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Description and features of growing yucca palm at home. Yucca flower garden planting and care, flowering and description of the flower, features of growing and replanting a garden palm tree, types and varieties in the landscape photo Houseplants yucca care replanting

Yucca is an exotic plant of the Agova family, which has gained great popularity as an indoor flower. Caring for it is not difficult, so you can grow it at home without unnecessary problems. To do this, it is enough to provide the flower with comfortable conditions, follow the rules of care, replanting and pruning. If you want to increase the number of copies, then you need to know the methods and nuances of reproduction.

Creating comfortable conditions for yucca

Outwardly, yucca resembles a palm tree, but belongs to the evergreen tree-like representatives of the Agave family. Elephant yucca (yucca elephantipes) and aloe vera crops are grown indoors. The first type is more popular; it can be found in offices, apartments and winter gardens of private houses. It is native to deserts and semi-deserts of Central America. She is accustomed to abundant sun and an arid climate, so she easily tolerates temperature fluctuations, dry air in the room, and is undemanding to the composition of the soil.

The flower loves good lighting. It is better to place the pots on the south side, but if the western and eastern windows are well lit, then they can be placed on them. The leaves of flowers placed on the windowsill should not touch the glass, as hypothermia is possible in winter. Large specimens are placed near the window; flowers also like partial shade. If the plant is small, then you should not place it on the floor, it will not have enough light, you need to put it on a stand.

For yucca to feel comfortable, daylight hours must be at least 16 hours. Therefore, in the winter season it needs additional lighting, which is provided with the help of lamps. You can determine the lack of light by the leaves stretching towards the window. To prevent this situation, gardeners advise turning on additional lighting from mid-October.

In the summer, the pots can be taken out into the garden or onto the balcony; when the temperature drops to 12 degrees, it is better to bring the plant indoors. If the region has warm winters, then yucca will grow in open ground. The plant loves light and warmth, does not tolerate drafts and cold winds.

Under natural conditions, yucca blooms with bell-shaped inflorescences collected in panicles. You can achieve flowering of garden species in your apartment if you place the plant in an insulated loggia for the winter. Flower buds form if the yucca is exposed to cold conditions for a long time.

Air humidity does not play a big role for elephantis, but should not be below 40%. If the level is lower, then the bush should be sprayed, especially in winter, when the air is dry due to heating devices. It is necessary to ensure the cleanliness of the leaves by wiping them with a well-wrung out damp cloth. Wet processing allows the flower to “breathe” better in hot weather. After the procedure, you need to avoid direct sunlight so that the leaves do not get burned. It is better to moisturize in the evening so that the crown dries out by morning. Once every 15-20 days it is advisable to take a warm shower.

Proper watering and fertilizing of the flower

Yucca is an unpretentious plant, but it has weaknesses: it is painful to tolerate frequent watering, especially if there is cold air in the room. The need for watering is determined by the dryness of the soil; it should be dry at a depth of 5-7 cm.

If you have any doubts about watering, it is better to postpone it for a couple of days. The flower can easily tolerate a lack of moisture, but from an excess it can die.

The following factors influence the frequency of watering:

  • pot sizes;
  • season;
  • ambient temperature and humidity;
  • the ability of soil to dry out.

Water the flowers with settled or purified water, being careful not to get it on the rosettes to prevent rotting. A small flower is watered often, but not much. The larger the container, the less frequent and more abundant the watering. An adult plant in a large tub needs water once every two weeks at the rate of 1 liter per 4 liters of soil. Excess moisture must be drained from the pan. If the soil remains wet 3-4 days after watering, it needs to be loosened, then it will dry out faster.

From spring to autumn, at temperatures ranging from 18 to 22 degrees, the flower is watered every 8-9 days, at 25-28 degrees - once a week. In the autumn-winter season, less often and with less water. With frequent or excessive watering, the tips of the yucca leaves darken and the root system may rot.

Caring for yucca at home includes mandatory feeding from spring to autumn. Most of all, the plant needs microelements during flowering. As a top dressing, weak solutions of complex mineral fertilizers are used, diluted in half the dose recommended by the instructions. The solution is sprayed on the underside of the leaves once every 2-3 weeks, as well as special fertilizers for decorative deciduous and palm crops. In autumn and winter, fertilizing is not needed. It is not recommended to fertilize the flower after replanting and during illness, when it is weakened.

Transfer rules

Transplantation is poorly tolerated by yucca, so it is done as needed:

  • The young plant is replanted as the roots grow, when they completely fill the pot. Usually the procedure is performed after 2 years.
  • Emergency replanting, regardless of the season, may be necessary when the root system is rotting, removing the rot.
  • The newly acquired flower is replanted after two weeks, when it adapts to the new conditions and gets stronger.

When the yucca reaches a large size, only the top layer of soil in the tub is changed every year. It is best to carry out the transplantation procedure in the spring. To do this, prepare a pot and soil substrate. The flowerpot must be spacious, since the root system of the yucca is less developed than the ground part, and if the container is selected incorrectly, the flower may turn over due to the large weight of the upper part. The new pot should be 3-4 cm larger in diameter than the root system, and 2-2.5 times deeper than the internal diameter.

The soil mixture for yucca should be fertile and loose with a pH level of 5.5-7.5. You can buy ready-made soil or prepare it yourself. Experts recommend a composition of two parts leaf and turf soil, two parts coarse sand or gravel with a diameter of 3-4 cm and one part humus. The second option for soil substrate is to mix in equal parts:

  • turf land;
  • humus;
  • compost;
  • perlite or sand.

It is useful to add charcoal to the soil. At the bottom of the pot, drainage must be poured with a thickness of at least 1/4 of the height of the pot to prevent stagnation of liquid and rotting of the roots. For the drainage layer, it is better to use heavy materials that will increase the stability of the pot: broken bricks, river pebbles, clay shards.

The soil should be tested by watering it with water. The liquid should seep out quickly and collect in the pan. If there is a delay, it means the soil is not suitable.

It is better to replant using the transshipment method, since if the root system is damaged, the plant will take a long time to recover. The procedure is a sequence of steps:

  1. 1. A day before transplanting, water the flower abundantly and cut off the dried leaves.
  2. 2. Transshipment consists of removing the earthen ball along with the roots and transplanting it into a new container. To do this, turn the pot over and carefully shake out the yucca, gradually releasing the root system with soil.
  3. 3. Before planting, you should check the condition of the root system and remove rotten roots.
  4. 4. If you want to stop the growth of the palm tree, you need to trim the roots. To do this, shake off the soil from the extracted plant. Then, using a knife or scissors, the most developed roots are cut off, but not more than half of the original state. Do not touch the roots near the yucca trunk.
  5. 5. Then place the palm tree in the prepared pot so that the base of the upper part of the flower is 1-2 cm below the top of the container.
  6. 6. The pot is gradually filled with soil, lightly compacting it.
  7. 7. The transplanted plant is not watered for a couple of days, and then the soil is carefully and moderately moistened, waiting for it to dry out.

Methods for propagating domestic palm trees

Yucca is propagated using seeds and vegetatively.

Propagation by seeds

The seed method is more labor-intensive and time-consuming. To obtain good germination, fresh seed should be taken. The growing procedure is simple:

  1. 1. Before sowing, seeds are soaked in warm water for a day so that they hatch.
  2. 2. Then sow in a container filled with soil substrate consisting of leafy soil and peat.
  3. 3. Next, cover with glass or film to create greenhouse conditions.
  4. 4. The seed container is placed in a warm room, preferably providing bright, diffused light.
  5. 5. Maintain moist soil for 10 days by morning spraying. The seeds are ventilated twice a day. The film is removed and shaken, the glass is wiped dry to remove condensation.
  6. 6. The first shoots should appear in 25-35 days. When the seedlings have a couple of leaves, they are dropped into disposable cups with the same soil.
  7. 7. The seedlings are fed the first time after 6-7 days with a solution of 1 g of nitrophoska per liter of water, the second time after 14 days.
  8. 8. A seedling with 4-5 leaves is considered an adult plant; it is transplanted into a separate pot and normal care is continued.

Reproduction by vegetation

Yucca reproduces vegetatively using the tips of cuttings, branches, and part of the trunk with dormant buds. The procedure is carried out in early spring before the period of active growth, but reproduction can be carried out from March to August. At other times of the year, the roots of the planting material will either take a long time to grow or will not grow at all.

To root the apical cutting, you need to carefully cut off the medium-sized crown and remove excess foliage from it, leaving 4-5 leaves on the trunk. You should not root a large cutting, as it does not take root well. The cut stalk is placed in boiled water at room temperature, adding charcoal. The water should be changed after 2-3 days. The air temperature is maintained at about 25 degrees.

To propagate yucca by cuttings, a rosette is cut from the daughter plant from the main trunk using a sharp knife. For disinfection, the cut areas are sprinkled with crushed coal or sulfur. The cuttings are first dried for 12 hours, placing the planting material in a cool, dark place. Then the layering is stuck into damp vermiculite to a depth of 3-4 cm, fixed vertically. During rooting, the temperature is maintained at 25-30 degrees. When roots appear, the seedling is transplanted into a pot of soil.

If the yucca has become too large, then the top is cut off and rooted as described above. The trunk is divided into several parts with dormant buds and placed in damp sand in a horizontal position, slightly pressing. After a while, the dormant buds will give rise to shoots with roots. The shoots are separated with part of the trunk, the cuts are processed and planted in separate containers. The remaining yucca stump is treated with a cut and care continues as usual, reducing watering. Over time, new shoots will appear.

How to prune yucca correctly?

Yucca plants are trimmed to rejuvenate or improve their appearance. If the palm tree is very elongated, then after cutting off the top it stops growing. A correctly carried out pruning procedure makes it possible to adjust the height of the flower and get a healthy plant with a beautiful crown.

It is recommended to prune when the palm reaches a height of at least 55-60 cm and a diameter greater than 5-6 cm. If the flower has one trunk, then it is pruned at your own discretion, for example, at a distance of 12-15 cm from the lower leaves. If a flower has several trunks, then pruning should be done at different heights, so that there is a distance of 10-15 cm between levels. This will allow new shoots to grow freely without interfering with each other. The result will be a spreading, dense crown.

Don't be afraid to cut off the top. The crown will recover within 2 years, but the plant will become shorter.

Pruning is carried out from late February to early April, before the growing season. Before the procedure, the plant is watered abundantly for two days.

Trimming rules:

  1. 1. You need to cut the trunk with a sharp knife disinfected with medical alcohol.
  2. 2. The cut must be smooth, without creases along the edges, so as not to damage the growing points, then it is treated with charcoal or activated carbon.
  3. 3. The plant should be watered less often and little by little, since there are no leaves, so less moisture is required.

Under optimal conditions, new shoots begin to grow within a week. From the trimmed top you can get another plant.

Yucca, yucca (Yucca) is an evergreen tree plant of the Agave family. Many people unknowingly call the flower a palm tree, but, like dracaena, it is not a palm tree. In order for the plant to delight you with its beauty, you need to know how the yucca flower grows and how to care for the decorative “denim tree” at home.

Description of yucca, types and popular varieties

There are two groups of indoor yucca plants, including about 30 species: tree-like (with a trunk) and stemless (rosette). The leaves are sword-shaped, reach a length of 25-60 cm, a width of 1-7 cm, and are collected in a bunch, forming rosettes. Depending on the variety, the leaf blades can be green, bluish, hard or semi-hard, and have jagged or smooth edges (see photo).

In nature, yuca blooms, forming many bell-shaped or cup-shaped flowers (more than 300 pieces), collected in paniculate inflorescences 0.5-2 m long. They have a white or greenish-cream, yellowish tint, after flowering they form dry fruit boxes or juicy fruits .

Note. The popular name of the flower is “jeans tree”. This is due to the fact that hard fiber is extracted from the leaves of some varieties, which is used for sewing jeans.

Depending on the variety, the plant may have a single trunk or form branches. There are about 30 varieties, but the most popular among flower growers and gardeners are seven types of yucca.

  • Aloe leaf(Yucca aloifolia). Slow growing spherical bush. The tree-like stem branches with age, forming at the ends rosettes of hard, dark green leaf blades with a thorn at the end.
  • Whippla(Yucca whipplei). A slow-growing, spherical species with a shortened stem and leaf blades collected in rosettes. The color of the leaves is grayish-green, at the ends there is a prickly thorn, and along the edges there are teeth.
  • Short-leaved, or tree-like, giant(Yucca brevifolia ) . The thick trunk is strongly branched at the end, the leaves are short, hard, triangularly expanded, brownish at the ends. The flowers are pale yellow.
  • Radiant or high(Yucca radiosa) . It has densely spaced narrow leaves about 1 cm wide and 40-55 cm long. The color of the leaf blades is green, with a white border and a large number of thin threads.
  • filamentous(Yucca filamentosa). Almost no stem. It is frost resistant. The bluish-green, white-variegated or yellowish leaves are distinguished by a pointed tip and the presence of curling thin threads.
  • Elephant(Yucca elephantipes). In adulthood, the upright growing trunk becomes like a thick elephant's leg. The ends of the branches end in rosettes of elongated lanceolate leaves of light green color.
  • Glorious(Yucca gloriosa) . The tree has a spherical shape, the rosettes are assembled from hard curved leaf plates. The color of decorative foliage is bluish-green, the leaves are smooth and leathery.

Features of growing indoor flowers

Indoor yucca can grow at home; it is a fairly unpretentious flower. The only important requirement is to provide good lighting.

Soil requirements

The soil can be purchased ready-made at any specialty store or prepared yourself. The optimal substrate for a flower will be a mixture of peat, coarse river sand and compost in equal proportions. It is also recommended to add some sod, perlite and humus to keep the pH level between 5.5-7. It is advisable to pour fine gravel or expanded clay onto the bottom of the container to ensure drainage.

Note. To understand whether the soil is suitable for growing, it must be poured into a pot and watered well. If the water is quickly absorbed and flows through the drainage holes, everything is fine with the composition.

Rules for choosing a pot

A container for growing yuca must meet a number of simple requirements.

  • The pot must be selected that is stable, opaque, of medium size, 4-5 cm wider and deeper than the previous one.
  • It is better if it is not plastic, but clay or ceramic.
  • There should be drainage holes at the bottom to remove excess liquid from the soil.

Landing technology

Immediately after purchase, the yucca must be removed from the plastic container and planted in a suitable sized pot with a nutrient substrate. The procedure consists of three steps.

  1. A layer of expanded clay or gravel is poured into the selected container, then a little soil.
  2. Remove the plant from the purchased container and inspect the roots.
  3. Place a lump of earth in a pot, add soil on the sides and top, and compact it with your fingers.

Yuca care at home

The yucca plant at home does not require special care, so it is suitable even for novice gardeners. However, a number of rules will still have to be followed in order for the plant to grow healthy and maintain its decorative appearance.

Temperature and lighting

For indoor yucca, lighting plays an important role, so it is better to place the pot on a south-facing window. However, you will have to make sure that bright sunlight does not fall on the leaves, otherwise dark spots from burns will appear. The flower can be placed in partial shade, but this will not have the best effect on the decorative color.

We should not forget that yucca is considered not only a light-loving plant, but also a heat-loving plant. The room temperature in summer should be 20-25 degrees Celsius. In winter, the indicator is reduced to 10-12 degrees Celsius, and the pot is moved to a dark place. Observing a dormant period will allow you to achieve flowering indoors.

Watering

Indoor yuca is not too demanding when it comes to watering; excessive soil moisture can even harm it. Therefore, water should not be allowed to stagnate on the soil surface; it is also necessary to ensure good drainage. However, you should not overdry the soil. Usually in summer the flower is watered once a week, in winter - much less often, as it dries out.

In summer, it is useful to spray the plant with a spray bottle, first protecting the leaves from direct sunlight. Do not pour water into leaf sockets, so as not to provoke rotting. During the heating season, spraying should be carried out at least once a day.

Air humidification and ventilation

Some flower varieties are sensitive to dry air and require daily spraying with boiled, settled water. For others, it is enough to be at some distance from the batteries in winter, placing them on a tray with wet moss or expanded clay. It is advisable to avoid drafts and sudden temperature changes.

Note. From spring to early autumn, it is recommended to wipe the leaf plates from dust with a well-wrung out cloth or napkin. You can’t wash the plant in the shower, just like you can’t take it out in the rain in the summer. It is better to carry out the procedure in the evening.

Fertilizers

The indoor flower yucca is responsive to fertilizing. Fertilizers should be applied in spring and summer (April to August) every three weeks. You can use both purchased mineral preparations and natural organic matter - mullein infusion, manure, humus. The best effect is achieved by foliar feeding.

Pruning and care after flowering

The yucca flower rarely blooms in apartments; care at this time consists of regular watering, spraying, and fertilizing. Faded inflorescences are then carefully cut off with scissors so as not to disturb the decorative appearance of the plant. At other times, maintenance pruning of foliage is performed to maintain the splendor of the crown.

  1. Remove dried or yellowed leaf blades with scissors.
  2. Trim the top to 8-10 cm.
  3. Treat the cut with garden pitch or crushed coal.

Formative pruning is carried out only if the plant height has reached 50-60 cm.

Transfer

Replanting is carried out as the flower grows or if problems with the root system are detected. At the same time, replace the soil with a new one and select a larger pot. This is done in spring or early summer. Perform the following steps.

  1. Mix garden soil with sand and humus.
  2. Expanded clay 3-4 cm high is poured onto the bottom of the container.
  3. Pour soil up to half the pot.
  4. They take out the flower without disturbing the earthen lump and transfer it to a new container.
  5. Press down the lump with your palms and cover the sides and top with soil. Compacted.
  6. Water generously. Do not fertilize for 2-3 weeks.

Note. In an adult plant, replanting is carried out at least once every three years, annually replacing the top layer of soil with a new one. If rotten roots are noticed, they are cut off, the sections are greased with crushed coal, and dried.

Yucca flower propagation

There are three ways to propagate yucca:

  • apical cutting;
  • a piece of trunk;
  • offspring.

However, you can take material from the mother plant if it has reached a height of at least 30 cm. A cutting from the top or part of the trunk is cut off with a blade, sprinkled with crushed coal, and dried for a couple of hours. Then they stick it into wet sand and do not allow it to dry out. When roots appear, transplant into a pot. Instead of sand, you can use water to root part of the plant in a jar. When propagated by offspring, they are cut off and rooted in damp sand in a vertical position.

Problems of growing plants with improper care

To prevent rotting, wilting or death of the plant, it is necessary to water the yucca moderately in winter and monitor the temperature in the room. If the stem or part of the roots rots, you must immediately take action to save the flower.

  • Yellow spots on the leaves or their dropping are caused by drafts, hypothermia or natural death;
  • dried ends of brown leaves - dry soil or dry air;
  • curling leaves - low temperature in the room;
  • light spots on the foliage - sunburn;
  • stem rot and leaf spotting are a fungal infection.

Pests and diseases

Yucca is damaged by pests such as spider mites, scale insects, mealybugs and whiteflies. Basically, the cause of infection is considered to be excessive watering. To eliminate the problem, yuca is treated with insecticides, following the instructions on the package.

Of the diseases, the flower is most often affected by bacterial and fungal infections, causing the appearance of dark spots on the foliage. Then the black areas soften and rot if the plant is not treated. To save, leaf blades and parts of the stem are cut off with a sharp knife and treated with a systemic fungicide. Reduce the number of waterings for a while and observe other important care conditions.

Yucca (Yucca or Jukka) - this palm-like exotic plant actually has absolutely nothing to do with palm trees. This tree of the agave family naturally grows in subtropical and tropical climates. In warmer regions of Russia it can grow in open ground, but in temperate climates it must be protected from the cold for the winter.

In natural conditions, it is a large bush covered with large thick leaves. Over time, the lower leaves dry out and fall off, which is why the yucca becomes similar to a palm tree in the structure of the trunk and a cap of hard, long leaves at the top.

There are about 30 different species of this plant in nature. The two most popular for growing at home are:

Yucca elephant

This plant is native to Central America. It grows quite slowly, growing from 4 to 8 meters in height. By old age, the thick trunk of the yucca becomes like a huge elephant's leg, which is why it got its name - elephant yucca.

The plant has long, stiff leaves, up to one meter long, with jagged edges and a fibrous, rough texture.

This type of yucca is unpretentious in cultivation, adapts to various conditions and will withstand the care of even a completely inexperienced botanist. The plant is able to adapt to life in the most cramped conditions of a small city apartment.

Yucca blooms extremely beautifully. Yucca inflorescences are long, reaching two meters, and grow directly from the basket. Lush panicles of bell-like white very beautiful flowers resemble bouquets, each up to 7 centimeters long. After flowering, boxes with black seeds inside are formed. However, at home, achieving yucca flowering is a rare case.

The homeland of this plant is the subtropical part of North America. Its distinctive features are the following: leaves up to a meter in length are bluish-green in color with a white border along the edge and are slightly fibrous in structure. It has a very short trunk, so it looks like the leaves are growing straight from the ground. Over time, as it grows, this yucca becomes like a large ball with thick, wide leaves.

This plant is less common in urban apartments and requires some preparation from the owner of an exotic specimen.

Care

Once in a new home, the plant needs to acclimatize. It is best to replant it in a new pot of slightly larger diameter with new soil. We must try to provide the plant with sufficient drainage, at least 5 cm. To do this, you need to lay gravel or expanded clay on the bottom of the pot.

When planting, you should try not to deepen the stem by more than 3 centimeters, so as not to provoke its rotting.

Illumination, temperature, humidification

Of course, coming from southern latitudes, yucca needs good lighting. This especially applies to young plants. With the arrival of warm days, yucca can be placed on a balcony or open area.

However, care must be taken to ensure that there are no drafts or sudden changes in night temperatures. In winter, the plant needs additional lighting. It is believed that it is precisely because of insufficient lighting that yucca cannot bloom in an apartment.

Yucca is a subtropical plant, so the temperature in summer for it can reach 26 -30 degrees, and in winter - about twenty. It is very important to prevent sudden temperature fluctuations in winter. A window open next to a plant at night can destroy it.

Under different temperature conditions, yucca requires different levels of soil moisture. Yucca is adapted to arid conditions and therefore it is necessary to focus on the age of the palm and the size of the pot.

For a small plant, a small amount of water is enough, but every day, while for a large plant, watering once every two weeks is enough.

During the hot summer months, watering is done approximately once a week, and as temperatures drop, watering is reduced. When the temperature drops to 18 degrees, watering is reduced to once a month.

In this case, you can focus on the condition of the top layer of soil in the pot. You need to make sure it is dry before watering.

When watering, you must follow some rules:

  • If there is water in the glass pan after watering, it must be poured out to prevent rotting of the root system;
  • After watering, make sure that the top layer of soil does not remain wet for several days, and if this happens, it is necessary to loosen the hardened soil and allow the water to be completely absorbed;
  • It is imperative to monitor the condition of the soil when the humidity level in the house changes. If the humidity has increased, then watering should be reduced so that the roots of the plant do not begin to rot.

Top dressing

The palm tree does not require special feeding. The plant is fed in the summer; there is no need to fertilize it in winter.

Liquid palm products can be used as fertilizer.

As the root system grows, the plant must be periodically replanted into a larger pot. It is recommended to carry out this procedure every two years, changing the pot to a larger one.

During transplantation, you must handle the roots of the plant with care. If they are injured, the yucca will then be sick for a long time and may even die. It is better to carefully transfer the plant along with the earthen ball to a new place to reduce stress for it.

Trimming

Palm trees are pruned mainly for aesthetic purposes, to give the desired shape or rejuvenate. It is good to carry out such manipulations in the spring. When cutting a branch, you need to make sure that it is cut and not broken off, so as not to damage the growing points.

The cut is treated with crushed coal to avoid rotting. Cut branches are not thrown away because they are propagation material.

Diseases and pests

The condition of its foliage will tell you about yucca diseases. If their color or shape changes, this indicates a problem. The palm tree copes with diseases easily, just don’t let it get damaged.

Symptoms:

  • The leaves become covered with large dark brown spots. This means that they are affected by a fungus that appeared due to too much water in the soil or humid air in the apartment.

Diseased leaves are cut off, and the palm tree should be placed in a drier place and watering and spraying should be stopped for a while.

  • The stem of the plant began to rot. Again, the reason is due to excess moisture and lack of fresh air flow.

Here you need to look at how running the process is. If pruning the affected areas does not produce results, then this palm tree will have to be destroyed so that it does not become a source of disease for other house plants.

In general, problems with caring for yucca are minimal. The plant is not at all capricious and does not require special treatment. If you follow the rules, the palm tree practically does not get sick.

Pests that attack yucca are also typical of houseplants. These are spider mites, false scale insects and aphids.

  • When a plant becomes infected with false scale insects, the symptoms appear very characteristic. Its leaves droop, become limp and lifeless, and then fall off. The impression is as if the plant is withering from lack of moisture.

Without treatment, the plant may certainly die. In such cases, the drug Actellik, which can be bought in specialized departments of stores, helps very well.

With proper care, the palm tree is not susceptible to various diseases, so it is necessary to create a suitable climate for the plant and sufficiently competent watering to protect it.

Plants with a closed root system are usually purchased for the garden - in a container. This yucca can be planted at almost any time of the year, the root system will not be damaged, but it is better at the beginning of the warm season, then adaptation will be painless.

Homemade yucca palm: care at home

After acquiring yucca, it, like all new plants, is quarantined for at least for 2 week– placed separately in a place with diffused light. During this time, the plant adapts to the microclimate of the room, and all possible ailments will be identified and cured.

After adaptation period The yucca can be transferred to a suitable container and placed in a permanent place.

Lighting

Yucca loves good lighting. Its leaves are covered with a thin layer of waxy coating; they are dense, tough and perfectly adapted to all kinds of living conditions. Therefore she not scary even the brightest sunlight. In summer it can withstand even the brightest sun provided there is good aeration, i.e. sufficient supply of fresh air.

In winter, lighting depends on temperature.

Temperature

In summer the air temperature can be almost any: Yucca tolerates temperatures above 30, especially in the fresh air or in a well-ventilated area.

Rest period

In winter, yucca needs coolness for at least 2 months. This is not a slight drop in temperature, but rather cool conditions, +5 - +8°C.

This period is very important for development - flower buds are laid. With such content, additional lighting may not be necessary.

If it is not possible to arrange a cool winter, then it is necessary to provide the plant with as much natural and artificial light as possible, otherwise it will stretch, bend the trunk and fade.

When growing in the garden it is sometimes required. The yucca is wrapped in several layers of thick paper or cardboard, the packaging is secured, and the ground around is mulched with sawdust, straw, or insulated with spruce branches.

In areas where temperatures drop in winter below - 10°С, it is advisable to grow yucca year-round in a pot, taking it outside during the warm season.

Air humidity

Yucca makes peace with dry air premises, but atmospheric moisture has a positive effect on its appearance and well-being, especially at high temperatures.

Watering

In the warm season, with active growth, you need to water abundantly, But not often. Moisten the soil for yucca in a pot only after the earthen clod has completely dried out.

IMPORTANT! When water stagnates, fungi and algae very quickly settle in the soil, to which yucca is sensitive.

Over-wetting the soil is even more dangerous. during the rest period. At this time, there is a high risk of root rotting. In the cool winter, water the yucca very rarely and very little at a time, so that the roots do not dry out. This is exactly the case when it is better to underfill than overfill.

Transfer

Young specimens of the plant are replanted annually in the spring. There are three ways to change the amount and composition of soil in a container - transshipment, replanting, and replacing the top layer.

Transshipment

The essence of the method is to simply remove the plant from the pot and transfer it to another, slightly larger one, along with a lump of earth.

Fill the gaps between the roots and the container with fresh soil. First pour into a new pot drainage, after installation, you can change the top layer by carefully removing it and adding it in its place fresh mixture.

Complete change of soil

In this procedure it is important delete as much soil as possible, untangle and trim the roots, remove rotten ones, while trying not to injure whole and short ones. It is convenient to free the roots using sticks.

Prepared in advance pot a drainage is placed, the substrate is poured into a mound, and the plant is placed on it. When filling the roots, shake the pot from time to time or tap it on the table - the earth penetrates inside root lobe. The surface level is not changed; the diameter of the pot is 1–2 cm larger than the previous one, or the same if the roots are severely pruned.

Changing the ground layer

For large adult plants, the transplantation of which is difficult, replacement top layer of soil mixture. To do this, carefully remove the surface of the substrate and add fresh one in its place.

Soils

Palm does not need in overly nutritious soil. Yucca soil from the store or any other neutral mixture will do. Too rich soil is diluted with 1/4 sand.

Feeding

Yucca is fed, like all other plants, only during active growth, in the warm season.

But it should be borne in mind that immediately after changing the soil, fertilizers are not required: after transshipment and replacement of the layer, at least a month, and after replanting - two.

Nutrients contribute with irrigation once a month, once a season, add gel granules with yucca fertilizer to the soil or use sticks to constantly supply nutrients to the substrate for a long time.

Bloom

Sufficiently mature specimens bloom. At the end of spring and summer, a peduncle appears from the center of the rosette, on which a loose paniculate inflorescence with white or cream fragrant flowers blooms.

The lifespan of a yucca flower is about a month.

Some types of yucca are blooming once in a lifetime, and then are replaced by young shoots. This makes them similar to agaves.

Flowering does not occur even in the oldest specimens if seasonal maintenance requirements are not met - there is no winter dormancy period.

How yucca blooms - photo:

Growing

Yucca does not have any special requirements for living conditions. She can put up with shortcomings in everyday care for a long time. However, compliance rules will contribute to the timely achievement by the plant of the best decorative indicators. Yucca can decorate any spacious room, and low varieties can decorate limited spaces.

Watch an interesting video about how to care for yucca:

Plant growth

Some types of yucca reach impressive sizes and form a trunk from the vaginal parts of the leaves emerging from a single rosette. The lower ones gradually die off, and a trunk is formed. This growth pattern unites yucca with palm trees.

At home, yuccas, in the absence of shaping pruning, grow up to 2 meters.

But some species grow like this slowly that the appearance of a clearly defined trunk is not expected - such yuccas are ball or hummock, consisting of hard lanceolate leaves sticking out in different directions.

Crown formation

Yucca not inclined to branching. But it happens when damage growth points. In natural conditions, this happens naturally - when the upper part of the trunk breaks or dies.

At home or in the garden, give the necessary outlines quite possibly the florist himself.

For the plant to begin to branch, cut off the top or significant part of the trunk. Should remain on the plant green leaves. Soon the dormant buds will develop new shoots, their number is different.

An educational video on how to give a beautiful shape to a yucca:

Reproduction

At home, it is almost impossible to wait for fruits and seeds to appear, so they are purchased in stores. The germination rate of the seeds is low, but if desired, you can grow yucca from seeds. This is a long process, so most often using apical or stem cuttings.

The top cut off during formative pruning is dried for 2 hours, then rooted in water or wet sand. Roots appear in the warm season within a month to a month and a half.

If there are problems with the root system, it is sometimes easier to cut off the trunk, divide it into several cuttings and root them. Dutch trunk cuttings are also available on sale.

Stem cuttings form a plant with several branches, because They no longer have a single point of growth.

Problems

  • cool conditions and infrequent watering;
  • or warmth, sufficient watering and lighting.

Benefit

Thus, yucca is a beautiful, hardy plant that can create a special atmosphere in a room with minimal investment of time and effort by the owner in caring for it.

From the agave family (Agavaceae). It grows naturally in the humid subtropics of North America. Therefore, the domesticated version prefers a dry and hot climate. In this article we will take a closer look at what yuca (flower) is - how to care for it, propagate it, etc.

Appearance

The trunk of yuca can be either single or branched. One of the characteristic features of this plant is that its leaves grow not only on the branches, but also on the trunk itself (like a palm tree). They have an elongated, pointed shape. This plant blooms quite rarely. Yuca flowers are large and white. They are shaped like bells. However, this plant is grown mainly not for its flowers, but for its unusual appearance. Yuca very much resembles a small palm tree.

Choosing a place for the plant

It is best to place the pot next to a window, preferably on the south side. However, it should be protected from direct sunlight. If it is not possible to place the flower in a very bright place, you can also place it in partial shade. However, in this case you will not get a particularly lush green crown.

In summer, the flower should be moved to the balcony or taken to the country house and placed outside. This will be the best solution for such a light-loving plant as yuca (flower). Let's look at how to care for it below. First, let's look at the rules for planting this plant.

Optimal temperature for growth

Under what conditions should these flowers be grown? Yuka, as already mentioned, loves the sun and warmth. Therefore, the room temperature should be quite high. +20-25 C in summer is considered optimal for successful cultivation of yuca. In winter, the plant is moved to a darker place with a fairly cool microclimate - +10-12 C. Hypothermia of the yuca should not be allowed during this period of the year, even though almost all processes in its tissues freeze and it goes “hibernating”. If the room temperature is too low, the plant will simply die.

Planting a plant

Yuca is a flower that can be propagated in several ways:

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

Rooting of planting material should occur either in sand or in a mixture of sand and peat. After this enterprise is crowned with success, the plant is transferred to a pot with a nutritious soil substrate, into which pieces of charcoal must be added. At the bottom of the pot, drainage is arranged from crushed stone or broken shards. The latter weigh less and are therefore more preferable. If desired, yuca can also be grown from seeds.

Watering and spraying

Next, let's look at how to water a yuca plant. The success of its cultivation largely depends on how correctly you do this. Yuca should not be watered too often. In any case, water should not linger on the soil surface for long. The only thing you need to make sure is that the soil does not dry out. In winter, the amount of watering is reduced to a minimum. Water the plant at this time of year no more than once a week.

In summer, yuca is not sprayed too often, being careful. While you are moisturizing the leaves, they should not be exposed to sunlight. Otherwise, burns cannot be avoided. In addition, you need to ensure that when spraying water does not get into the rosettes of leaves and between the trunks of nearby plants. In winter, the leaves are moistened quite often, since the air in the yuca room at this time is too dry. Spraying in the cold season is carried out once a day.

Feeding and fertilizers

Like any other indoor plant, it requires fertilizing and yuca (flower). We will now consider in more detail how to care for him in this regard. This indoor plant is fertilized only in the warm season, during the period of active growth. Fans of indoor flowers do not recommend fertilizing the soil too often. Fertilize the plant once every two to three weeks. To improve the composition of the soil and increase its nutrient content, manure, humus or peat are usually used. You can also purchase industrially produced fertilizers for agave plants.

Propagation of yuca by apical cuttings

After successfully growing one plant, you can try propagating it at home. However, you should know that you can take planting material from yuca only after it reaches a height of at least 30 cm. As already mentioned, the yuca palm can be propagated by cuttings from the top. It is cut with a sharp knife, or even better with a blade. There is no need to take too much material - as many green leaves as possible should remain on the plant. The cut area must be treated with crushed coal. After some time, several new branches will grow around the healed wound. This way you can get a spectacular branched yuca.

The cut top is slightly dried (for about two hours). After this, it is stuck into wet sand. Before moving the plant to a permanent location, it should not be allowed to dry out. You can also place the cuttings in a glass of water to which activated carbon has been added. Before it begins to produce roots, some leaves may rot. They should definitely be removed. Once the roots have grown sufficiently, the yuca can be transferred to a pot.

Reproduction by a piece of trunk

Yuca (the flower whose photo you see on this page) reproduces, among other things, by pieces of the trunk. However, this method is best used only if you have sufficient experience in indoor floriculture. A part of the trunk is carefully cut off from the plant and placed, just like the apical cutting, in damp sand. However, in this case the material is not stuck into it, but is positioned horizontally. If you moisten the sand regularly, roots and buds will soon appear on the cuttings. This way you can get not just one new plant, but several at once.

Reproduction by offspring

If offspring appear on your yuca, it will be very easy to propagate it. For this, a pot of wet sand is also pre-prepared. The offspring is carefully separated and placed in it in an upright position. Very soon a new small tree will grow from it, which will need to be transplanted into a pot with rich garden soil.

Transplanting a plant

Of course, any housewife will be happy to watch her yuca (flower) grow. How to care for an adult, developed plant? Of course, this must also be done regularly and correctly. If the pot for a grown yuca has become too small, it is necessary to transplant it into a larger container. This procedure is performed in late spring or early summer. If you do this later or earlier, the plant may be weakened. First of all, prepare new soil. Take garden soil and mix it with sand. The latter should be approximately 1/3 of the volume of prepared soil. Place broken shards at the bottom of the pot and cover them with a piece of permeable geotextile. Fill the container with soil up to halfway.

Once everything is prepared, you can begin replanting the yuca. In order for the transfer procedure to a new pot to be successful, you should leave as much old soil as possible on the roots of the plant. Carefully pry up the yuca and transfer it to the prepared container. Lightly press the ball of roots onto the surface of the previously poured soil and fill everything on top with the remaining part of it. Compact the soil around the trunk.

Transshipment is done not only if the plant becomes cramped in the old pot. This procedure is also necessary in order to change the soil, in which the amount of nutrients significantly decreases over time. Yuca transplants are required once every three years.

Replanting old yuca

Old yuca is a flower whose care also involves periodic replanting. However, in this case, the soil is not left on the roots when moving. The fact is that in old plants they often rot and die. Therefore, before replanting, the soil is shaken off and the roots are carefully examined. Decayed and diseased ones are removed. Sometimes the trunk itself begins to rot in old plants. In this case, you will just have to cut off its intact part along with the foliage and plant it in a pot with wet sand. Next, the container with the plant is placed in a cool, dark place. Perhaps after some time it will produce new roots.

Plant pruning

In principle, we have already considered the method of pruning yuca when we talked about methods of its propagation. In order to get a lush, branched plant, you need to cut off the top of the palm by about 10 cm. The cut must be sprinkled with crushed coal or covered with garden pitch. Pruning can only be done if the plant has already reached a height of 60 cm and is very well rooted.

Garden variety of yuca

There are varieties of yuca designed for growing in open ground. These garden flowers can withstand low winter temperatures without harm. However, they should still be covered. To do this, the leaves of the plant are collected in the middle of the bush and tied by wrapping it with a wide ribbon. The result is a kind of columns that need to be covered with polyethylene. This procedure should be performed carefully. The plant should not bend or lose shape.

Yuca is a garden flower, the success of growing which depends on how correctly you water it. Varieties growing in open ground, like indoor ones, should not be over-watered. You just need to ensure that the soil under the plants does not dry out. With the onset of autumn cooling, it is better to stop watering altogether. Otherwise, the plants may start to get sick.

Garden Yucas are pruned in the same way as indoor ones. The rules of reproduction are also similar. It is not necessary to replant garden flowers. In any case, they will have enough space in the flowerbed for free growth and development. You shouldn’t fertilize yucas growing in open ground too often. It is enough to feed them with mullein infusion, well diluted with water, twice a season. If the soil in the flowerbed is oily, then this procedure will be unnecessary.

Plant diseases

Yuca is a garden flower, the health of which must be monitored. It is usually caused by fungal or bacterial infections. In this case, the leaves of the plant become covered with dark spots. At the next stage, the tissues begin to soften and rot. The same process can simultaneously occur with part of the plant trunk. For treatment, all affected areas are cut off with a sharp knife. Damaged leaves are also removed. The remaining healthy parts of the plant are treated with a systemic fungicide. The number of waterings is reduced. Indoor Yukis sometimes suffer from similar diseases. The procedure in this case is the same.

Yuca is practically not affected by insects. Sometimes in too hot weather it can be attacked by spider mites. In this case, the trunk and leaves should be treated with a weak solution of tobacco tincture.

Yuca is a wonderful, original, beautiful plant that you should definitely plant in your apartment or summer cottage. With a little effort, you can decorate your home or garden with real southern mini palm trees.