I have what I believe to be a Yucca aloifolia. I bought it as a sad
looking shoot in a supermarket about 17yrs ago and it has now grown to
about seven feet tall. It has outgrown its small conservatory and I
am wondering if it is possible to prune the top section so that it
fits the space once again.

I tried placing it outside for the summer but here in the north of
Scotland we have had such a dismally wet, cold and windy summer that
it has suffered badly. Many of the upper leaves have browned and
become tattered. A pruning would help tidy it up as well as helping
size-wise.

Any advice gratefully received,
Compo.

On 5/9/07 09:44, in article
, "Compo"
wrote:

I have what I believe to be a Yucca aloifolia. I bought it as a sad
looking shoot in a supermarket about 17yrs ago and it has now grown to
about seven feet tall. It has outgrown its small conservatory and I
am wondering if it is possible to prune the top section so that it
fits the space once again.

I tried placing it outside for the summer but here in the north of
Scotland we have had such a dismally wet, cold and windy summer that
it has suffered badly. Many of the upper leaves have browned and
become tattered. A pruning would help tidy it up as well as helping
size-wise.

Any advice gratefully received,
Compo.

I'm sure someone will answer you who knows about these things but I had a
quick look in the archives and it seems it's hard to kill these things! ;-)

" Jim Warham wrote on 15 August 2000
You could always move the Yucca as a 'giant cutting', saw off at a
suitable place on the trunk, move to new position and plant in a very
gritty compost..... It may look like its not doing anything but should
grow away by next year,... Then you can remove the original root with
out the 'danger' of the leaves etc, and either dispose off or plant
somewhere else!!
I now have 2 yucca's taken from cuttings from a mature yucca that
someone ripped out and dumped!! *Mmmm, free plants!
//
Jim;-) "

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

I now have 2 yucca's taken from cuttings from a mature yucca that
someone ripped out and dumped!! Mmmm, free plants!
//
Jim;-) "

- Show quoted text -

Thanks Jim, I have heard this before but wonder if there is any
specific point at which the plant must be cut to ensure success. From
your own success it appears that anywhere will do :-) My Yucca is one
of the tender varieties otherwise it would be left outside to grow as
tall as it wants.

Cheers,
Compo.

On 5/9/07 11:23, in article
, "Compo"
wrote:



I now have 2 yucca's taken from cuttings from a mature yucca that
someone ripped out and dumped!! Mmmm, free plants!
//
Jim;-) "

- Show quoted text -

Thanks Jim, I have heard this before but wonder if there is any
specific point at which the plant must be cut to ensure success. From
your own success it appears that anywhere will do :-) My Yucca is one
of the tender varieties otherwise it would be left outside to grow as
tall as it wants.

Cheers,
Compo.

Compo, it wasn't Jim posting. It was me, Sacha, re-posting from the
archives.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On 5 Sep, 09:44, Compo wrote:
I have what I believe to be a Yucca aloifolia. I bought it as a sad
looking shoot in a supermarket about 17yrs ago and it has now grown to
about seven feet tall. It has outgrown its small conservatory and I
am wondering if it is possible to prune the top section so that it
fits the space once again.
I tried placing it outside for the summer but here in the north of
Scotland we have had such a dismally wet, cold and windy summer that
it has suffered badly. Many of the upper leaves have browned and
become tattered. A pruning would help tidy it up as well as helping
size-wise.

I have done just that for over 20 years - putting my yukkas outside
in the summer and giving them a good downpour of rain (or a helping
hand with the hose) and cutting their 'head' off when I find them
curling too much to the point that I've got more support and twine
than branches and leaves. I have a 100% success with cuttings if I
place the cuttings in a plastic pots, or rubber. They keep moist long
enough to root - then I can neglect them, as usual. Also too much
water is not good as you've found out. I'll chop it's head off with no
worry - try to stay flat in your cut and now is a good time. Sometimes
I get 2 or 3 shoots coming out of the cut. It's entirely up to you to
keep that many - remember that you'll eventually have to support those
branches.

Aside, and interstingly, I've taken a cutting last november which I
have placed in a rubber pot where I had cucumber previously growing in
all summer. I let the cucumber plant dry drown and kept the soil.
Since last november, the yukka cutting put in over 15 leaves,
something like 20cm, the fastest ever. I'm wondering if the cucurbit
soil has 'fertilised' the yukka cutting.

On 5 Sep, 12:37, wrote:
On 5 Sep, 09:44, Compo wrote:

I have what I believe to be a Yucca aloifolia. I bought it as a sad
looking shoot in a supermarket about 17yrs ago and it has now grown to
about seven feet tall. It has outgrown its small conservatory and I
am wondering if it is possible to prune the top section so that it
fits the space once again.
I tried placing it outside for the summer but here in the north of
Scotland we have had such a dismally wet, cold and windy summer that
it has suffered badly. Many of the upper leaves have browned and
become tattered. A pruning would help tidy it up as well as helping
size-wise.

I have done just that for over 20 years - putting my yukkas outside
in the summer and giving them a good downpour of rain (or a helping
hand with the hose) and cutting their 'head' off when I find them
curling too much to the point that I've got more support and twine
than branches and leaves. \snip\

Thanks for the advice, I will make a careful cut below the damaged
part this weekend. Intersting about the cumber compost. Wsa it a
special mix?

Regards,

Compo.

On 5 Sep, 17:29, Compo wrote:
Thanks for the advice, I will make a careful cut below the damaged
part this weekend. Intersting about the cumber compost. Wsa it a
special mix?

I think so - it came from a home made mixed bucket that had lots of
manure in it. So that's perhaps why it worked so well. Though I'll
investigate this more - I don't know if, like legume provide nitrogen
in their roots to the soil, cucumber does or provide something too?!

On Wed, 05 Sep 2007 01:44:29 -0700, Compo
wrote:

I have what I believe to be a Yucca aloifolia. I bought it as a sad
looking shoot in a supermarket about 17yrs ago and it has now grown to
about seven feet tall. It has outgrown its small conservatory and I
am wondering if it is possible to prune the top section so that it
fits the space once again.

I tried placing it outside for the summer but here in the north of
Scotland we have had such a dismally wet, cold and windy summer that
it has suffered badly. Many of the upper leaves have browned and
become tattered. A pruning would help tidy it up as well as helping
size-wise.

Any advice gratefully received,
Compo.
Chop the trunk into as many sections as you like. Let the cut surfaces
dry for a day or so, then pot all of them up (including the top), in
damp gritty compost, making sure you get them the right way up of
course. Keep slightly damp but not wet, and you'll probably get as
many new plants as you cut sections.


--
Chris

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

On 5 Sep, 20:31, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Wed, 05 Sep 2007 01:44:29 -0700, Compo
wrote:

I have what I believe to be a Yucca aloifolia. I bought it as a sad
looking shoot in a supermarket about 17yrs ago and it has now grown to
about seven feet tall. It has outgrown its small conservatory and I
am wondering if it is possible to prune the top section so that it
fits the space once again.

I tried placing it outside for the summer but here in the north of
Scotland we have had such a dismally wet, cold and windy summer that
it has suffered badly. Many of the upper leaves have browned and
become tattered. A pruning would help tidy it up as well as helping
size-wise.

Any advice gratefully received,
Compo.

Chop the trunk into as many sections as you like. Let the cut surfaces
dry for a day or so, then pot all of them up (including the top), in
damp gritty compost, making sure you get them the right way up of
course.\snip\ Chris


Thanks Chris, will have a go on Sasturday.

Regards,
Compo