Hi all - I'm new to the forum and new to the world of Spineless Yucca as an indoor houseplant. I've had the yucca for about a month now, but each week, the lower level of "leaves" starts to brown at the end, then as the week progresses, the browning carries all the way through the "leaf" and ends up shriveling and wilted. I've only watered the plant once, as I read indoors and with it being a desert plant, it does not need much water and prefers to be on the more dry side. I also have it indoors, and being in Phoenix, we receive tons of indirect sunlight through our windows everyday. My unit faces north as do all my windows, so I do not receive any substantial direct sunlight, but based on what I read, the Yucca thrives with as much sun as possible, but will survive in minimal direct sunlight scenarios. This is fine with me, I do not need the plan to grow grow, but I do want it to survive as I really like its look. I have attached a couple pictures for reference. Please help. Much thanks.
Looks fine - shedding lower leaves is pretty normal to Yuccas. Do you know the species? I causally put a 'houseplant' in the ground in my front yard - turned out it was Yucca elephantipes. Took over my front yard! This may be that species - but not to worry - they are fairly slow growing.
Thanks for the information! My only concern is that it doesn't receive enough sunlight. Sounds like this plant will grow at a very slow pace without the sunlight, but thats okay with me. I'm pretty sure this one is a Yucca elephantipes as well. Its a beautiful plant with great character. The rest of the leaves look very healthy, but i'll take note the lower ones will die off from time to time.
It will grow at a slow pace with sunlight too. Give it as much light as possible - it will stay healthier. Cheers.
The plant looks pretty good to me. The leaves do look dusty and should be washed off using a damp sponge or paper towel. Tip browning and die back on the lower older leaves tends to be normal for the genus. However, your soil mix looks dark and therein may lie your problem. Living in AZ you should have access to sandy, gravelly soil. I would pull the plant out of its pot and check out the roots. For the size of the plant I would expect them to be well grown and densely packed around the side of the soil mass. If not then it would make it easier to knock off as much as possible the old dark soil and use either commercially available "Cactus Mix" or make your own up using local sand, gravel, and some commercial potting soil. Say about equal parts sand and gravel to which is added about 1/3 part the commercial mix. Water well and let it drain completely before setting the potted plant in the plant tray. If there is water in the plant tray at this time dump it. Lift the potted plant after watering to get the feel of its weight and give it a week and lift again to see if it feels any different. Using a bathroom scale may be helpful. Keep it in a well lit spot all the time. Being in AZ the plant could go out on the porch and do well. Here is a link that can help you. http://www.plant-care.com/yucca-plant.html
Great information - thank you so much. Funny you mention the cactus soil mix. I just did buy a bag of that soil today for another plant I purchased. The yucca plant pictured I puchased in the pot already with the soil you see in the photos. The plant came with a sticker from a local nursery, and I figured the soil composition in the pot would be suitable for that specific plant, especially since coming from a local nursery. What are your thoughts on this rational? When I plant my palm tomorrow the palm/cactus soil, I will analyze the soil and compare it to the yucca's soil and see if I can tell a difference. What should I be looking for in the cactus soil, more of a sandy appearance, feel? I just watered the yucca today for the first time in nearly 4 weeks. I waited for the soil to be dry more than half a finger down from the top. I have read this plant reacts quite negatively to overwatering, so i'm doing my best to not fall victim to that. Most of the plant looks to be in excellent health, its just the continued weekly dying lower fronds that has me concerned. On a yucca indoor houseplant, what rate of lower leaves should I see dying? I'm getting about 5-6 total on both stalks per week.
I would think that soil mixes used at growing nurseries would be constructed to assure the maximum benefit of culture with the least amount of care needed. So I would think that these mixes would be standardized to their particular method of care. With using a soil mix that holds water for a longer period of time than the plant would encounter normally may mean that the amount of water applied would be light and the days between successive waterings would be more prolonged than is the case with most home growers who I believe practice a more or less weekly schedule. While I have recommended a "Cactus Mix" be sure to check out the label. If it says that peat moss is included in the mix then I would recommend that the mix be cut with more gravel and very coarse sand. The best way to evaluate your home made mix is to make up a sample that you can fill a 4inch square pot to the rim with. Weigh the filled pot. Then water with 16 oz of water. Let drain and reweigh to see how much weight was added. What you may want is to only add about an ounce or two of water to the pot. Reason why: Yucca like many plants that grow in dryish places have roots that absorb water and store it in their tissues. The roots, however, need to have an adequate amount of aeration in order for them to do water storage. A soil that is soggy for too long retards aeration of the roots and can lead to rot. While I have not really kept trace of rate of leaf loss I would guess that there is probably a relationship between new leaf growth and old leaf loss. This is one method whereby a plant grows a stem. It is possible that conditions where the plant is not under severe stress may accentuate stem growth and resultant lower leaf loss. So I would not worry if your plant is showing healthy growth of new leaves.
