Expert: Darlene K. Kittle - 10/18/2005

Question
i bought a yucca in a 10 inch pot but it contained a small plant and a larger one.ive since re~potted it in larger pot,now large yucca has bend in trunk and every few days seem to be losing leaves around bottom of plant.what am i doing wrong?another thing how often should u water these plants,cus i have a sneaky feeling my hubby waters when im out.also i seem to have little flies in the compost,i only notice this when i water them.please help.sue.

Answer
Sue,

How big a pot did you repot it into? It should not have been moved to a pot larger than 12 inches. My yucca is 24 years old and has 4 canes now and is in a 14 inch pot. When you repotted it I hope you used potting soil mixed half and half with sand.  Yuccas are desert plants and it should be in the sunniest location in your home and should be receiving at least 4 hours of full sun next to a south facing window. The lower leaves turning brown indicates that it may not be getting enough light, although it is difficult to give them enough light indoors. Mine alway
s gets brown lower leaves during the winter indoors. Just pull them away and it reveals the lovely trunk. Even with lots of light the lower leaves do gradually turn brown as the yucca matures. The trunk is part of the interesting look of the plant.

It should not be watered until it has been bone dry for at least a few days. There is a lot more moisture in the bottom of the pot even when the surface of the soil feels very dry. Yuccas roots need to breathe for several days before being drowned by more water.

The fungus gnats you are seeing indicates that it is being overwatered and that there could be some root rot. Dry it out as quickly as possible maybe by setting it in the bathtub overnight without the drain tray so it will drain away as much excess water as possible and lecture your husband not to water it. In the winter I water mine every 3 weeks and it sits next to a south facing window. In the summer mine goes outdoors under a shade tree so it gets lots of light but not so much it gets sunburned.

So try to give it more sun and a lot less water. Good luck.

Darlene