Yucca is a low-maintenance plant that can brighten up your garden or home. Sometimes, you can’t get enough of these pretty spikes, but can you cut Yucca and replant it?
Read on for more about trimming and replanting Yucca. This article tells you when and how to cut Yucca for propagation. It also provides you with tips to create new healthy Yucca plants.
When to Prune Yucca
You can prune your Yucca all year long. It all depends on the way you like it.
Some varieties of Yucca, such as Adam’s Needle, can spike up to eight inches long. Therefore, you should cut this plant whenever you feel it got too long for your taste.
Remember that trimming encourages growth. Your plant will grow new shoots from right underneath the point of cutting.
It might look a little strange and bare for a while at the beginning. However, it won’t be long before your Yucca re-sprouts into more beauty.
3 Steps to Prepare Your Yucca for Propagation
You can propagate Yucca by cutting and replanting it. Follow these steps to prepare your Yucca for propagation:
1 – Water Thoroughly
Cutting and replanting can stress your plant. That’s why the first step in preparation is to give it a lot of water to help it tolerate this stress.
The day before you cut your Yucca, water it generously. This toughens the stem and prepares it for the stress of replanting.
2 – Prepare the Potting Mix
Yucca requires a well-draining soil mix to thrive. Therefore, make sure that you pick or make the best-quality soil mix for your plant.
We recommend using a mix specially made for cacti and succulents. You can also make it yourself by adding three parts potting soil, two parts pumice or perlite, and three parts gravel, sand, or grit.
3 – Choose the Stem to Cut
To replant Yucca, you should choose a mature stem that’s medium-sized in both length and width. This way, it’s not too old or too young.
Generally, thinner stems are too young for propagation, and thicker ones are older than necessary for this task.
Remember here that some varieties of Yucca are spiky enough to harm your hands. Thus, we suggest that you wear protective gloves.
How to Propagate Yucca
Now that you’ve prepared your plant for propagation, here’s how to cut it and use these cuttings to create new plants:
1 – Cut the Stem
After choosing your stems, use garden pruners or a sharp knife to cut them. Your new stems should be between two and a half and three inches in length.
To avoid spreading disease, sanitize your cutting tools beforehand. This way, you guarantee planting a healthy, happy plant.
2 – Plant the Baby Yucca
Now, in the cacti and succulent soil mix you’ve prepared, plant the clippings you took from the mother Yucca.
Additionally, make sure you insert the basal part of the stem into the soil. Otherwise, it won’t grow.
To do that, we suggest marking this portion with a felt-tip pen. That’s because after cutting, both ends of the stem may look identical and confuse you.
3 – Water Your New Yucca
The new cuttings you’ve planted don’t have roots. To care for them until they develop roots, you should heavily water your fresh baby Yucca for about four weeks.
After this period, your Yucca will have roots. Thus, you can water it in intervals to avoid root rot. After all, this plant can tolerate drought.
Another word of advice: try to secure your clipped stems inside the pot. Otherwise, they might be knocked off by the wind.
How Long Do Yucca Cuttings Take to Root?
Are you worried about your rootless Yucca? Don’t worry, for Yucca grows roots relatively quickly!
With plenty of indirect sunlight and water, it takes Yucca cuttings about four to seven weeks to grow roots. Thus, don’t cut down on heavy watering before an entire month passes.
Tips to Plant a Healthy Yucca
- You can plant Yucca any time throughout the year.
- Place your Yucca in well-drained soil.
- Yucca needs a spacious area to grow.
- You should use cacti and succulent potting mix.
- Some varieties of Yucca don’t require direct sunlight. Thus, you can keep your plant indoors with plenty of indirect sunlight.
- Keep your Yucca in a warm environment.
Final Thoughts
So, can you cut Yucca and replant it?
Yes, you can. This is actually an effective way of propagation. In fact, you can cut Yucca all year round.
You only need to cut Yucca stems and plant them with the basal side down. Interestingly, your baby Yucca remains rootless for at least a month. Therefore, you need to secure the leaves in the soil and water your baby plant abundantly.
Fortunately, you can always cut and replant Yucca to enjoy this lush beauty.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.