like the slope at all, try tying it to a stick and gradually straighten it. But first look at the trunk. It must be solid. It is necessary to water the yucca really carefully, in no case do not fill it. Better to let it dry. It is not necessary to spray it. But if the earth is wet, you can remove it from the pot, dry the earth a little and put it back. At the same time, you will see the roots.
Yucca leaf tips dry
Question: The ends of the leaves of the yucca dry, this is from a lack of moisture, right?
svPooPs: Dry ends - lack of moisture only if it's hotter than 26 degrees. Then you can spray and even need to, once a day. But I spray mine much less often and she does not complain. The main thing is not to flood it. Water once every 1.5-2 weeks, so that the earth must dry out. Dry leaves underneath are normal. But there are dry ends, from overfeeding with fertilizers, if the soil has become alkaline (then hard water and fertilizers), and if the leaves hang over the battery, from which hot air comes.
Question: For a year and a half, my yucca has grown by only 1-2 leaves. And they write that she fast growing plant, and some give up to 2-3 new leaves per week! What am I doing wrong?
IrinaP: One reason is the small pot. Have a good habit after buying a plant not to wait a long time with a transplant, a maximum of two weeks. Shop land - not the most best soil for yucca, peat is very hygroscopic. The systematic waterlogging of yucca for the time being goes unnoticed, the plant simply fights with all its might so that the roots do not rot, for the growth of an insufficiently powerful healthy root mass. Make up your soil: take garden soil (calcined in the oven), add coconut substrate and for looseness, about a fifth of the volume of the pot. Yucca needs to be watered once every 1-1.5 weeks (approximately).
Ferret: If the yucca is sitting in a small pot, it should be watered every day, but the earth should have time to dry out. It is in large pots watered once a week. But you don’t need to delay the transplant, after the purchase - transplant in a week! And feed after a transplant in 2-3 weeks. But don't overdose.
irinabahus: It is generally believed that yucca loves loose pots. In any case, her root system is very powerful. But another reason for the slow growth of yucca is the lack of light. This is a southern plant, in addition to feeding from a pot, she needs good light.
Yucca leaves turn yellow
Question: Yucca leaves turn yellow - at first the leaves began to lose color, they became very light. They do not dry, do not get wet - nothing, they grow as usual, only very light in the outlet. The place has not changed - it has been standing on the north window, without sunlight for the fifth year already. And now it's getting brighter.
Natali: Option two:
- The first is the lack of light. At first, the yucca was small, and there was enough lighting for the entire bush. In five years, she grew up, stretched out in growth, and she began to lack lighting. The best way to confirm this - rearrange to a bright place, the leaves darken and grow larger in just a week.
- The second - if the leaves brighten from the inside of the outlet, and with yellowness, perhaps they are flooded - dig up the ground and try to determine the soil moisture inside the pot, it should be dry there by the next watering.
Leah: And my yucca turned yellow in the shade, it stood in the far corner of the room, and as soon as it was transferred to the windowsill, the lightening stopped, and it turned green again. I have a south side, however, the balcony is glazed, but it is still very light, and all summer it stands on the balcony with light shading, it grows and pleases.
Question: In yucca, young leaves turn yellow, first one, then it dries up, and then the entire process. It costs me 2 meters from the window (in the summer on glazed balcony), I water as it dries out (in the summer - every other day). I rarely fertilize, about once a month (Pocon is a green generator, it seems). A pot with a diameter of about 25 cm, a trunk height of about a meter. All the young shoots that were at the time of purchase have already fallen off. There was one on a large trunk and one on a small one. But the new ones won't come out. When transplanting in the spring, I found that the trunk was deeply buried in the ground (7-8 cm), I dug it out a little. Now she leans over and doesn't hold well in the pot. Maybe this is the case and it needs to be buried back?
freya: The southeast is good, but 2 meters from the window is a lot, there is no additional lighting at all rare plant he will feel good, but the yucca is clearly not one of them - it is not a plant of the "lower floor", which is content with what falls to it. As a representative of rather arid regions, she is used to growing in direct sunlight. To begin with - move it closer to the window, if not on the windowsill, then as close as possible! She can simply “not pull out” young shoots due to a lack of nutrition, caused, of course, by a lack of light.
natalie: Yucca should be on the south window. She lacks light, which is why the leaves turn yellow, but most likely you have not one reason, but two - also constant waterlogging. The trunk can be buried in the ground, but to prevent decay, dig it out of the ground, and so that the trunk does not roll, does not fall, tie a support. One important point: yucca on healthy powerful roots will never collapse and fall. If she tends - the roots are weak, they were flooded, they are not enough. You can temporarily press the trunk with a couple of stones, but the main thing is to create conditions for building up new roots that will hold the trunk themselves.
How to water yucca
Question: The leaves of the yucca have become light green and fall down, wither. Stands on the floor near the balcony on the south side. I spray 3-4 times a week, I water rarely, because. I'm afraid to fill it up again, about 1 time in 2 weeks. Recently fed. The trunk is solid.
natalie: There is a catastrophic lack of light, if you do not move it to a more sunny place, it will die like a freak. Watering may be too infrequent.
irinabahus: And watering once every two weeks - isn't it enough? It is better to navigate not by the number of days, but by the state of the earth. I water when the ground is dry on top (well, at least once a week, it turns out). You can also measure the acidity of the soil - suddenly acidic, sometimes the lightening of the leaves suggests that it is necessary to spray with iron chelate. And more: under balcony door usually drafty, maybe put on the windowsill for now?
natalie: To resolve the dispute - to water a lot or a little, I will say right away that it depends primarily on the density, porosity and moisture capacity of the soil, as well as on whether there is a lot of free land or roots in the pot. It is necessary to adapt to your microclimate in the apartment and the ability of "your" soil to absorb and evaporate water. Even if two plants are planted in the ground from the same bag, the watering would still be different. Someone has a larger pot or drainage holes, someone has a higher temperature in the room, more leaf mass (evaporating surface), etc.
If the roots occupy more space in the pot than the free earth, then you need to water more abundantly than if the roots occupied only a small space of the pot. And of course, in plants that do not tolerate overflow, the soil should be checked not from above, but in the depths of the pot. Just to the depth of a finger - that is. about 10-12 cm, if wet - do not water! Since it is technically difficult to do this, I propose to determine by the weight of the pot - just remember how much it weighs approximately when the earth inside is dry.
And still it is necessary to distinguish the dying leaves:
- if they just drooped - most likely, the matter is waterlogging,
- if they curl along like a tube, then either there is not enough moisture or light.
Yucca easily tolerates rather dry air, but will get sick if it does not have enough light. Never spare light for her - feel free to put additional lamps in autumn and winter, and in summer on the south window. With lower lighting in autumn, the need for watering is also sharply reduced. Everything is so subtly connected that experience comes not with months, but with years. Forget fertilizing altogether if you're new to floriculture, just repot every year. There are as many holes at the bottom of the pot, drainage is at least 2 cm. Measuring acidity will most likely not give you anything, since yucca is not as demanding of it as, for example, gardenias or azaleas, and the soil for palms is quite suitable in composition. But it is not necessary to allow the formation of salt deposits on the soil surface.
Yucca from the store, what to far
Question: 2 months ago they gave me a yucca, I was afraid to transplant it in the winter. The leaves began to turn yellow, and not the lower ones, but as it should. They turn yellow and then dry up. Recently transplanted. The root system is good, not flooded, not overdried, only the roots were woven: it was cramped for him. What with her?
Elena: Yucca is very photophilous and the leaves may turn yellow due to lack of light. Therefore, yucca after purchase must be determined on permanent place on a sunny windowsill, but give the first two weeks for adaptation: do not transplant and shade from the hot sun at noon. When the yucca adapts to your microclimate (combination of temperature, air humidity, lighting), you need to transfer (without disturbing the roots) into a larger pot, always with drainage at the bottom. And again leave alone for a month and a half, only then you can start feeding. All this time, look closely at the plant, because you can bring pests and diseases from the store. If there are any stains, pour several times with phytosporin. While on adaptation, you can spray with stimulants and growth regulators.
irinabahus: It could also be an adaptation. Young yucca leaves are always more light green than old ones, they then turn dark green. Now, when there is little light, it is better to put it on the windowsill, in the most illuminated place. And water less often, and it’s still good to loosen the earth so that there is air for the roots. And, of course, two days is not a time for conclusions, we must observe. By the way, those sheets that have begun to turn yellow will dry out anyway, so you can not react so sharply to this.
How to increase the stress resistance of a plant? What to do if problems cannot be avoided? How to recognize an approaching disaster? Let's talk about everything in order.
A healthy yucca is distinguished by a strong trunk, bright and juicy foliage, and excellent shoot turgor.
The evergreen indoor yucca is endemic to Central America, a region with a hot and arid climate. This could not but affect the formation of the annual cycle of its life, one of the stages of which is a period of pronounced dormancy.
When the plant goes into "sleep", which occurs around the end of October and lasts until February-March, it sharply reduces the consumption of moisture and nutrients, and stops growing. Accordingly, the mode of watering and top dressing needs to be adjusted. What if you don't? With a high degree of probability, diseases will not take long to wait, and yucca will already need not only preventive measures, but also their treatment.
Yucca health is determined by a combination of factors such as light, humidity, temperature. What should they be like during the dormant period?
- There should be a lot of light. If in the summer the yucca is recommended for diffused sunlight and content at some distance from the window, then by winter the pots can be rearranged closer to the light source, for example, as in the photo below.
- The optimum winter temperature is 10–14°C. It is undesirable for it to fall below 8°C or rise above 25°C.
- Watering is reduced to 1-2 times a month.
- Top dressing is suspended until spring.
It happens that it is not possible to lower the temperature to optimal parameters. In this case, the earth ball will dry out faster, and you can water the plant a little more often.
But the most great harm Yucca brings a combination of low temperature (for example, the pot is on a cold windowsill) and excessive watering. In the wet cold earth, mold and pathogenic bacteria will settle 100%. And further. Yucca is very afraid of drafts.
By the way, if the “palm tree” is transplanted during this period, it will surely get sick. Dormant roots will not be able to absorb the increased volume of soil and moisture, and this is a direct path to fungal infections.
Common Yucca Diseases
Most yucca diseases are associated with improper maintenance - waterlogging of the soil, depletion of the soil mixture, and, consequently, a weakening of the plant's immunity. But it happens that the infection penetrates from the outside, for example, with a substrate or other indoor flowers. What are the most common problems with palm trees?
Fungal infections affecting the crown
Several groups of fungi manifest themselves by infecting yucca leaves. All sorts of spots, yellowing, sores appear on them. If you don’t catch it in time, the spots increase, merge, in the end, the leaves dry up, and the plant itself droops. How to revive it at home, we will tell on the example of several diseases.
Cercosporosis is an infection caused by a fungal causative agent (Cercospora)
Favorable environment for this fungus - high humidity. It occurs due to constant overflows, as well as when the grower is fond of spraying plants. Rounded spots of light brown color with a dark border appear on the leaves, which gradually grow, affecting new areas.
Noticing the disease, first of all, remove the affected leaves to the maximum.
Then treat with a systemic fungicide, for starters - “light” (Fundazol, Topaz). The number of sprays - 2-3 times with an interval of 10 days.
And, of course, it is necessary to eliminate the factors that led to the disease of yucca - dry the earthen ball, reduce watering, stop spraying the crown.
brown spotting
The causes of the lesion are similar to the previous disease, but are caused by a fungus of a different group. First of all, it affects the lower (old) leaves. First, discolored areas appear, then they turn yellow, and after 3-4 months they become brown. At this time, you can see fungal spores located in the center of the spots.
Control measures are the same as for cercosporosis. If the disease has gone far, you can use a stronger fungicide, such as Ridomil Gold.
Marginal leaf necrosis
This fungal infection is diagnosed by gray-brown spots that affect the edges of the leaf plate. Sometimes the spot can be "weeping", a pronounced concentric shape.
If the spot is small, the sheet can not be removed, but only the diseased area can be cut out, capturing part of the healthy tissue. To disinfect the wound, treat the edges with crushed activated charcoal.
After the "operation", spray the yucca with a fungicide solution.
Fusarium rot
This is a dangerous fungal infection leading to leaf rot. They are usually affected at the base and completely rot.
To combat Fusarium fungus, systemic fungicides are used, such as Fundazol, Previkur, Profit. If the lesion is severe, it is better to throw the plant away with the pot.
In order for the fight against diseases and pests to be effective, they spray the crown, trunk and, of course, the soil. Sometimes it is recommended to remove the top layer of the substrate, infected with fungal spores or insect larvae. In case of fungal diseases, for safety reasons, the plant is not only sprayed, but also watered several times with a weak solution of the fungicide.
In the photo - yucca affected by cercosporosis stem rot
If the loss of leaves is a temporary problem, after treatment new ones will grow, then everything is not so simple with the trunk. This is the main artery through which food flows, if he dies, the yucca also dies.
A rotted trunk becomes soft, brown ulcers appear on it, from which a watery substance oozes.
Only surgery can save the plant. The softened part of the trunk is uniquely cut out to a healthy tissue. Further actions depend on what is left of the palm tree.
If this is the tip, the cut is dried, treated with a growth stimulator (according to the instructions) and they try to root. This can be done in water or in a light substrate of peat and perlite.
Live root with part of the trunk? Wonderful! Treat the cut with activated or crushed charcoal, place in a bright, warm place. Spray with a solution of the fungicide Carbendazim to kill the fungus in the soil. If everything goes well, the yucca will kick out the shoots from the axillary buds.
You can try to germinate healthy fragments of the yucca trunk in the substrate by deepening them flat Root problems
Often on the forums you can “hear” the cry of the soul: “The yucca is dying, what should I do?” And outwardly, everything looks normal - no obvious diseases, no pests, and the plant is withering. In such situations, the problem is most likely in the roots.
Root rot is a nightmare for succulents, which include yucca. You can see it only when the plant is transplanted. Therefore, if you see that the plant is dying for no apparent reason, try to carefully remove it from the pot and inspect the roots. If they are dark and soft - this is root rot. Whether it will be possible to reanimate the yucca depends on the degree of damage.
- If the roots are completely rotted, it remains only to throw away the flower.
- Less than a third of diseased roots? Cut off anything suspicious, transplant the yucca into a new container with fresh substrate. After planting, pour the fungicide solution and send the "sick" to a warm and bright place.
- If more than half of the roots are damaged, but not all, the plant can be tried to be saved. They need to be washed under the tap, and then cut off all soft and darkened pieces. Next, plant, water with a fungicide solution, put in the light. We are waiting for the result.
A reanimated plant should not be watered until you are sure that it has taken root and has begun to grow.
Healthy roots are light and elastic Yucca does not bloom
Some growers are worried about why the yucca does not bloom, they even tend to attribute the problem to illness or improper maintenance. This is not entirely true.
The fact is that yucca in "captivity" almost never blooms. This is due to the fact that the conditions of its maintenance are far from the natural environment, the rest period is relative, which means that the flower buds do not have time to ripen. And in natural conditions, only adult "palm trees" bloom. Therefore, if a yucca is more than 10 years old and you provide it with peace in winter, there is a chance that it will throw out inflorescences with beautiful white bells, although it is small.
If you want to see yucca bloom, grow garden varieties plants The enemy must be known by sight
In addition to diseases, some insects are among the enemies of yucca. Pests rarely attack a plant with strong immunity, but sick, emaciated specimens often become their target. Consider who can settle on your pet.
Mealybug
It most often affects the palm in the off-season, when the plant is under stress from change. temperature regime. Outwardly, the mealybug looks like small cotton rolls, if you crush a fluffy ball, spotting appears. Its harm is enormous, as it sucks the juice from leaves and branches, and multiplies very quickly.
If you notice a mealybug infestation, thoroughly wipe the yucca leaves with a sponge dipped in warm soapy water, removing all visible traces of the pest. After that, treat the plant with an insecticide (Aktara, Calypso, Fitoverm, etc.). The procedure should be repeated 3-4 times with an interval of 7-10 days.
Shchitovka
Another dangerous enemy yucca is a shield. A tiny insect, similar to a small turtle, is generally mistaken by some for a growth on the leaves, since it is motionless. Tightly attached to the leaf blade or cuttings, the scale insect sucks out the juices of the plant. First sign dangerous neighborhood- sticky shiny discharge.
Not only the scale insect itself harms the flower, but also the sticky substance. It clogs the pores of living tissue, creating favorable conditions for fungal infections.
The "shell" of the scale insect is so dense that it is difficult to kill it even with chemistry. Adults need to be removed first. mechanically- swab moistened with concentrated soapy water or vodka, clean the leaves and stems from brown "growths". Remove the top layer of soil.
After that, treat the plant with an insecticide. As with mealybug, repeat the procedure at least 3 times.
spider mite
On weakened plants can settle spider mite. First, light “grains” appear on the back of the sheet, and then the thinnest web.
In addition to diseases and pests, there may be other reasons why yucca leaves turn yellow -.
To increase the stress resistance of the plant, do not neglect top dressing in the summer - a balanced diet will help form strong immunity. In winter, let the yucca rest and gain strength before the new season. Proper care the best disease prevention.
A video about caring for yucca will help you avoid many problems.
