Yucca Plant Falling Over

Question:

I have my yucca plant for over 4 years. It was happy and health a month ago but I travelled abroad for three weeks and left my boyfriend taking care of it. When I returned the plant was sad and falling over. I know the weather wasn’t very nice recently. Very cold and raining or snowing a lot. But I’ve never saw the plant like that before. Can I revive it?

I really need some help please. I live in Washington DC.

Answer:

It appears that the stems between the top of the thick cane and the leaves have all withered. When that happens, the stems are no longer able to transport water and nutrients from the soil and roots to the leaves. Unfortunately, once the stems have withered they do not recover.

The cause of the withering might be extended drought over the course of several months. A more likely cause is root rot that prevents the roots from absorbing water for the rest of the plant. Root rot is common with Yuccas because they do not tolerate excessive moisture around their roots. It appears that yours was repotted some time ago and placed in a pot that is a bit too large with soil that is not porous enough. In those conditions, the soil around the roots does not dry out enough to prevent root rot. Root rot occurs slowly over a long period of time and eventually there are no longer enough healthy roots to serve the plant. The result is what you see.

Here is what I recommend. Cut off each of the stems about two inches below the lowest leaves. Remove any yellow or pale green leaves. Mix three parts of damp peat moss with one part perlite. Put that mix into a 6″ or 8″ pot and insert all of the cut stems. Press the potting mix in tight around the stem cuttings and water lightly. Move this pot of cuttings to a warm, sunny windowsill. Keep the potting mix barely damp. Be patient as it will take a couple of months for new roots to form and for the cuttings to gradually grow. Keep the cuttings together in a single pot and don’t repot for at least six months to a year.