Hey Jen, Congrats on your new Yucca..
I'd use Perlite to the soil..
Are you going to repot now or wait until spring? Toni

Yeah, Miracle Gro by itself would be too heavy. I'd add perlite and/or coarse sand to the mix. It's not that a Yucca couldn't deal with straight bagged soil, especially if you're using a clay pot, but it's better to err on the side of dryness.

And, incidentally, let me just says I'm just happy other people still have Yuccas. *Terribly* underappreciated plants.

Don't know what kind of yucca you have. Some grow right from the soil, others look like trees. Mine looks like a tree with the leaves growing on stalks near the top. Think I read it is a cane cutting.

I bought it at least 12 years ago, probably more, in a black pot and I've gotta confess its still in there and growing beautifully. So don't feel you must do this right away. Mine has been on my "to do" list but I was confused about soil too. Seems to be growing in something like bark, at least in the top few inches. And its big and heavy, so not looking forward to it.

Be sure to turn it occassionally so it doesn't grow lopsided. I forgot mine, so it did that and I had to weight it down on one side with a small 25 lb. weight to keep it from falling over until I cut it back. Now its huge again, but evenly distributed.
Thanks Mr. Subjunctive for the info to err on the side of dryness. Thats lucky because it became like a piece of furniture that I tended to forget sometimes. Sandy

Hi,

I have repotted the Yucca, thanks for the advice. I repot plants all year round, never had problems, just use caution with watering. I had to cut the plant out of its former pot and untangle roots. Added some perlite to the mix. It looks much better in its new home : )

Jen

Last summer I bought 2 pots of Yucca plants ( I love Them) They look great around the pool. Last fall I brought them in and after a couple of months some of the leaves (spike leaves) started to go brown & die off In each pot there is 4 stalks at different heights. In one pot the tallest stalk is almost dead, the other pot is the medium size one has lost all leaves. All the leaves have pretty much fallen off. I have moved the Yucca's down stair & put them under a 1000 watt grow light for 14 hours a day (on timer) for the last 6 weeks and it seems to have stopped droppin leaves. There is only 1 stalk in each pot that is almost dead, the other 3 in each pot are growing & sprouting new leaves weekly.I think that maybe I need to repot. As when I water one of them the water goes straight thru & sits in the bottom and does not get re absorbed into the plant. ( they are in black pots and i have them sitting in a larger decorative pot) I am thinking about repotting them and pulling the dying ones out, and try and save the rest?? Does any one have any suggestions??

I have a care book and one of its mentions suggests yucca is one plant whose pot should be allowed to break before it is repotted. Seems it is saying the plants roots should be allowed to do its worst before needing a fix.
Yucca, along with other plants, dracaena among them, is affected to small extent by fluoride. Fluoride is a constituent of perlite.
Whether one should avoid its use is up in the air--it does aid in good drainage. One might decide instead to use a coarse sand in lieu of.

Fluoride does not, unlike chlorine, dissipate to much extent by leaving it overnight. Still, gaining room temperature by such time interval does help the plant.
(had to throw that in, I'm a believer now in the difference of the chemicals)
Where one might see effects from such fluoride, an easy method to rid the soil of its long term effects is to leach the soil as well as one can considering the size of the plant and container its in. Still though, leaching has its good results for taking the bother.

One method I use on my pothos, I think works well, is to take a bowl with you to the plant when you water, and water well --very well so that the plant drains continuously for a time while you sop it up with a sponge. If hubby has a chamois for the car, that can be used and works extremely well. Just be sure to wash it well afterwards.

Patsy: I realize this an old post but here's your problem: Too much water! I live in central NY and I have 2 that I bring inside in the winter. They get very low light and do fine. It is a desert plant like a cactus and I give each about a cup of water every month. They should NEVER be sitting in saucers of water. his is one of those plants that seems the more you neglect it, the better it does.