I had this plant for a couple years, it was discarded by former owner. Would like to know more about it. Can you id it? Thanks.
Y. elephantipes grows outdoors here, and normally the crown's a lot denser than the one in your photo; they tend to start looking like yours currently does if it rains too much. What kind of soil is your yucca in? Here they grow in sand and rocks more than real dirt, so it may be dismayed to find itself in potting soil. Equally, you could be giving it a bit too much water....
I'm in hardiness zone 7b, the plant has been in the same pot for the last 3 years or so, I have not fertilized, it's kept indoors year round, the windows where the plant is kept are facing east. So only exposure to sun in the morning or filtered sun light. I do water it daily a little bit, because the top part of the soil is dry the next day. Initially it was planted in potting soil which has not been amended. Why do the bottom leaves dry up and turn yellow? Is it a normal growth process or other reason? You may know the answer?
It's actually pretty natural for the bottom leaves to yellow and drop off - that's how the yucca produces its trunk. Just pull them off gently so that the tree can concentrate on producing new growth. They like full sun - now seeing that yours is in diffuse light tells me why it's leggier than the ones I'm used to. Try to get it into a brighter area. You might also try repotting, since it's probably depleted its soil; you may find that the soil has compacted around the roots. If this is the case, it's getting its feet squished, and you should re-pot in something with better drainage, say, half potting-soil and half cactus mix, or full cactus mix. This may also cause the leaves to stop drooping. Best of luck! Yucca are terrific and low-maintenance plants, and once they're mature they put off wonderful fragrant blooms.
Lila: thanks for id-ing the plant lorax: thanks for the plant care info - I will repot and use your suggestions on the soil medium. Once the threat of frost has passed I will bring the plants outside to give them more sunlight during the warmer months.
Lonoke county, Arkansas? Definitely Yucca elephantipes. Its not getting enough light. Grow in a south facing window. Needs much more light than a Dracaena. Its way overdue for repotting and fertilizer too.
Lonoke is a county in Central Arkansas, but is also the name of a city in Lonoke Co., though I'm in Austin, Lonoke Co., AR, USA - thanks for the interest thanks for the additional plant care. I'm looking forward to get a better looking plant after repotting, and putting it in a sunnier spot
I was curious, because if you were further south you might be able to plant it out. However, Arkansas gets winters, so it's not advisable.
