yucca cane help again

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by bonicgirl, Apr 10, 2009.

  1. bonicgirl

    bonicgirl Active Member

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    put a pic og my yucca on her before;it was lossing its leaves;and now it geeeting worse;Was told it was maturing not sure thats the case can anyone help me see pic of plant.yucca cane 1 is first pic of plant;other pic is what is looks now.Have repotted already.
     

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  2. Laticauda

    Laticauda Active Member

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    It looks like it needs lots more light. I'm not sure what you can do for it right now, but I'm sure someone will be along to help you "fix it."

    Good luck and keep us posted!
     
  3. bonicgirl

    bonicgirl Active Member

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    it sit in front of a window that has sun all day.
     
  4. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    did you repot it after you posted before?? if so, what kind of soil did you use? did you take a good look at the roots?? if you did, were there any that looked brown/black and were mushy? if so, did you remove them? did you spread out the roots a bit before putting the new soil in?? did you use a new/larger container or the same one? does the container have drainage holes? how much have you watered it since you repotted?

    did you do a good check of the leaves to see if there are any bugs there? the way the leaves are all flopped over and discolored could be a result of transplant shock and/or not enough watering and/or too much watering and/or infestation - most likely would be mealy bugs. they look like little bits of cotton fluff and tend to be at the bottom of the leaves where they meet the stalk.
     
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2009
  5. Canadianplant

    Canadianplant Active Member

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    it could be too much water as well.... they can take water but not alot
     
  6. plant fairy

    plant fairy Member

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    dont know what zone you are in? zones 8 9 i would plant it outside in ground with at least 6 hours of full sun a day. i am in north florida and i leave my in ground outside year round without ever covering them. they are huge and healthy. also after in ground for a few weeks let nature take care of them. i never water or fertilize mine.
     
  7. bonicgirl

    bonicgirl Active Member

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    i had all ready repotted before putting the pic online;i had 2 plant in one pot;separated the plants;the roots look great not meshy;i don't water alot.This plant leaves has been doing this for awhile;it just started all of a sudden.Can't put outside cause it to cold right now.I used a peat dirt to drain the water easy.Still has not got any better.I have not fertizle yet;don't see any bugs;yet i still not sure of the problem.

    when i repoted and seprated the 2 plants i used new dirt in both pot;of the biggest of the 2 plants i did put back in same pot.it does has drain holes in bottom.I've have not treated for bugs yet;that might be the case;didn't see any.
     
  8. Canadianplant

    Canadianplant Active Member

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    its natural for plants to look like this after repotting, especially if you sperated the plants. Give them a decent amount of water, let it dry about an inch between waterings, and in a few weeks, i bet itll start to look even better. Do not fertilize it for about 3 months, as the new soil has a bit in it. You may want to try to give it a light misting as well, if you put a very small amount of fertilizer in the water, the leaves should pick up a bit of nutrients and it should help to get it back on its feet. I know its unsettling when plant does this, but it should be fine. These plants are almost impossibl to kill.
     
  9. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    you planted them in peat???? that's the problem. peat compacts and will dry to a solid mass - and isn't easily reconstituted when watered.

    repot, again, and use a mix of cactus soil/regular potting soil. go heavy on the cactus mix and throw in a bunch of perlite also - that will add extra drainage.
     
  10. bonicgirl

    bonicgirl Active Member

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    they look like this before i repoted with the peat dirt;also mix it with an organic type to ;said it will drain easy.but will change to cactus;and see what that does.


    thanks
     
  11. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    when you unpot them, take a good look at the roots again. put the roots in a bowl of water and let sit for about half an hour and then swish them around a bit to try to remove as much of the peat as is possible...try not to actually manipulate the roots with your fingers - just hold the trunk and swish the roots around...most of the peat should come off. set the plant in a manner so that the roots can drain and dry a bit before you pot up again.

    once you repot, don't water for at least a week...the roots just had a dunk in water (so they got something) and they've been disturbed with all that swishing around, so, give them time to recuperate from that before watering. a week should be plenty of time for that - then water thoroughly so that you see some water coming out of the drain holes...then allow the soil to dry down an inch or two from the top of the soil before doing a thorough watering again.

    it should recuperate just fine once the roots are able to take up water properly again - i'd give it a good month before looking for new growth, though.

    if it continues to fail, let us know...you can always do some cutting and start over by re-rooting it - if that's needed, and i don't think it will be.
     
  12. bonicgirl

    bonicgirl Active Member

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    I have repotted now;not sure if they will make it cause in the pic if you notice the the heads of the plants are curve over(pic 2);they want stay up straight;where they are bending;i think they might be broke;but going to wait and see if they stand straight up in a few days.Putting in out door in the day to get more sun to.
     
  13. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    i would keep it in it's normal location until it's back on track. constantly moving it back and forth with the differences in lighting and temps will stress it more than it already is.
     
  14. bonicgirl

    bonicgirl Active Member

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    my yucca cane leaves still look the same after repoting.Used cautas dirt this time.It not bad roots; cause i have a new growth at bottom of stalk.Should i cut the top off since the top is getting no better.The leaves at top seem to be dying.But the new growth looks great.
     
  15. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    i'm glad there's new healthy growth!!

    did you check the top part for bugs?? spider mites and mealy bugs can do damage that results in what the picture shows. if that part got bent over, that would also result in the wiltedness...

    can you post an updated pic? also, if you can get a close up of the area that's causing the problem, that would be helpful, too!
     
  16. bonicgirl

    bonicgirl Active Member

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    i did not see any bugs;the limbs are standing up some now;but still looks bad.here is some pic from camera on phone if you cant see to good and retake new later.my kodaka camera does better pics.
     

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  17. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    they're not the best...couple questions before you use the regular camera:

    is the stalk, right below where the leaves are, soft/mushy?? if so, then you've got rot going. and, if so, then the whole thing is not affected (yet) because you've got the new growth coming out at the bottom. if it is mushy, cut it off. make the cut about 2 inches below the top of the stalk/trunk. if the inside looks bad - brown/black and/or mushy, then do another cut another inch down. if still the same, take off another half inch and continue doing half inch cuts until you get to good, healthy wood.

    if the stalk, below the upper leaves, is not soft/mushy, please take pics with the regular camera - would really need to see a better view of it.
     
  18. bonicgirl

    bonicgirl Active Member

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    sorry it took so long to get back;but i have been moving.
    The stalk that looks brown and dry up are not soft to the touch;here is more pics;of the bad leaves at top;and a update of the new growth which is getting bigger.i only have a digital camera;maybe thses are better pics.
     

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  19. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    the new growth looks really good!!!

    okay, the parts, at the top, where the leaves are growing are not soft...what about the trunk itself? is it soft at the top?

    i kind of think it's not, though, since the leaves, on both sides of the trunk, are still green...even if they are quite droopy. so, being that they are still green, they're getting what they need so that means there's not rot, or, if there is, it's not completely taken over the whole trunk yet.

    generally, it all looks much better now than it did when you first posted! so, repotting it definitely was the right move.

    just want to clarify something...the part, that comes out of the trunk and has the leaves, will continue to grow new leaves and, as they grow, the older leaves will die off and you end up with a 'branch' that is bare of leaves. this is the normal growth pattern for this plant and not anything to be concerned with...even if that part that becomes bare of leaves is brown/tan in color. as long as you have healthy green leaves and new ones sprouting out on a regular basis, then everything is going as it should.

    i have seen these branches die off on occassion. as you can see from your plant, there is a new 'branch' starting very low on the trunk...so, all in all, i think the roots and the trunk are in good shape - even if that one branch doesn't look all that great. and that's kind of hard to really tell for sure from the pics - the one that is dark is the one that shows both branches well - it's too dark to get a good look at the condition of all the leaves though.

    basically, if the newest leaves (up top) are green from the bottom to tip and only the oldest leaves are browning up and dieing, then, you have nothing to worry about :)
     
  20. bonicgirl

    bonicgirl Active Member

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    the trunk is hard to the touch at top and at bottom;i did not have root rot when i repoted the plant.The top of the plant where the green leaves are turning brown is standing straighter now than what they where standing.I water the plant very well every 2 weeks;it may not be enough water.Maybe i need to feed the plant but not sure what to feed it;if anything.Thanks for your help.
     
  21. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    yes, i noticed the one that had been drooping is no longer doing that!

    i think all this needed was to be repotted. it might need a bit more water than you're currently giving it, though. lol, i have no idea how much you're giving. it's also very easy to underwater as well as overwater - even for those who are experienced with it!!

    so, that said, here's how to make sure you give enough water and not too much...

    pour in a couple cups and allow it a few minutes to soak in (take your time and use small increments of water so that it soaks in and doesn't just run straight through the dry spots without leaving anything behind), repeat with the same amount of water on the opposite side of the container, allow to soak in and then use the same amount of water and pour it in in between the two other spots, then repeat directly across from this spot.

    repeat adding water and pouring it on a different spot each time...always give a few minutes for the water to work it's way down...keep an eye on the bottom and look for anything that is coming out the drain holes. as soon as you see water coming from the drain holes, you've given enough water and can stop adding more. once all the excess had drained off remove it from the drip tray.

    repeat the watering when the top 2 inches of soil are dry.

    keep track of how much water is used...it should be about the same amount needed the next time...and, if you suddenly need more or less, then that would indicate something has changed and you need to check into it...
     
  22. oberfeldwebel

    oberfeldwebel Active Member

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    It does look like over watering to me as well. Most yucca are from arid regions like northern and parts of central mexico. The leaves of a plant are always a good indication of what kind of culture(care) should be applied. Yuccas have slender, tough leaves which indicate two things....1) they're built to slow down water-loss and 2) they LOVE direct full sun....the best any window can offer is part-shade (even if it is a southern window). If you live in a climate that has warm/hot summers set it outside, restrict water for now and see how it reacts. It is possible that with the excess water it may have developed some rot or a fungal infection. If it doesn't perk up after you've restricted water for a day or two THEN I'd follow a couple of the other people's advice about removing dead roots. When you trim dead roots or other plant parts be sure to cut it back to healthy tissue and dust that wound with Sulfur. If you have to (and are willing to) take it this far then you'll also want to clean it's pot thoroughly and use New (well draining) potting soil treated with one of he antifungal agents available at most lawn&garden centers.
     

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