yucca tree in for the winter

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by Timmer01, Nov 15, 2007.

  1. Timmer01

    Timmer01 Member

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    Dayton Ohio, USA.
    hi all :) this is my first post here. i have a yucca tree ( not really sure what it is exactly) and it has spent he summer out on the pool deck in the sun and rain and has done great. its in a pot thats about half as wide as the tree is tall. i didnt have to do anything to this thing over the summer, and it looks great and has lot of new growth on it. i got it at the home depot at the start of the year. it has maybe doubled in size.


    well, now winter is here. it sat out the last few nights, dipping in to the low 20's. I'm worried that might have hurt it, to early to see any difference in it yet though. the tips of a few leaves are turning black though. and kinda droopy. just a few though.

    Im almost sure this thing wont last a ohio winter out side. what do i do about bringing it in for the winter. i have a few cacti so i can resist watering it, but what about light? my cacti dont seem to care if i were to put them in a box for the winter, they hang out in my kinda dark room where my cats cant get to them :P but i dont want to kill this thing by cutting the light off. i dont have a southern facing window. i have a back porch that has a lot of southern windows y'all, but its gets really cold out there at night, and maybe only up to 50 in the day.

    if i were to bring it inside, what should i do about the light?

    P.S. if i put this in the wrong place, please feel free to move it,
     
  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Especially if the pot is not a big tub the whole thing may have frozen and be dead already. 20s F is cold enough to be murder on some quite hardy plants when these are in containers. Roots are much less hardy than tops.

    While some yuccas are very hardy we don't know what yours is, it could even be a subtropical plant that will surely now be dead. It only takes a few hours of exposure to temperatures below the minimum a plant will tolerate for it to be nailed.

    If you want to give it a go bring it in immediately and locate where it will have the brightest possible light. Bugs etc. may come in with it, an intermediate area such as an enclosed porch or garage might be best for it anyway - at least at first.

    Look up Cordyline australis, in case that's what it is. Common, fast-growing and even sold as a summer annual here. If that's what it is and it has been damaged or killed (tops hardy to about 15-20F - on established plants growing in the ground) it can be comparatively cheaply replaced, if desired.

    Otherwise, visit some garden centers with foliage plant departments to see if they have the same thing, with a name on it.
     
  3. edleigh7

    edleigh7 Well-Known Member

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    ....or post a photo, so we can id it for you

    Ed
     

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