How to Grow and Take Care of Yucca Tree Indoors with Pictures

If you’ve been gardening (either indoors or outdoors) for a while, you’ll most likely have heard of the simplicity of Yucca plant care. It’s hard not to take note of this species, as it’s a very popular choice. Why? Well, due to its easy care and hardiness. Additionally, some varieties are appreciated for their beautiful white flowers. Not to mention, they have also edible parts like fruits and flower petals.

So, today, we will offer you a complete Yucca plant care guide with all the tips necessary. You will learn how to grow this tree indoors for a lush and beautiful garden!

Indoor Yucca Plant Care – What is Yucca?

Naturally found in arid areas throughout North and South America as well as the Caribbean, Yucca is a genus containing around 50 different species. All are characterized by their waxy, thick leaves that have succulent-like capabilities to store water in the harsh habitats they occur in.

Almost all garden centers or plant stores will stock at least one or two varieties of Yucca. Popular types of Yucca plants that you might have seen before include the following:

• Yucca elephantipes is the most popular Yucca to grow indoors and a great choice if you’re looking for a hardy houseplant! Also referred to as spineless Yucca because its leaves aren’t nearly as spikey as some other species.
• Yucca aloifolia is also known as Spanish bayonet, and as its name implies this Yucca has very sharp leaves. However, it also features the beautiful white inflorescence many gardeners know Yucca for!
• Yucca filamentosa is a softer-leaved species, also known as Adam’s needle. This variety is grown for its decorative yellow-green striped foliage.
• Yucca gloriosa is often confused with Yucca aloifolia because its common name is Spanish dagger (rather than Spanish bayonet). This is a very typical Yucca variety to be found in gardens around the world!
• Yucca brevifolia is commonly known as the Joshua tree. As its name suggests, its growth pattern is similar to that of a tree, and it can grow just as tall! This is a protected species naturally found in the Mojave desert.
• Yucca rostrata is a fascinating Yucca variety easily recognized from its leaf growth pattern. Its thin, abundant leaves growing on a tree-like trunk almost resemble a firework exploding!

All of these types of Yucca plants make great eye-catchers in your outdoor garden and can handle harsh conditions that many other plants wouldn’t be able to thrive in. Additionally, you can also grow Yucca indoors, which we’ll be providing more details on in this article!

However, let’s first briefly touch upon outdoor Yucca plant care, which is quite straightforward.

Yucca Care Outdoors: Planting and Growth Requirements

As mentioned in the intro, Yuccas are a great choice for your garden. Gardeners in arid areas will appreciate this genus’ ability to survive on little water, while those in colder climates will be pleased to discover that many varieties can withstand temperatures as low as 10 °F. If you want to know more about the hardiness zone you live in and the plants that grow best there, check out our guide right here!

The most important factor to keep in mind while growing a Yucca plant outdoors is light. This species doesn’t just handle pretty much anything the sun can throw at it, it actually loves it. Bright light is essential to successfully grow Yucca, so keep it out of the shade to avoid spindly growth. Enough light is also essential for the more spectacular varieties to develop their typical lovely blooms.

Like most plants from dry habitats, Yucca won’t appreciate its roots being left in standing water. The type of soil you use isn’t of much importance outdoors, what matters more is drainage.

• If you’re growing the plant in a pot, make sure it has drainage holes in the bottom and consider mixing some grit into the soil so water passes through easily.
• Many Yucca species can grow quite large and produce offsets from their roots, so ensure your plant has plenty of space if you want it to grow to its full potential.

Professional Tip

Keep your Yucca away from crowded parts of the garden. Its leaves are just as sharp as they look and you really don’t want to accidentally brush past or bump into them!

You won’t have to water your Yucca plant very often if it’s grown outdoors since natural rainfall will often be plenty for it to thrive. This especially applies if you live in a wetter climate. If you grow the plant in a pot where it might dry out faster, water once the soil has dried completely. Keep in mind that the species has evolved to go dormant during the hottest summer months, so if it doesn’t appear to be actively growing then be sure to limit the amount of water you provide to avoid overdoing it.

Yucca Plant Care Outdoors: Pests and Diseases

One of the many reasons Yucca is such a popular species for the outdoor garden is the fact that it’s quite resistant to pests and diseases. However, “classic” succulent pests like mealybugs and scale might still appear on your Yucca and require treatment with horticultural soap to prevent them from sucking the plant dry.

For more information and a bit of inspiration, check out our guide on how to care for succulents indoors. The article will help you understand better plenty of the concepts you will use when building your indoor garden!

Pests

Bugs specific to Yuccas includes Yucca plant bugs, which are easily recognized by their bright orange head. These also survive by piercing the plant’s thick leaves and drinking the water stored inside, leaving yellow spots in their wake. Treat them accordingly once you see them!

You might also find your Yucca infested with the dreaded Yucca weevil, but unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do about these annoying beetles once they’ve infested your plant. The only thing that’s been discovered that helps is to simply prevent their appearance altogether, by keeping the plant healthy and happy so it’s not an easy target.

Diseases

There are also some diseases that mainly target Yucca, causing brown or grey leaf spotting or white growths. Most of these can be treated with a high-quality fungicide.

As mentioned in the paragraph on types of Yucca plants, the most common Yucca to be grown indoors is Yucca elephantipes, also known as cane Yucca.

That being said, care guidelines for pretty much all of the varieties are more or less the same and you can grow all of them inside if you provide them with enough light. Just keep in mind that most Yuccas can become quite large as the years go by!

Just so you know, Yucca is one of the most astonishing indoor trees you can host for an indoor garden at home or at the office. Growing trees indoors may not be the easiest challenge for a beginner gardener, but it is worth a try, especially with the gorgeous Yucca varieties.

Moreover, just to be sure you have all the tools at hand, we also recommend you to take a look over our guide on best indoor grow lights for houseplants and other types of vegetation. It is best to prepare for anything. If your Yucca plant does not get enough light, it will suffer, so a backup plan is always comforting.

Light Requirements

If you’d like to grow a Yucca plant indoors, a good rule of thumb is to treat it somewhat like a succulent. Now, if you have any experience with succulents you’ll know that almost all species like plenty of light. As was already mentioned in the paragraph on outdoor Yucca care, this is no different for this genus.

Light can be a bit of an issue indoors. If you lack windows that receive sun you could consider using some extra artificial lighting or placing your Yucca plant outside in summer. That way it can soak up those precious rays in the warm months and you can enjoy your indoor green lush garden in winter.

Water Requirements

As it is easy to conclude by looking at Yucca’s natural habitat, this plant is well-adapted to dealing with a lack of water. In fact, like many succulents, it’s actually more sensitive to over- than under-watering and too much moisture is a surefire way to cause root rot in your Yucca plant. This applies even more strongly indoors, where there is less light than outside and the soil dries out more slowly.

Although it’s impossible to give exact watering instructions for any plant, a good rule of thumb for Yuccas is to let the soil dry out before watering again. If the pot feels heavy or a chopstick poked into the soil comes out (partly) moist, wait a few more days.

Soil Requirements

When it comes to the soil for your indoor Yucca, again, think succulents. Although the plant can do fine in regular potting soil, it will require a bit more caution with watering when planted that way, as it might stay moist for too long. To make things easier in this department, use succulent or cactus soil instead. You can easily make one yourself: just mix potting soil with a good few fistfuls of horticultural perlite. Alternatively, you can buy your soil mix online.

Fertilizer

Your indoor Yucca plant won’t need a lot of fertilizer to stay happy and healthy. During the growing season when the plant is actively putting out new leaves, you can lightly fertilize it once or twice a month. A regular houseplant fertilizer or one for succulents will work well, but be sure to dilute it to avoid burning the plant’s roots. It really doesn’t require much to thrive.

Temperature and Humidity

If your home seems to be a bit too dry to grow popular tropical houseplants that require high humidity, Yucca is the genus for you. As you can expect from a desert plant, it doesn’t have a need for high moisture levels in the air, so it’s a good candidate for the drier areas in your home.

Temperature-wise, this plant is not fussy at all either (to be honest, it’s not really fussy about anything!). As mentioned earlier, many species are perfectly fine with temperatures as low as 10 °F provided you keep their soil absolutely dry during these freezes. Highs of 90 °F and probably even a bit more shouldn’t be a problem either, so, all in all, it will be very rare for temperatures to reach danger zones.

As briefly mentioned earlier, potted Yuccas need a high-quality pot with a drainage hole at the bottom. Drainage is key for all plants from arid areas and this genus is no different! Other than that requirement, the type of pot you’d like to use is really up to you. It is advisable to use a tall one, though, since your Yucca might topple over if you do not plant it deep enough.

Yuccas do fine in a small pot, so don’t worry if yours is looking a bit crowded. In fact, it might grow too large to keep indoors if you provide it with a big container and lots of fresh soil. If things really do start looking a bit too cramped for the plant, just go one pot size up next spring.

This is a very easy plant to propagate. In fact, if you buy a Yucca elephantipes, you’ll often be able to tell that it’s actually a regrown stem cutting. Taking these stem cuttings is the easiest way to multiply your Yucca plant and it might become something you need to do at one point if the plant is becoming so top-heavy it’s at risk of falling over (see the section on pruning below).

All you have to do is take a stem cutting. This means simply cutting the stem in half at a point you think will be manageable height-wise. You can then separate the cut trunk into sections of about a foot each and replant them. They’ll look like sad sticks at first but don’t worry: each piece will grow roots and new shoots to turn itself into a whole new plant. Additionally, the beheaded original plant will also send up new shoots!

Other Methods to Yucca Propagation

We keep telling you this for a while, but we risk repeating ourselves. When it comes to Yucca, think succulent. In other words, when you think about Yucca plant propagation, factor in all the knowledge you have about succulent propagation.

Apart from cutting pieces off the top of your Yucca plant, there are two other ways to propagate it.

Offsets

The second easiest is propagation from runners or offsets. A healthy Yucca, especially one in a larger container, will naturally produce tiny clones of itself from its roots. If you see one of these pop up, you can very easily separate it from the mother plant using a clean knife. Then, just pot it up to give away or expand your own collection. In a lot of cases, these offsets will even already have their own root system!

Seeds

Lastly, you can multiply your Yucca using its seeds. If the plant has flowered and formed seed pods (which usually mostly happens with outdoor Yuccas), you can harvest these once they have dried naturally on the plant.

• Open the pod to find the black seeds and either plant them immediately indoors or store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready.
• If you want to plant your Yuccas outdoors then the best idea is to wait until spring for the best chance of success.
• You can place the seeds in gritty succulent soil for germination, which will usually occur within a month.
• You will need to keep the seedlings relatively moist but never wet.
• Place them in a warm spot, as it works best.

As with many plants, there is no actual need to prune a Yucca. It’ll grow fine if you don’t, but many (indoor) gardening enthusiasts still do it for aesthetic reasons. The most basic Yucca pruning involves just removing the dead leaves at the bottom of the plant, also referred to as its ‘skirt’. They can make it look messy and some prefer to see the plant without them. You can also remove the flower stalk when it’s done blooming if you don’t like the look of the spent flowers.

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, you’ll have to prune your Yucca a bit more aggressively if it’s becoming too tall and at risk of toppling over. This involves the stem cutting method described earlier. Might seem a bit drastic, but you’ll end up with two or even more better looking plants next season!

They can be dangerous when humans or pets ingest them, due to compounds referred to as saponins, which cause serious health issues. Keep this plant away from any furry or human friends that might take a bite out of it out of curiosity!

Although Yucca varieties are very hardy plants that make an ideal choice for beginning (indoor) gardeners because you are not likely to be able to kill them, there are always some possible issues you might run into. We’ll discuss the most common ones below for those in need of some troubleshooting.

• Why is my Yucca plant turning yellow or brown?

If your Yuccas leaves are turning an even brown or yellow there are a few possible causes.

• The most common one is simple leaf replacement, which is when the plant grows and loses the need for its bottom leaves, which it subsequently sheds.

If it’s not that, check the following: is it possible you’re not letting the plant dry enough between waterings? If so, it might be (early signs of) rot, one of the main Yucca killers. Are there bugs on the (underside of the) leaves? Is the plant lacking light? Care lacking in any of these departments can cause leaves to turn yellow and/or brown.

• Yucca plant leaf spots

They are often the first sign of either a pest or a disease taking hold of your plant. To figure out which one it is you’ll simply have to have a close look at the plant and see what you find. The scale is a pest that’s a prime suspect for leaf spots but it can also be a fungal issue (use fungicide) or blight, which can be prevented by using sterilized potting soil and letting the plant dry out well between waterings.

• Brown leaf tips

Brown leaf tips on the Yucca plant can be the consequence of excessive fluoride or minerals present in tap water. If you haven’t done so in a while, flush the soil thoroughly using distilled water to wash away any buildup.

Additionally, you might be overwatering (if the yellowing is also present) or it might be a rare case of the plant going too dry. The latter can occur if you’re growing it too close to a radiator or have suddenly moved it from low light conditions to heavy sunlight, for example.

• Yucca plant wilting

Yucca plant wilting can be the first sign of rot, which we will discuss below in a moment. Your best bet is to check the roots of the plant. If they’re squishy or black, your culprit is likely the rot. It might also be Yucca weevil larvae gnawing at the roots causing the plant to lose the ability to take up water. Alternatively, check whether the soil isn’t excessively dry and always have a peek at the underside of the leaves to see if there are any pests that might be sucking the juices from your Yucca.

• Yucca plant rot

Yucca plant rot is a severe issue that can quickly kill the plant. Rot is usually caused by overwatering and improper drainage. These cause the Yucca to start decaying, often starting at the roots. If you notice your Yucca’s roots or cane appearing black or squishy, the only course of action that might help is immediately cutting off the top of the plant as far away from the affected area and starting over with that. There is no real cure for rot and it can quickly spread upwards.

Yuca Plant Care: Conclusion

All in all, Yucca is the ideal genus for both experienced and beginner indoor gardeners. As long as you have a light location to offer this plant is about as undemanding as it gets! Its southern look makes it a great addition to many interior types and you’ll love how easy it is to take and share cuttings. So, why won’t you read this Yucca plant care guide and give it a try?

Also, if you have more tips and tricks on how to nail Yucca plant care with no effort, feel free to share them with our community! When it comes to the Yucca cane plant and other varieties, no information is useless. If you have a Yucca plant and you need more information on how to integrate it into your beautiful indoor garden, let us know in a comment. We will offer you extra info in no time!

Last but not least, keep in mind that you can host a Yucca plant in the office as well, not only in your house. Take a look here at some of the best office plants and decide whether a Yucca can become a member of your indoor office garden design!

We hope our guide on how to care for a Yucca plant helped you. Keep in touch and don’t forget to use the comment section below to share your thoughts and experiences with this awesome tree!