How to Care for a Yucca Plant

Yucca plants are exciting plants that can either add beauty to your outdoor landscape or indoor plant collection, with its spiky leaves and big, dramatic size. (It can grow up to 30 feet tall outdoors!) And fortunately, the yucca plant can be a super easy-care, no-stress plant for your garden or home decor. Here's how to ensure that your yucca plant thrives for years to come.

Types of Yucca Plants

There are many varieties of yucca plants, some of which you can grow indoors and others best grown outdoors. Yuccas are native to the southern U.S. and do well in dry, sandy soil, full sun, and handle heat and droughts well. But yuccas can also thrive in humid conditions, as they've adapted over time.

Spineless Yucca (Yucca Gigantea)

As the name indicates, the yucca gigantea is the largest variety of yucca plant, growing up to 30 feet high and 15 feet wide. This yucca tree starts from one trunk that splits into several, with long, blade-like leaves and white blooms. Though spineless yuccas can grow quite large, they grow very slowly, and you can keep one as an indoor plant for years before it will need to be moved to a larger outdoor space.

Spanish Bayonet (Yucca Aloifolia)

With its sharp, dark green leaves and ball-like blossoms, the yucca aloifolia can be a statement piece for any landscape design. It flowers in late spring and early summer, and people often place them along walkways or in a property border. Spanish bayonets tolerate salt well, which makes them perfect for seaside properties. However, due to its smaller height and sharp leaves, this variety of yucca is not recommended in homes with young children.

Adam's Needle (Yucca Filamentosa)

The yucca filamentosa is another shrub-sized plant that grows to about three feet tall. It's native to the Southeast and can be found throughout forests in that area. Its leaves are much shorter than some other varieties, and its bell-like flowers hang at a downward angle, making them look like large lilies of the valley.

Banana Yucca (Yucca Baccata)

Most yucca plants produce some sort of fruit, but it's usually dry and hard. The banana yucca produces fleshy, softer fruit that resembles a banana. Though it looks banana-esque, yucca fruits actually taste something like sweet potatoes, making them more akin to plantains. The leaves grow to be about three feet long and are very rigid and pointy. They also have large, showy white blooms that will sometimes have a purple or red tinge.

Joshua Tree (Yucca Brevifolia)

Commonly found in the Mojave Desert, the Joshua Tree is well-known as the namesake of the California city. Joshua Trees are an outdoor yucca variety, as they're capable of reaching up to 30 feet. They are characterized by their spiky leaves that extend skyward. When the Joshua Tree blooms in the spring, it produces cream-colored, bell-shaped blooms.

How to Grow Yucca

If you're planting your yucca plant outdoors, early spring is the best time of year to plant a yucca. And spring is also the best time to repot an indoor yucca plant—though you'll rarely need to do that. (As a slow-growing plant, you'll likely only need to repot a yucca plant once every few years—and only to a pot that's just slightly larger than the root ball.)

Depending on the variety, yucca plants can be planted outdoors in zones 4 through 11 as a perennial—as a desert plant, they can deal with very wide temperature fluctuations.

Growing Yucca From Seed

To grow new yucca plants from seed, gather dry seed pods and crush the pods to remove the seeds. Though it's unnecessary to pre-treat yucca for successful germination, you can speed up the process by soaking them in water for 24 hours before planting them. Removing the hard coating on the seed or mechanically scarifying it can also help speed germination. If you need to store seeds before planting them, you can do so in sand in the refrigerator for up to 90 days.

The best time to start germinating the seeds is in late March. It can take anywhere from four to five weeks for seeds to germinate, and the process begins when the ambient temperature is between 60 and 70 degrees.

Planting is a fairly simple process. Fill a container with a seed starter mix and press it down, leaving around one inch at the top. Put the seed on top, then cover it with a thin layer of the starter mix. During the growing period, keep the soil moist and around 55 degrees. Once the yucca sprouts put it in direct sunlight or under a bright lamp until you're ready to transplant it.

Propagating Yucca

The easiest way to create a new yucca plant is to cut away a green pup shoot, which grows along the base of the plant. Use a gardening knife to cut it away, along with some of the parent plant's roots. Replant it in a new pot, and water to keep it moist (not wet!) until you see new growth.

Caring for a Yucca Plant

If you've got them in appropriate conditions, yucca plants are a pretty easy endeavor. Here are the requirements for light, soil, watering, and fertilization that will keep your yucca in tip-top shape.

Light

Yucca plants need plenty of sunshine to thrive. Plant them in areas of full sun in your yard, and ensure that indoor plants are in bright indirect light or full light. Just watch for brown or white spots on the leaves, which could indicate that they've received too much sun.

Soil

Yucca grows best in sandy, well-drained soil that mimics the desert. Overwatering is a cardinal sin with the yucca plant—they're susceptible to it, and it's the easiest way to damage your plant. Once a week is plenty during the spring and summer, and good drainage is a must. In the winter, every couple of weeks should suffice. 

Watering

It's no surprise that yucca plants are drought-tolerant, thanks to their desert origins, which makes them a great choice for arid areas of the country. They will get soggy if they're planted in very moist soil or standing water. Wait until the soil is dry before you water the plant, and water at the roots to help avoid fungus growth.

Fertilizing

You should fertilize your yucca plant in the spring and summer with a controlled release or liquid solution. Fertilize once a month to ensure that your plant has all the nutrients it needs, but you're not overfeeding it.

Common Problems

Your yucca plant's leaves can turn yellow, which may indicate that your plant hasn't received enough light, has been overwatered, or may be dealing with an insect infestation.

Yucca plants can be attacked by common plant pests like aphids, spider mites, and mealybugs. Insecticidal soap can help you deal with an infestation.

Fungus can also grow on yucca plants, creating black spots on your plant. You can treat your plant with neem oil to help fight the fungus.