Question
I bought a young yucca tree in 2010 and it did wonderful its first 6 months. I had to move into a smaller apartment with very little light, and as I lived in upstate NY I had to bring it inside for the winter. During the winter months it started wilting and dying off. I pruned off the dead and managed at the best I could untill summer came back around. Once summer came I put it back outside in direct sunlight all day long and it remarkably came back with a vengence.  Now I have relocated to southern texas and it has started growing new growths. However they are hunched over and not errect the way they should be and  are developing brown spots in the center of the folliage some are even cracking down the center. Its still producing folliage but they get sick quickly and most have brown spots. I bring it indoors whenit gets below 40 degrees so I don't think cold weather is the issue. And I'm not watering to much. However we did receive an unexpected rain a week ago and it got drenched. Please help what could this be? She is my baby and I want to see her reach her full potential.

Answer
Hi Michelle,

The Yucca in the photo you posted looks fine, but I assume that is not recent. Your description of the symptoms are a bit vague and hard to visualize and analyze. However, I can make a few observations.

If new growth is weak, stunted, discolored or damaged, then that means there is a root problem. Usually it is root rot from soil that is not allowed to dry out at least a quarter of the way down into the pot. Lack of drainage holes will also cause root rot.

Plants do not like change. In nature, they put down roots and stay in one place. Your Yucca would be better off if you could find a suitable location for it and leave it there. If local temps in winter are too cold for your Yucca (below 40 degrees), then you should keep it indoors in a sunny window year round or move it outside to light shade in the summer. Outdoor light can be 100 time more intense than indoor light, so moving it from one to the other is too stressful. Moving a plant also changes it water requirements, making it hard to know when to water.

If you can post a more recent photo or better describe the symptoms that concern you, I would be happy to follow-up.

I have written an article on Yucca cane care that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who sends a request to me at [email protected].

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

Visit my website at: A link to PlantCareExperts.com