Help me save my Yucca !!!

About 5 years ago, and thanks to advice I got on this forum, I successfully took two cuttings (by air rooting) off an ailing Yucca. The two plants have grown on in the same position indoors in my dining room ever since and are about 4ft high.

However, about three weeks ago I noticed the lowest leaves on one of them had turned brown and were dying so I snipped them off. I have been watering them once a week but looking up advice I suspected that maybe the dying leaves was due to overwatering them. I have now left the unwatered for three weeks. Is this a better regime and what can I do to stop any more leaves going brown ? Leaves further up the plant still look OK . What should I do from now on ?

 

They do grow into very large plants. Yours do look as if they need repotting into something larger and moving somewhere they can get all round light. They really are better grown outside once they get to a reasonable size.
Your best bet would be to take off the brown leaves ( will look tidier if you gently pull them off the trunk rather than leaving little tufts of dead leaves ), repot into larger containers with a suitable soil medium, give them a good watering and put them outside in the light. Good luck

 

I'm assuming that is Y. elephantipies which is often grown as a house plant as its not hardy, not here anyway, possibly in coastal areas.
Yes I think you are probably overwatering, best to stick a finger into the compost and check its fairly dry before giving a good watering and then let it dry out.

Lower leaves do die off over time and its nothing to worry about.

I agree a larger pot would be good with some fresh gritty compost, and maybe a summer holiday outside, but beware as although they are tropical yours is not used to strong sun and high UV so will burn quite easily, so dappled shade is best.

I bring my big one under cover in October to allow it to dry out a bit before the cold weather bites, but if you are bringing them back into the house you could wait until the first frost.

 

Thanks for advice. I will deffo repot. But for an indoor plant (I don't really want it outside!) what would you suggest for a watering interval? I haven't watered plants for about 3 weeks now so is it time again now ? Also, can I give them a feed of either banana skin potassium fertiliser or maybe they would like coffee grounds???

 

The watering interval is when it dries out , you can't do it by the calendar.

I'd just use a balanced feed designed for house plants.

Adding organic matter to house plants is often likely to stink or grow mould after a while in my opinion.

 

To avoid over and under watering, wait until the top couple of centimetres of compost feel dry, using your index finger. Then place your pot in the sink or on the draining board and water until the water runs out of the pot at the bottom, assuming your pot has an adequate draining hole. Stop at that point and don’t water again until the top couple of centimetres feel dry.

If you are repotting, use a potting compost for houseplants. The new compost will contain sufficient nutrients for the next six weeks or so. I use a houseplant fertiliser bought from a garden centre, following the instructions accordingly. I sometimes use diluted seaweed extract as an alternative.