May 14 2018

Yucca - home care

A houseplant called Yucca is very popular among gardeners. This one is evergreen beautiful flower It looks noble both in a city apartment and in a reputable office; there is no shame in giving it as a gift. An adult plant evokes admiring glances and a desire to have such a flower at home. If you have this exotic, or are thinking about purchasing it, our article will help you with advice on how best to care for this southern beauty. Let's say right away that special knowledge and you don’t need any special requirements for comfortable maintenance and care of Yucca at home.

Yucca is indigenous to Central America and its arid regions. Visually, it is similar to a Palm tree, especially in its natural habitat, when the leaves from the lower tiers dry out and fall off, the trunk becomes lignified and only a bunch of hard leaves remains at the top. But this is not Palma.

There is some confusion regarding the classification of Yucca. At first, Yucca was classified as a member of the Liliaceae family, then to the Agave family, and now to the Asparagus family. Moreover, Yucca is now simultaneously on the list of representatives of both. In general, there is complete confusion. In addition to Palma, it is also often confused with other indoor flowers similar to Palma - Dracaena and Cordyline. An experienced florist will not be mistaken; he will immediately see the difference. But for beginners, this similarity is a little confusing.

Large specimen of Yucca

In nature, Yucca grows as a fully or partially leafy large shrub from two to eight meters in height. Indoor views grow up to a meter or two. Its tree-like stem is topped with green or bluish dense leaves, sticking out in different directions or slightly drooping, pointed lanceolate or xiphoid in shape. The length of such a leaf can reach up to a meter, although indoor specimens have leaves no more than 50 cm in length. There are stemless species of Yucca, the crown of which consists of one or several rosettes.

Yucca blooms amazingly beautifully, throwing out powerful vertical peduncles, abundantly strewn with buds. Large flowers, up to 8 cm long, resemble cup-shaped bells. Flowers most often white, but in nature there are creamy-greenish, yellowish or pinkish tones. The fruits are of no interest; they look like dry boxes. True, some species have juicy edible fruits. But unfortunately, not every gardener gets to see Yucca blooming at home. It grows quite quickly. From a small plant it can turn into a large bush or tree in a few years. What should be done to make the plant feel “at home” and at the same time maintain its compact decorative shape and dimensions acceptable for your room? Let's try to figure this out.

Types and varieties

There are over thirty different species of Yucca. They differ mainly in leaves and sizes. Some species have lanceolate leaves, while others have sword-shaped leaves. In addition, the edges of the leaf blades in some species are covered with long, stiff hairs, in others - with spines, and in others they are smooth. U indoor varieties Yucca leaves, in addition to the usual green leaves, have variegated leaves with bright white or yellow stripes. Most popular types: filamentous, ivory, gray, glorious and aloes.

At home, mainly two types are grown - ivory and aloe vera. Less often - filamentous and blue. We are sure that all types of this plant will decorate your home. Let's get to know them better.

Yucca elephantipes

It is named so because of the wide, massive base of the stem, which appears in Yucca in old age, which resembles the foot of an African elephant. This species of Yucca is very unpretentious to living conditions. It grows slowly. It is accustomed to the arid climate of a city apartment, is undemanding to the soil composition and does not take up much space in the room. In addition, other indoor flowers that are resistant to dry soil, for example, or, can be planted in a wide pot with Yucca. Against the background of Yucca, pots with, Spathiphyllum, and Benjamin ficus look great. or also decorate this floral arrangement.

In the south of Russia, in Crimea and the Caucasus, it grows in open ground and does not require shelter for the winter. In central Russia it is grown with shelter. Sometimes grown at home. This almost stemless plant grows as a shrub with beautiful bluish-green leaves, which have characteristic white or yellow stripes. The length of the leaves reaches 70 cm, width – up to 4 cm. The apex is pointed. The edges of the leaves are slightly drooping and contain numerous twisted white threads. The root system is well developed. The peduncle is very large, rising above the rosette to a height of up to one meter. Yucca blooms with drooping yellowish-white flowers up to 8 cm in length.

This view in indoor floriculture less common. It is more demanding in terms of content and takes up more space. It grows slowly, but over time, expanding, mature plant takes the shape of a ball with wide leathery leaves. IN summer time Yucca marginata is blooming. On an inflorescence up to 45 cm long, many bell-shaped flowers of a creamy white color with a light purple tint are formed.

Yucca glauca

This type of Yucca has a greatly shortened stem. It does not grow higher than two meters in height. The bluish-green leaves are collected in dense rosettes about 90 cm wide. They are leathery, fibrous, up to 60 cm in length. At the edges they are white or gray with flaking fibers. In summer, it forms a paniculate inflorescence up to one meter in height, on which many small creamy-white flowers with a greenish or brown tint appear.

Caring for Yucca at home

The presented types of Yucca will fit perfectly into the interior of your apartment, will green it, and will not require much sacrifice and time from you. Just follow the basic rules for growing it, which we will now introduce you to.

Lighting and location of the pot

Light-loving Yuccas are best placed on flower stands near eastern or western window sills in an apartment. The place should be sunny, well lit throughout the day - the growth, development and appearance of your flower will depend on this. For this reason, you should not place the pot on the floor - there will not be enough light. It is necessary that the stand for it be flush with the window sill.

If you place a pot with a flower near the southern windows, then at midday you will have to protect the Yucca from direct rays of the sun with light curtains or blinds so that its leaves do not get sunburned.

If the window sills in your apartment are wide and the Yucca bushes are still young, then you can easily keep them on the windowsill. Just make sure that in the summer the sun does not burn them, and in the winter the leaves do not touch the cold glass.

In winter, the plant will lack natural light from any window. You will have to take care of this in advance and purchase a lamp daylight or a phytolamp to turn it on if necessary at a distance of 50–60 cm from the flower in order to artificially extend the daylight hours for Yucca to 12 hours a day.

Ventilation of the room in autumn-winter is also necessary for the flower, but do not forget that drafts are contraindicated for it.

Temperature

The temperature of the flower should be kept around 22–26 degrees. Suits him quite well normal temperature city ​​apartments in which the flower develops well and has healthy looking. In winter, it is advisable to lower the temperature to 16–20 degrees. During heating season Yucca begins to suffer from hot air. Its leaves begin to stretch out, thin out, and turgor weakens. Try to reduce the temperature in the room by ventilation or using split systems. Cover batteries using improvised means. Avoid sudden temperature changes.

Sometimes the owner opens the windows for ventilation in winter and forgets to take Yucca out next room. A short time is enough to ruin a plant and then regret it for a long time. Lower temperature limit in winter period For indoor Yucca is 8 g. heat.

Humidity

Yucca does not require high humidity ambient air. The humidity of our city apartments suits it - 40–50%. If the humidity is even lower and the temperature is high, for example during the heating season, we recommend spraying ambient air and flower leaves with boiled or well-settled water room temperature. Just make sure that the wet leaves of the flower do not get through window glass Sun rays– the plant may get burned and lose its decorative appearance.

To keep the leaves clean and improve their respiration during the hot season, the crown should be wiped with a damp cloth. A flower with wet leaves cannot be placed in the sun - it will get burned. Therefore, it is advisable to carry out this procedure in the evening so that the crown dries out overnight.

Watering

There is no single rule for watering Yucca. The amount and frequency of watering depend on the time of year, humidity indoors or outdoors (depending on where the flower is located), the size of the flower and its pot. For example, a young plant, just bought in a store and transplanted into new pot, should be moistened a little almost every day, and an adult flower growing in a huge pot can be watered once every two to three weeks. Let's give general recommendations on this occasion.

In summer, watering should be plentiful, but not frequent. Wait for it to dry upper layer soil 4–7 cm deep, only then water again. Use only settled or boiled water room temperature. If the air temperature is about 20–22 degrees, water no more than once a week. In autumn-winter, watering is reduced. One watering every 10–14 days may be sufficient. The cooler the air in the room becomes, the less often you should water the flower. If the temperature is at long time stopped at 18 degrees, one watering every 3 weeks is enough.

It has been noticed that it is enough to pour 1 liter of water into a 5 liter pot. Yucca tolerates dry soil more easily than overwatering. At any time of the year, do not allow excess water to stagnate in the pan, so as not to provoke rotting of the Yucca root system. If the leaves appear brown spots, and they began to curl up - this means that the roots began to rot due to waterlogging of the substrate. In addition, waterlogged soil often causes the plant to be attacked by all sorts of pests.

If the top layer of the substrate remains wet for several days after watering, the substrate may have become very hardened and does not allow water to pass to the roots inside the pot. In this case, you urgently need to loosen the soil with some available tool, or at least a fork.

Or perhaps the humidity level in your apartment has increased significantly. The soil began to dry more slowly. By maintaining the usual watering regime, you risk ruining the root system of the plant.

In hot weather, it is advisable to arrange a shower for Yucca. Wash its leaves well to remove dust, but make sure that water does not get on the substrate (cover the soil with polyethylene while bathing). After your shower, place the pot in a place where there are no drafts or direct sunlight. When the leaves are dry, you can take the flower to its place.

Fertilizers

Feeding Yucca is a necessary condition its successful cultivation from April to August. Foliar fertilizing with minerals has an advantage liquid formulations. Just dilute them with twice as much water as indicated in the instructions for the drug. Spray the undersides of the leaves with the preparation - Yucca reacts well to this. Foliar feeding combined with regular watering of the flower. Buy liquid mineral fertilizers for blooming indoor flowers in special stores. During active growth Feed Yucca once every 2 weeks. During illness, after transplantation and in autumn-winter, the flower is not fed.

If, when replanting the plant, you used special balanced soil for Palms or Dracaenas, then Yucca will have enough nutrition for a long time, and you will not have to feed it until the next season.

The soil

Yucca prefers light, loose, but quite nutritious substrates, in which leaf, turf soil, peat, humus and coarse sand are found in equal proportions. You can use ready-made soil mixtures. The composition is suitable for soil for Palms or Dracaenas with a neutral or slightly acidic environment. Or you can prepare the soil yourself. In any case, we recommend disinfecting the substrate before use in any way - calcining or freezing it to prevent the presence of infection and insects.

Transfer

After purchasing Yucca, do not immediately place it in the prepared place - give it a little time to acclimatize to new living conditions away from other flowers. Transplant the flower into a new pot larger than the transport container. Prepare a new substrate as well. Be sure to place a good layer of drainage on the bottom of the pot - expanded clay or crushed stone, at least 5 cm. Replant the flower using the transshipment method. Do not deepen the stem too much. Immersion to a depth greater than 3 cm is fraught with rotting of the trunk and death of the Yucca. After transplanting, water the plant and place it separately from the others for a couple of weeks to monitor it. Do not place the pot in the sun, in a draft, or in a room that is too hot. After the expiration date, a healthy-looking Yucca can be moved to its planned location.

A planned transplant of Yucca into another, larger pot is carried out for young specimens once a year, for more mature ones - once every two to four years, with partial replacement of the old soil with new one. There are no special restrictions on the time of transplantation, but it is still better to replant it in the spring. The reason for the transplant may be that it has grown throughout the pot. root system Yucca. When removing a flower from an old one and placing it in a new pot, try not to damage the root system. Otherwise, the flower may get sick, and the adaptation process will take a long time, if not worse.

Try to ensure that the new substrate with which you fill the voids in the pot is of the same composition as the previous one, then the adaptation time will pass faster. Another condition: within a month, the transplanted flower cannot be fed, cut or cut! Let him adapt to the new living conditions in peace.

Large flowers are not very stable. Therefore, it is planted in a large pot. To prevent acidification of the soil, rippers are added to it - vermiculite, perlite or expanded clay chips in a ratio of 5 to 1.

If the plant is too large and you do not want it to grow further, use an old pot when replanting, and trim the root system of the flower by a quarter with a clean tool. Treat the cut areas with crushed charcoal, possibly charcoal, or activated charcoal. In an old, but cleaned and disinfected pot, pour 5 cm of new drainage and part of the new soil. The flower is installed and its roots are covered with substrate. There should be fresh soil on both the top and sides of the pot. After transplanting, do not water the Yucca for a couple of days, and then begin to carefully moisten the substrate in portions, waiting for its surface to dry.

It is problematic to replant an adult plant that has reached monumental size. Usually they are content with annually replacing the old soil from the top of the pot with new soil.

How to prune Yucca

Rest period

Yucca does not have a pronounced period of rest. She all year round needs good lighting, moderate ambient temperature, moderate watering. If you take it out for the winter in unheated room, keep in mind that the temperature is below 8 degrees. heat is critical for her.

Conclusion

We introduced you to different types the evergreen beauty Yucca, as well as the rules for caring for her at home. According to Feng Shui, Yucca is a symbol of fresh air, purity and perfection. She does not tolerate clutter either in the house, or in the office, or in her head. It is placed near the workplace of a person who often conducts business negotiations and signs important papers. We are sure that you will like this flower.

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Yucca grows well not only at home, but also in open ground flower beds. Most often, garden false palm is grown in Ukraine, the Caucasus and southern regions our country, where the soil and climatic conditions are most suitable for the cultivation of heat-loving exotics. Few flower growers know which varieties and species, due to their botanical characteristics, are suitable for outdoor cultivation, which is why the choice of variety for flowerbed design and open-air planting must be approached very carefully and responsibly.

Characteristics of garden yucca

A significant part of yucca species grow in natural conditions in America and Mexico. Some species are also found in southern Europe. Beautiful and unpretentious, tree-like and evergreen outdoor false palms come in several types, but they all have some general characteristics. A perennial ornamental plant, depending on its species characteristics, its appearance may resemble a tree or shrub.

The average height of the tree-like stem part can vary from several centimeters to several meters. The trunk can be either straight or have branches. The foliage is lanceolate-linear or xiphoid, collected at the end of the stem in a fairly dense bunch. The plant blooms in summer period. Large flowers, white in color, bell-shaped, collected in multi-flowered and rather long paniculate inflorescences. After flowering, the flower transforms into a round, dry or fleshy fruit, represented by a multi-seeded capsule with a black seed material.

Species diversity

The Yucca genus includes about fifty species, but only a few of them are suitable for outdoor cultivation. The false palm is decorative, and at the flowering stage the garden crop takes on a very exotic appearance. For cultivation in open ground flowerbeds in temperate climatic conditions, blue-gray plants are also suitable, as they tolerate temperature drops down to minus 18-20°C.

Perennial evergreen shrub Yucca filamentous has linear-lanceolate, flat, basal, growing from a rosette, blue-green foliage. The length of the leaves varies between 30-90 cm with a width of 2-4 cm. The apex of the leaves is sharply pointed, soft or hard. Threads hang along the edges of the foliage. The inflorescence is represented by a panicle consisting of creamy white or yellowish-white drooping flowers.

Yucca glauca

Yucca gray or "Candle of the Lord" is a perennial, evergreen, monoecious, stemless or small woody stem plant. The foliage is linear, bluish-green, 40-70 cm long, 0.8-1.2 cm wide, with sparse and thin, curled threads at the edges. The peduncle is racemose and tall. The inflorescence is branched, collected from bell-shaped, white, greenish-white or yellowish flowers.

Exotic appearance a garden evergreen plant that can easily withstand short-term drops in temperature down to minus 28-30 o C even without shelter protection. The root system is of a buried type, therefore it freezes out extremely rarely, but in regions with long and harsh winters, the ornamental crop needs dry, airy shelter. Improper protective measures are the main cause of damping off or death of tropical plants.

Yucca gray is one of the extremely life-loving plants, and is able to grow well even on sandy soils and without additional irrigation measures. This garden plant is quite aggressive in nature, so removing weeds when growing in flower beds is practically not required. The crop blooms at the age of four, and the flowers remain decorative for about a month. Yucca is best propagated by numerous lateral offspring, since seed material is almost never formed, and using store-bought seeds for sowing allows you to get the first flowering only after a few years.

Others are grown as container or pot plants placed outdoors in the summer. Garden varieties and varieties are perfect for landscaping the most arid and rocky-sandy garden areas.

Features of the development of garden yucca (video)

Rules and terms of landing

Garden yucca is planted in spring and summer., when daytime temperatures reach 20-22 o C. Only in this case does the plant form a good root system, and the ornamental crop goes into winter as prepared as possible. To grow an outdoor ornamental plant, you need to select an open area well lit by sunlight, represented by well-drained soil with an acidity of pH 7.5.

The dimensions of the pre-prepared planting hole should be approximately twice the volume of the root system of the false palm tree. The planting area should be thoroughly watered and mulched with hay or sawdust, which will reduce moisture evaporation. In order not to dig up heat-loving varieties for the winter, these varieties of yucca are planted in special planting containers.

Features of outdoor care

Caring for garden yucca is not at all difficult. Standard care for outdoor false palm trees includes watering and fertilizing, removing weeds, loosening, preventing diseases and pests, and protecting from frost.

Optimal growing conditions

Despite the fact that the false palm belongs to the category of tropical plants, the impact on aboveground part direct sunlight for a long time can sharply reduce the decorative qualities of foliage. It is optimal to grow in well-lit and sun-warmed areas with some shading at midday.

Site selection and soil preparation

The decorative outdoor plant grows quite well on almost any type of soil, but in order to get the most attractive plant, it is recommended to plant it on sufficiently loose soils that do not retain water, with a sufficient content of coarse sand. The site must be well drained. When planting, you can use black soil, as well as calcareous, sandy or clay-rocky soil. Besides everything else, experienced flower growers It is recommended to carry out pre-planting deep digging with the removal of all weeds and the application of complete complex fertilizers.

Watering and fertilizing

To improve the decorative qualities of an outdoor plant, it is important to provide the yucca with proper irrigation and fertilizing measures. Under natural conditions, the false palm easily tolerates dry periods, and an excess of moisture can cause irreparable damage to the root system of the plant.

Irrigation measures are necessary when the top layer of soil dries out completely. You need to spray the foliage of garden yucca in the morning or at evening hours, after sunset. IN spring period, at the stage of active growth, the false palm tree needs to be fed with compost, liquid humus, mineral fertilizers for succulent plants. Top dressing can also be foliar.

Yucca: growing (video)

Reproduction and transplantation

Garden yucca can remain decorative for twenty years, but the plant needs timely replanting:

• if the false palm has grown and numerous shoots have appeared, but they need to be separated and replanted, and the garden crop needs to be replanted;
• the root system can be buried 60-70 cm, so to reduce the risk of damage to the roots you need to dig deep enough;
• replanting garden yucca can be done not only in spring, but also in the last ten days of summer;
• Flowering of the false palm after transplantation occurs in about a year.

Garden yucca reproduces by seeds and vegetatively. In our country, propagation is used by bush division and stem cuttings.

Use in garden decoration

When using garden yucca in landscape design very important to consider botanical features culture and follow the basic rules for combining false palms with other ornamental plants. Outdoor false palm is great for decorating rock gardens and border decoration garden paths, rocky gravel or sandy landscape areas.

For a long time blooming yucca with bluish-green foliage and white leaf edges, it is an elegant decoration for monochrome areas. The plant is suitable for single and group plantings. In flower arrangements, yucca is best complemented with low-growing crops with bright or pastel blooms.

In the spring, in order to form a branching plant, it is recommended to cut off the apical part. The cuts must be treated with garden pitch or crushed coal. R the result of such measures is the formation of stem shoots from awakening buds.

Why garden yucca does not bloom

Many experienced amateur flower growers know that yucca almost never blooms indoors. However, when creating comfortable growing conditions for outdoor ornamental culture, as close as possible to natural ones, the garden false palm blooms with very beautiful and fragrant bell-shaped panicle inflorescences.

The absence of flowering may indicate gross violations of cultivation technology or improper care behind the plant. Among other things, the period of entry into the flowering phase may depend on the characteristics of the variety. Some species bloom already in the first year after planting, and perhaps flowering in the fourth or even fifth year of life. It should be remembered that located in good conditions, a plant that does not freeze in winter and does not suffer from waterlogging, blooms annually and very profusely.

Feeding yucca (video)

Growing garden yucca is a fascinating and not at all difficult activity. To get a durable and highly decorative street crop, it is enough to carry out proper care in a timely manner and do not forget about regular prevention of diseases and pests.

Yucca resembles a palm tree in appearance, although from a botanical point of view this is not so. This one is hardy and big flower very popular and can be found in the homes of lovers indoor plants possible quite often. It is inexpensive, easy to care for and easy to propagate.

The homeland of this plant is Central America and India, where it reaches a height of several meters. In our homes, a slow-growing species is common, which is distinguished by its strong structure, extraordinary beauty, and low requirements for care and conditions. At home it reaches a height of 1.80 meters.

How to care for a yucca flower at home

What you need for care:

• settled water;
• fertilizers;
• clay pot;
• compost;
• a little peat and coarse sand;
• soft fabric.

Where to put the pot

This flower prefers sunny places and grows best on a sunny windowsill. However, it needs frequent ventilation. During the summer months, you can keep it outside or on the balcony to provide the plant with Fresh air.

Yucca is a light-loving plant and achieves its full beauty if the leaves receive direct sunlight for at least three hours a day. Temperatures favorable for growth and development range from 10 to 24 degrees Celsius or even more, provided fresh air is provided. The flower can remain at room temperature throughout the year.

Irrigation system

Yucca is watered as needed, using a simple tap water, which has been left in the jar for at least 12 hours. It does not require a large amount of water; it should be watered sparingly. Watering too generously can cause root rot and leaf wilting.

Depending on the symptoms, you need to reduce the amount of watering or even use an antifungal product for houseplants, which can be purchased at the store. In winter, it is better to reduce the frequency of watering to a minimum.

Leaf care, dust removal

Dust from the leaves should be removed from time to time. Simply wipe them with a soft, dry cloth. Thanks to this operation, proper breathing of the leaves will become easier and tiny pores will open in them.

The lower leaves gradually begin to dry out; they should be cut off directly near the trunk. Transplantation is carried out every 2-3 years.

If lower leaves They begin to turn yellow, which means that they do not have enough light. You need to remove them and put the pot in a bright place.

By the way, what should you pay attention to when buying? First of all, when purchasing, carefully examine the trunk; it should be hard and undamaged along its entire length, and the leaves should be healthy and green.

Fertilizers, substrate and pot for planting

Fertilizing the soil at home is carried out from April to August, once every 2-3 weeks. You can use feeding preparations in moderate quantities, which are convenient to add to the water when watering.

A clay pot is perfect for planting; it is not recommended to use plastic options. The best substrate for yucca is a mixture of compost, peat and coarse sand.

Home care: propagation and transplantation of yucca flowers

Propagation by seeds. In February or March, the seeds can be sown in a mixture of soil and sand, and then covered with a layer of soil several centimeters thick. Conditions with high humidity and a temperature of about 21 degrees are favorable for seed germination.

When the first shoots appear, you need to move the container with the seedlings to a bright place, if it was previously in the shade. After about three months, when the plants reach a height of several centimeters or more, they are transplanted into pots.

Propagation by cuttings of yucca flower. When the flower reaches maturity, we can use it to take cuttings and propagate. Cuttings are carried out in the spring at high ambient temperatures and high air humidity. For cuttings, side shoots are taken, with preference given to older ones.

The shoot must be placed on a hard surface and cut with a saw into pieces of at least 10 cm, each cutting must have at least one eye. The cuttings must be sprinkled with a rooting preparation, after which the cuttings must be planted in the substrate, taking care that they do not touch the bottom edge of the pot, otherwise the roots will not develop.

The procedure is best performed in a humid, shady and warm place with a temperature of about 24-27 degrees. When the seedlings take root and new shoots appear on them, you can transplant them into separate pots.

Yucca garden - care and cultivation

Yucca garden is a very interesting and beautiful plant. Among the rather hard leaves, collected in a rosette, grows a long thick stem, on which rather large white flowers periodically appear. Garden yucca has a lot of flowers. The root system is large, the roots are long and deep.

It is better to plant the plant in the form of small seedlings in a sunny and well-ventilated place, then it will bloom well. The place should also be protected from strong winds, the soil should not be waterlogged or highly alkaline.

Yucca plant care, watering and fertilizing

Water the flower regularly throughout the summer, but the soil must be well permeable so that the water does not stagnate, otherwise the roots may rot. In the spring, when there is water in the soil, you need to add a little liquid fertilizer. This will strengthen the flower after winter and prepare it for the flowering period.

Fertilizer should be added regularly during the summer as growth may be impaired due to the large number of flowers. If you want to speed up growth, in the first years you can break off the flowers so that the plant does not waste energy on them. After flowering, all wilted parts must be removed.

Yucca wintering

The yucca flower is frost-resistant, its leaves are evergreen, however, the roots must be protected from freezing. We can do this by covering it with fir branches. Yucca leaves retain their green color even when it snows, being the pride of their owner.

Reproduction

Young plants are obtained most easily by separating large ones. This should be done in the spring. It is necessary to dig up the whole plant to separate the young seedlings.

Exotic plants have attracted gardeners throughout time. One of the brightest representatives of the class evergreens is yucca. This plant, which belongs to the agave family, is native to the humid subtropics. North America. This requires the owner to create similar conditions: the climate must be dry and hot. However, not everyone has the necessary knowledge about the rules for caring for this plant at home, reproduction characteristics, etc.

Appearance

This plant may have single or branched trunk. Yucca also differs from other plants in that the leaves cover not only the branches, but also the trunk. They are slightly elongated and form a pointed shape at the end. Throughout its life, yucca blooms very rarely. Its flowers are quite large and have a white tint. Many people associate them with bells because of their original shape. Many gardeners choose this plant not to enjoy their flowering, but to enjoy their unusual appearance. After all, yucca strongly resembles a miniature palm tree.

If you are going to grow yucca in pots, it is recommended to place them on a window located on the south side. In this case, it is undesirable for the flower to be exposed to direct sunlight. In the absence of a bright place, yucca can be placed in partial shade, where she will also feel good. However, you should not count on the formation of a lush green crown.

With the onset of summer, it is recommended to take the flower out onto the balcony or it can be transported to the dacha, where it should find a place on the street. Here the yucca will receive maximum amount Sveta. Caring for the plant is not difficult, but first it will not hurt to get acquainted with the peculiarities of planting this plant.

I would like to repeat once again that yucca is a light-loving plant. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain a fairly high temperature in the room where it is grown. This flower reacts with active growth if the temperature in summer is within + 20+25 degrees Celsius. With the onset of winter, it is recommended to move the plant to a dark place where the temperature should be maintained within +10-12 degrees. It is important to ensure that there are no sudden changes in temperature at this time of year, even though the plant will be dormant at this time. If the air temperature in the room drops below critical levels, the plant will not be ready for this and will die.

Watering and spraying

Watering is one of the important activities that determines how strong and healthy the plants will be. Yucca is not very demanding of moisture, so frequent watering can harm it. Care must be taken to ensure that the surface of the soil the water did not stagnate for a long time. She also does not feel any better if she remains without moisture for a long time. In winter, it is watered much less frequently. Typically, watering once a week is sufficient to meet water needs.

Spraying of plants, which must be done extremely carefully, is useful in the summer. When moistening the leaves, care must be taken to ensure that they are protected from sunlight. Otherwise, it will cause burns. It is also important to avoid water getting into the rosettes of leaves and between the trunks of nearby plants during the operation. In winter, leaves are sprayed more often than in summer, since at this time the level of air humidity in the room decreases. This measure is effective if the procedure is carried out in winter at least once a day.

When growing any plants at home, caring for them involves fertilizing. And yucca is no exception. It is best to plan fertilization during the warmer months of the year, when plants enter the active growth stage. Fertilizers will not be beneficial if they are applied to the soil too often. Usually it is enough to carry out this operation once every two to three weeks. You can improve the quality of the soil by adding manure, humus or peat to it. The best effect can be achieved if, in the process of caring for plants, you use special fertilizers for agave plants.

Planting

There are several ways in which you can propagate yucca at home.

1. Pieces of trunk 15 cm long;
2. Cut and rooted tops;
3. Daughter sockets.

As a substrate where the planting material will take root, you can use sand or mixture based on sand and peat. When the material is ready, the plant must be planted in a pot, having first filled it with soil substrate, which must contain pieces charcoal. You also need to provide drainage in the container, which can be used as pieces of crushed stone or broken shards. The latter are best suited due to their lighter weight. Also, many gardeners grow yucca from seeds.

Propagation of yucca by apical cuttings

When the gardener has his first adult yucca bush, it can be used for propagation at home. It must be borne in mind that it must be a flower at least 30 cm high. One of possible methods propagation of the yucca palm - using cuttings, taken from the top.

• To harvest, the branch must be cut with a sharp knife or blade. Don't over-prepare a large number of planting material- the plant will feel worse if it has few green leaves left;
• After harvesting the cuttings, the cut points must be greased with crushed coal. After waiting a little, you can subsequently see how new branches will begin to grow from the healed wound. As a result, such manipulation makes it possible to obtain a spectacular branched yucca;
• After harvesting the cuttings, you need to give them time to dry. This usually takes about two hours. Then they need to be placed in wet sand. Until the time comes to transplant the plants to permanent place, they must be kept moist. To do this, the top can be placed in a glass of water, after adding Activated carbon. Even before rooting, individual leaves may die. This moment needs to be monitored and removed. When the root system has developed sufficiently well, you can transplant the plant into a pot.

Reproduction by a piece of trunk

The operational method of propagating yuca is using trunk pieces. This method is more suitable for those gardeners who have repeatedly propagated this flower. First, you need to very carefully cut off part of the trunk and place it in wet sand. This must be done in such a way that the planting material is positioned horizontally. By keeping the sand moist, you will soon see roots and buds begin to form on the cuttings. As a result, this method will allow you to get several new yucca seedlings.

Reproduction at home by offspring

The offspring that this flower can often produce can also act as good planting material. First you need find a suitable container which is filled with wet sand. Then you need to carefully separate the shoot and place it in the soil substrate, fixing it vertically. After some time, a small tree will grow from it, which subsequently needs to be looked after very carefully. Therefore, you will have to prepare a pot filled with rich garden soil for replanting.

Plant pruning

The benefit of pruning is that it allows you to form a lush and branched crown of the plant. To do this, you will have to remove part of the top of the bush - about 10 cm. The cut area must be treated with crushed coal or garden pitch. Such an operation can only be carried out on those palm trees that have been able to take root well and have reached a height of 60 cm.

In order for a flower to grow well after transplantation, it needs not only proper care, but also a high-quality soil mixture. To do this, you will need garden soil, to which you need to add sand in an amount of 1/3 of the volume of the prepared mixture. To the bottom of the pot stack broken shards, and a piece of permeable geotextile is placed on top. After this, the container is filled with earth, but only up to half the volume. Having completed the basic preparations, they proceed directly to transplanting the palm tree.

Plant diseases

Yuka is no different from others garden crops, so she needs to be provided with appropriate care. Deterioration in the condition of the palm may occur as a result of damage fungal or bacterial infections. This can be determined by the appearance of dark spots on the leaves. Subsequently, if left untreated, this can lead to tissue softening and rotting. In some cases, this process may also affect part of the trunk.

In this condition, care will involve removing the affected areas using sharp knife. The same must be done for damaged leaves. Parts of the yucca bush not affected by the disease need to be treated systemic fungicide. During this period, it is necessary to reduce the frequency of watering. The same diseases can also affect plants grown indoors. In this case, you need to care for them according to a similar scheme.

Yucca is resistant to many insect pests. However, the greatest danger to her is spider mite , which she can become infected with hot weather. To combat it, it is recommended to use a weak solution of tobacco tincture, which should be sprayed on the trunk and leaves.

Conclusion

Although yucca rarely pleases with its flowering, many gardeners are interested in it for its unusual decorative look. Therefore, many who have had the opportunity to enjoy the sight of this plant often set the goal of planting it on their site. This is quite easy to do if you follow the agricultural techniques for growing yucca.

Home care is no less important. Special attention need to be given preparing the soil mixture, since before the yucca is transplanted to a new place, it must be created optimal conditions for her growth. Also, success in this matter largely depends on correctly selected planting material. It is best to use cuttings, which in most cases root well and grow into a strong, healthy plant.

Yucca garden is an evergreen tree-like heat-loving plant from the Agave family. Sometimes it is called a shrub, sometimes a small-branched tree. Garden yucca flowers are white and resemble bells. Yucca grows indoors big pot, and in the garden it can be planted directly into the ground. This tropical plant will decorate any cottage.

Types of Yucca

In total, there are more than 30 varieties of yucca. In our country, the most common types are:

• filamentous;
• ivory;
• gray

Yucca filamentosa: thin white threads on the leaves

Yucca filamentous – unpretentious plant, which is easy to care for. It can withstand temperatures down to –20°C. The leaves of this type of yucca are sword-shaped, reaching 3-10 cm in width and 30-60 cm in length. The leaf is slightly bent at the top and is framed along the edge by protruding threads. The peduncle reaches a height of 2.5 m, and bears flowers up to 7 cm long.

Garden yucca has a short trunk. The long thin leaves (1-2 cm wide, up to 90 cm long) have a grayish-green color with lighter edges. They are collected in a bun. The inflorescences are narrow, small-branched, the flowers have a greenish-white or yellowish tint. The plant tolerates frost and drought well, and can even grow on sand. But shade or excessive moisture leads to the death of the gray yucca.

Yucca has a low trunk and a rather lush crown.

Yucca ivory is a whimsical plant that is afraid of frost and reacts to changes weather conditions. Name this species Yucca provided a wide trunk, which at the bottom resembles an elephant's leg. The leaves are sword-shaped. They are shiny, light green in color, and grow mainly in the upper part of the plant. The lower leaves gradually fall off, causing scars to form on the trunk. In summer, white bell-shaped flowers appear at the top of the yucca, collected in inflorescences.

The elephant yucca has a rather massive trunk

Planting in open ground

Before planting yucca in open ground, it needs to be hardened. The plant should be taken out into the fresh air every day, gradually increasing the time spent outside. In one to two weeks the yucca will be ready for transplanting.
The ideal place for yucca would be sunny place on a hill. The soil should not be clayey, dry ( groundwater near the planting site they can spoil the plant; it does not like waterlogging). It is advisable to prepare the hole for yucca in the fall. It is important that the diameter of the hole is larger than the root system of the palm tree. Fine gravel or sand (drainage layer) should be placed at the bottom and sprinkled with ash.

It is better to plant the plant in the spring at a daytime temperature of about 20°C, and a night temperature around 10°C. After carefully covering the roots with soil, lightly water the soil. When planting, be sure to take into account the acidity of the soil: it should not exceed 7.5 pH. For example, you can use chernozem, calcareous, sandy, clay-stony soil.

If the plant is in a pot, it needs to be provided with space

Aftercare for garden yucca

Feeding and watering

This tropical plant does not require excessive care. It should be watered when the top layer of soil is completely dry. If yucca leaves dry out or wilt, you can spray them with water from a spray bottle. But you should not do this during solar activity! Spray your yucca either in the morning or evening.
In the spring, when the plant is actively growing, it needs to be fed. Compost, liquid humus, and mineral fertilizers for succulents are suitable for this. Fertilizing can be done foliar: the lower leaves of the plant are sprayed with a fertilizer solution.

Transfer

In order for the palm tree to look beautiful and bloom spectacularly, it should be replanted. Garden yucca can grow in one place for up to 20 years, unlike indoor yucca, which is more demanding in care. When transplanting, follow these tips:

• if the tree has grown, a bush has appeared that needs to be separated, it’s time to replant the plant;
• the yucca root system can reach a depth of 70 cm, so you need to dig deep enough so as not to damage the roots of the plant;
• Yucca can be replanted in spring or late summer;
• the transplant site should not be located in a draft;
• after transplantation, you can feed the plant two weeks later;
• The palm tree will bloom a year after transplantation.

Spectacular exotic yucca flowers

Yucca propagation

Yucca can reproduce by seed and vegetative methods. In nature, pollination occurs thanks to a butterfly of the genus Pronuba, which lives only in the homeland of this palm. It pollinates flowers, which provides the seed method of propagation. However, we are not destined to see the fruits of this plant - this butterfly does not live in our latitudes.

Cuttings can be trimmed

In Russia, yucca is propagated by dividing the bush or using stem cuttings. The second method involves the following steps:

• the side rosette with the stem is cut off with a knife;
• excess leaves are removed;
• the cut is dried and sprinkled with charcoal powder;
• cuttings are planted in a greenhouse 3-4 cm deep under glass or film;
• the plants remain under the film to overwinter, insulated with leaves on top.

Is it necessary to cover garden yucca for the winter?

This plant is considered frost-resistant, but it can only tolerate a short-term drop in temperature. Therefore, it is still better to insulate it for the winter, especially in the first two years.

1. In late October - early November, in dry weather, collect palm leaves in a bunch. Carefully tie them along their entire length.
2. Place several lower layers of leaves on the ground - they will prevent the soil from freezing.
3. Cover the yucca with dry leaves at the base. You can lay sticks or boards on top of them, which will press the leaves to the ground and prevent them from being blown away.
4. The bush itself should be covered with polyethylene. The base of the trunk can be additionally covered with earth (15-20 cm).
5. When young leaves appear in the spring, last year's yellowed ones can be cut off.

A real decoration for any garden

Yucca will make your garden original, unusual, very colorful and beautiful. The plant does not require excessive attention and is quite easy to care for. Create yourself the conditions for an exotic holiday on garden plot thereby tropical plant!

Video: features of the development of garden yucca

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