Root pruning Yucca Elephantipes

Posts

• Paul B3 Posts: 3,154

  June 2023

  I used to do exactly what you describe with large specimen Aloes which I used  to have.

  Remember when you've reduced the root system , leave the plant to one side for a few days whilst the remaining cut roots callous over ; this drastically reduces the risk of rot.
  

  PS  Yucca elephantipes grows well outdoors during the Summer months ; site in dappled shade if possible as it will not be acclimatised to bright sunlight .
  

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• Sarah248 Posts: 44

  June 2023

  Thanks Paul, that’s great advice. I’ll give it a go and fingers crossed. It’s currently growing in a west facing conservatory and seems to love it there and with the weather forecast predicting a ramp up in heat this weekend, it might be the perfect time to do it. 

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• pinut Posts: 194

  June 2023

  I was given two yuccas, each in 30L pots and about 2m tall. They had become top heavy so I decided to chop one of them up into five thick trunk sections and plant them just like cuttings in a sandy compost mix and, surprisingly, they all rooted and grew well last year.
  
  Unfortunately, I left them outdoors over the winter and three of the cuttings died. Now only two remain.
  
  
  

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• Sarah248 Posts: 44

  June 2023

  I bit the bullet today, took it out of the pot and sawed off about half of the root bound base. There was virtually no soil left and was bone dry, so no wonder it wasn’t holding any water at all!  I’ve filled the bottom of the pot with indoor plant compost (about 15cms deep) and put the yucca back in, plus fresh compost around the edges and gave it a moderate drink. There was still plenty of thread roots left, so if your woody trunk sections grew and rooted successfully, hopefully mine will too. 

  I’ll update with progress as this is a bit of an experiment, but Yucca Elephantipes are supposed to be pretty tough and resilient - so fingers crossed! 
  
  

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• pinut Posts: 194

  July 2023

  Seems like I spoke too soon as even the "dead" ones are showing new signs of life!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I've shortened the three mid section cuttings a little just to make them more manageable.
  
  In case anyone is wondering, the dark grey colour on the cut sections is due to the cut paste I used to seal the wounds.
  
  How are yours faring, OP?
  
  

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• Sarah248 Posts: 44

  July 2023

  pinut said:

  Seems like I spoke too soon as even the "dead" ones are showing new signs of life!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I've shortened the three mid section cuttings a little just to make them more manageable.
  
  In case anyone is wondering, the dark grey colour on the cut sections is due to the cut paste I used to seal the wounds.
  
  How are yours faring, OP?
  
  

  Glad to see your reply and I’m staggered at how robust these plants are! 

  
  

  Nearly six weeks later and my yucca is going from strength to strength. I was away on holiday for two weeks at the end of June and almost expected to come home to a very sorry looking plant - definitely a kill or cure - but look at this, it’s doing incredibly well! It certainly doesn’t look like a plant that has half its root system savagely removed. The leaves are totally healthy, they’ve always drooped like that once they got over a certain size. 

  
  

  
  

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• pinut Posts: 194

  July 2023

  Hurrah!
  

  
  

  I'm very glad to hear that yours made it too, and is looking very healthy.

  
  

  
  

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• bédé Posts: 3,095

  July 2023 edited July 2023

  My experience of yuccas (no experience with  elephantipes) is that expanding roots will break a clay pot.  With plastic I just get distortion.

   location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
  "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

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