On 18 Mar 2007 07:01:49 -0700, "Lord0" wrote:

Hi there,

I have a Yukka (a houseplant) which has grown too large for my house
(over 6 foot tall). Can it be hardened off and planted outside - to
stay outside over winter? I live in West Central Scotland and get
maybe three or four "hard" frosts a year.

Cheers

Lord0

There are many types of Yucca. Some, such as Gloriosa, Filamentosa or
Whipplei are fairly hardy, but others are not. I suspect yours, being
a houseplant, is one of the latter.

But they grow easily from 'cuttings' AIUI. Decapitate yours, as far
down from the top as you like, leave the cut end open to the air for a
few days to dry and callous over, and then pot it up in damp, gritty,
open compost and keep it warm and it should root in a few weeks, and
lo! a new plant. The tall stump will send out shoots at the top, so
you end up with two for the price of one. You could even cut the stump
into short sections, say 12" or so long, and pot them up individually
(making sure you get them the right way up), and you will be overrun
by them! Several years ago, 'logs' (short sections of bare stem) of a
particular yucca (can't remember which, possibly Y. elephantipes) were
popular in gift shops etc. Plant them and they miraculously sprang
into growth.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net