If it rotted once before, I would increase the soil's drainage. What kind of Yucca are we talking about?

This is it's first time rotting but we have been in a major drought for about 15 years. We hope all this winter rain signals the end of the drought and it does rain a lot in the winter when it is not a drought. I am guessing on the type but I think it is a gloriosa nobilis. I got a start (branch) from someone.

Your posting is kinda confusing, but the best I can figure out is that you have a Yucca gloriosa growing in a container that you keep outside year round (why else does the outside weather matter?). Guessing you are in the San Fran area. (What is SF gardengate?) Getting back to the Yucca, this is is a cold-hardy Yucca species that survives winters with cold and WET winters but it would be helpful to use a well-draining soil and they can suffer rotting of the stem (I have had that happen to mine as well). I would not really wait for it to dry but try rooting it in a soil that is only slightly moist.

@BlessingsMom: could you please post a pic of your Yucca plant?

I would like to know too what is SF gardengate?

And please, could you add your general location and/or growing zone to your name?

Sf garden gate is a section on plants that frequently pops up when you do a google search on plants or plant care.

The advice is pretty basic, and for the most part, accurate and helpful. They have lots of articles about plant care.

Lauren is right about SF gardengate. It is from San Francisco area. I live 65 miles Southeast of San Francisco in zone 9b. We are hotter, drier, and sunnier than SF. It is in a pot because I live in a mobile home park and we are not allowed to plant trees. The original donor plant was about 7 or 8 foot tall with sparse branches on the upper third which is what the yuccas I see around here all look like. This is a start from a branch of the donor. I'll attach photos but it is still in the single rosette form and growing very slowly. It is also shorter now (I just stuck it back into the soil for the photo) because I had to cut some off due to black mushiness at soil level. I'm not so sure if it was rot as what I cut off was only about 2 inches of rot-looking stuff with little bugs in it. The taller of the 2 is the pup. The pup is healthy with no sign of rot. The pup was the shorter one before the beheading of mom. I guess I will try leaner soil. Maybe 1/2 perlite? I'm thinking maybe my mother plant should go into it's own pot. I'm reading that the stump that I chopped down an inch below soil level to healthy root. will probably grow more plants?

I hate it when I forget the photos. Be right back. I have to make them smaller, then I'll post

Here they are. One from top for closer look at leaves which