Description of the plant and its types, caring for the "palm" yucca at home, choosing a location for the flowerpot, tips on watering, fertilizing and lighting. Yucca is a member of the Agavaceae family, but sometimes it is referred to as a Dracaena species. Yucca is very fond of warm temperatures, as it is a resident of tropical and subtropical territories. The main habitat is both parts of the American continent, but it is most often found in Mexico. Sometimes inexperienced growers consider yucca to be a palm tree, but it is not related to this variety. The family includes more than 40 species of representatives; about 10 species can grow in our territories. Some yucca species survive well in the open field, if natural conditions allow, as happens, for example, in countries with a southern European climate. Yucca in common parlance has several names - "tree of happiness" or "denim tree", since the first denim fabrics were made from fibrous stems. Yucca is an evergreen perennial plant.
By species, there is a division depending on the presence of a stem: stemless and in the form of a tree. In nature, yucca can reach up to 12 meters in height, in an apartment or office, its dimensions are much more modest, only about 2 m. The trunk of the plant gives the impression of a palm tree because of the peculiar brown scales with which it is covered. The scales form after the deciduous plates dry out. The stemless plant has a rambling rosette, which is formed by yucca leaf plates.
The leaves can vary from 25 to 100 cm in length and are quite tough to the touch, sometimes covered with filaments. The width is quite small - 8 cm, so the shape of the leaf plate resembles a wide sword. Yucca leaves are so dense that they can injure unwary pets or small children. The shade of the leaves can vary depending on the species, they can be dark gray or bottle-colored. Some representatives at the top of the leaf have a sharp thorn. The edge of the sheet plate is distinguished by both smoothness and teeth.
The flowering of yucca is very extensive, it can reach more than a hundred buds, which, when opened, are colored with delicate shades: pure white, milky with a green tint, yellow shades. The shape of the flowers resembles a strongly disheveled bell with stamens and a perianth in the middle. The buds are located on long and downward pedicels. The inflorescence grows in the form of a panicle with multiple flowers, can reach up to 2.5 m in height. Depending on the type, the inflorescence can grow straight up or creep along the ground.
After flowering, the fruit ripens in the form of a box or a very plump berry. Yucca does not bear fruit in our latitudes, since in its homeland, it is pollinated by a miniature butterfly that lives only in those territories.
Yucca types
- Aloe-leaved yucca (Yucca aloifolia). The native habitat is the southern territories of the northern American continent and the islands adjacent to these areas. A perennial plant that has a straight, very high trunk (about 8 m), which at the very top is crowned with a spherical rosette of leaves. The shape of the leaves resembles wide and long knives with a sharp tip. The leaf plates are spirally assembled into a rosette. Their color is a pale yellow-green hue, they reach a length of 40 cm. A rather hard trunk is formed from the drying of the leaf plates. Panicle-shaped inflorescence reaches 45 cm in height, on which buds are placed in the form of long bells up to 3 cm long. The color of the buds is milky with burgundy strokes at the ends of the petals. After flowering, it bears fruit with berries. Sometimes it can be confused with the elephant yucca, but its size is much smaller and the care requirements are much more complicated.
- Yucca elephant (Yucca elephantipes). Habitat Mexican and Guatemalan wetlands. This representative is very loved by flower growers. In places of native growth, it is a very tall and powerful tree, the trunk of which can reach up to 9 m in height, and in the base diameter it can reach 4.5 m. It is clear that the name comes from the type of plant trunk - similarity to the leg of an elephant. At the top there are numerous shoots, which are very densely packed, with a large number of apical leaves. The leaf plates reach a little over a meter in length and up to 10 cm in width. They have the shape of elongated knives with a sharp point at the top. When the leaves dry out, growths are formed on the trunk in the form of wide scaly plates. The color of the leaves is a bright herbal shade, the surface is glossy and shiny. In the summer months, during flowering, the stalk of the peduncle can reach almost a meter in height. Inflorescences look like complex panicles. The buds open into bright white flowers that hang from long stalks. The berries, which form after flowering, can reach 2.5 cm in length, have a brown tint and the shape of a large olive.
- Yucca filamentous (Yucca filamentosa). Natural habitats of the eastern coast of the northern American continent. The stem is so small that this species can be considered stemless. Reproduction takes place with the help of root processes, since the root system can reach great depths. They are very fond of growing it in our areas, since this species can survive in frosty winters (endurance up to -20 degrees). The inflorescence has a panicle shape of a complex appearance and can reach 2 m in height. The buds open into white bells with a yellow tint, which hang down on long pedicels and can grow up to 8 cm in length. After flowering, it bears fruit in the form of a rounded box 5 cm in diameter. Gray-green leaf plates measure 70 cm long and 4 cm wide. The end of the leaf is very sharp. As the name suggests, there are multiple filamentous fibers along the edges of the leaves. The subspecies filamentosa variegata has yellow and white colored leaves.
- Yucca beak (Yucca rostrata). This representative is a full-fledged tree with a 3-meter trunk. The top is crowned with a spreading crown, which consists of very narrow centimeter-wide leaves, which are rough to the touch, thin and long. The leaf plate ends with a rather sharp spine and can be either flat or convex on both sides. A yellow line runs along the border of the leaf, the edge is jagged. On a long peduncle, white buds bloom, of which the paniculate inflorescence consists.
- Yucca Vippa (Yucca whipplei). Native habitat of South American and Mexican territories. The plant is a bush that consists of multiple leaf rosettes, one meter in diameter. The leaf plates are very hard, with longitudinal fibers. The shape of the leaf looks like a long and sharp knife with a rough surface, ends with a long thorn at the top. The color of the leaves is gray to green and the border has jagged edges. During summer flowering, the inflorescence in the form of a complex panicle reaches two meters in height. The color of the buds is milky with burgundy edging of the petals. This representative resembles aloe-leaved yucca, only the flowers are 1 cm larger and the inflorescence is higher. After flowering stops, the rosette dries up, but gives rise to new shoots.
Growing yucca in an apartment or office
- Lighting. Since yucca is a resident of tropical and subtropical territories, it is very photophilous. Until the plant reaches adulthood, bright light is simply necessary for it to form a beautiful crown. But we must protect it from direct midday rays. The best for yucca will be windows with sunset rays of the sun or coming out at sunrise. If the yucca is located on the south side, then you will have to shade the bright sun with light curtains or gauze. Additional lighting will have to be done on the northern windows in order to create 16 hours of daylight hours. If the plant does not have enough lighting, then the crown of the leaves will not be so lush and over time the yucca will grow. In the warm months of the year, yucca can be taken out into the fresh air, but still try to choose a place not in the scorching sun rays, but not in full shade.
- Yucca content temperature. The acceptable temperature for a plant in hot weather should not exceed 25 degrees, and in winter it should not fall below 8. If the yucca has stood for a long time under the scorching rays, then it should be hidden in the shade and after the temperature drops, the plants should be constantly sprayed. The plant can change the appearance of its leaves if during the colder months the air temperature was too high, and this coincided with the dryness of the air. They lose their color saturation, become very thin, and become less dense. And such a plant can be affected by various ailments or harmful insects. For yucca, it is preferable to arrange a cold winter, if this has not happened, then it is necessary to bring the yucca from the street to the room as late as possible, and with the onset of warming, take it out into the fresh air and do it as early as possible.
- Air humidity. Basically, yucca withstands dry air well in apartments or offices, which is why it is so loved by many flower growers. You can shower the plant periodically to remove dust. For this, the soil in the pot is covered with plastic bags so that it does not wash out. Still, yucca is very responsive to spraying. Some of its types, nevertheless, require frequent moistening of their crown. To do this, take soft boiled or settled water, slightly above room temperature. The spray jet must be fine. Also, to raise the humidity of the air around the plant, a pot of yucca can be put in a deep container with small pebbles or expanded clay and periodically pour water there, but it is important that the roots do not come into contact with moisture. If the yucca is outside the house, then rain wetting is enough for it.
- Watering. Watering the yucca is necessary enough so that the ground is always moist. During warmer months, the ambient temperature must be taken into account. Watering is done when the soil in the pot is dry by almost 5 cm, but make sure that the lump of soil does not dry out completely. It is also impossible to pour yucca - the plant will die. Water for irrigation is taken softened by settling for at least two days and a little more than room temperature. With the arrival of cold weather, watering must be reduced. The water that flows into the sump must be removed so that its presence does not cause rotting of the plant root system.
- Top dressing yucca. In order to feed the yucca, choose a complex of fertilizers with minerals. They are fed both in the ground and in a sheet method, spraying a slightly diluted composition of the mixture. Fertilizers made from cow or horse manure are also very useful for yucca. It is not advisable to fertilize the plant if it is sick or just transplanted, since there is still enough nutrients in the soil. The feeding process starts from spring days at intervals of 2-3 weeks.
- Yucca pruning. Usually, a yucca has only one stem (if it grows in a pot), but by pruning the plant, you can get a few more. To do this, you need to use a very well-sharpened knife and crushed charcoal. At the same time, the plant should not be old, completely healthy and grow to a height of 30 cm. When pruning, the crown of the yucca is cut off, the cut cutting should be no longer than 10 cm. It can then be used for rooting, and the plant where the pruning took place will awaken new buds and young shoots will grow. After the tip has been separated, the sections are carefully sprinkled with charcoal. This procedure is best done during the beginning and vigorous growth of the plant.
- Soil selection and yucca replanting. It is best to replant the yucca during the warming period. The pot is selected deep enough, since the roots of the yucca entwine the entire earthen ball and it is best to choose the transshipment method so as not to injure them. It is possible to slow down the root system only if it decays. At the bottom of any container, it is necessary to pour a sufficient layer of expanded clay or broken brick - drainage for yucca is simply necessary. The soil mixture should be nutritious and light. If a young plant is transplanted, then the soil includes the summit earth, rotted leaves, humus earth and sand. Moreover, sand is taken 2 parts of the volume, and 1 part of humus. For adult plants, sod land is taken one part more and no more humus is added, but the volume of sand is increased by one part. The acidity of the soil should not exceed 6 Ph - this applies to soils, in which peat is introduced to facilitate it.
Breeding yucca at home
To propagate yucca, choose one of the following methods:
- seeds;
- cuttings cut from the top;
- trunk scraps.
In order to reproduce yucca with seed, it is necessary to sow it immediately after ripening into a lightweight soil mixture, which consists of sod, leafy soil and sand, the volume of which is equal. Then they arrange the conditions of a mini-greenhouse, covering the container with seed material with a polyethylene bag or a piece of glass. The container must be regularly ventilated, removed drops of condensation and again sprayed the soil with seeds. In about a month, the first shoots will appear. They need to be planted and cared for in conditions suitable for adult plants. Parosts are transplanted into pots, first of a small diameter, about 5 cm, and after a year the pot is increased by 3-4 cm.
In many flower shops there is an opportunity to purchase pieces of yucca elephant trunks. When viewed, the pruning must be not darkened, dense and not too dry. It should have top and bottom marks on it, and the length should be approximately 20 cm. These pieces are cut from the trunk of the yucca, as it grows too much. A piece of the trunk is planted in a mixture of peat chips and sand and placed in a shady place, preferably in the fresh air. It is better to wrap the stalk with polyethylene so that the moisture does not evaporate excessively. The germination temperature is maintained at 20 degrees. If the markers are not clear for the cutting, then it is laid completely in the soil in a horizontal position and then there is an opportunity for the growth of dormant buds, which can then be separated from the pruning.
When the top of the yucca has been pruned, then this stalk can be rooted. To do this, the cut needs to be dried a little (2 hours) in the fresh air. After that, the cutting is deepened into moistened sand. You can immediately put it in boiled water and wait for the roots to appear. If the lower leaves began to deteriorate during the rooting process, then they are removed.
Yucca pests and possible diseases
Of all the pests for yucca, the most dangerous are false scale insects and spider mites. When damaged by them, the plant slows down in growth and leaves begin to deteriorate, their color changes. To combat these pests, modern insecticides are used.
Diseases are isolated - fungal and bacterial. If they are affected, rotting of the trunk and part of the crown may begin. The method of struggle is spraying with fungicides, in the worst case, the plant cannot be saved and it is completely destroyed.
For the care, reproduction and cultivation of yucca, see this video:
