Question
I just got a yucca house plant at a garage sale, the lady said she really didn't know how to care for it so I bought it thinking I could save it.. Now I have noticed that it has little bugs... I need to know how to get rid of them safely.. I have animals and small children so I need something that is safe for them also..  Any other advice would be appreciated..thank you,
                          Stacey

Answer
Stacey,

I need to know a few things. Is the yucca in a pot with a drain hole and a drain tray underneath it? If not you need to move it to a pot that has that. Are these flying bugs or crawling bugs? Are they black, white or brown? was the soil wet or bone dry when you brought it home? This is a desert plant so it needs lots of sun and dry is much better than wet. Put it in the sunniest location in your home and leave the drapes and window cover open all day. If you put it outside for the summer you can put it under a shade tree so it won't get sunburned and ignore it until the end of August. The plant should only be watered indoors when it has been very dry for 4 days, then don't give it as much water as you think you should. Dry is much better than wet for this plant. When you water it it should look dry again in 3-5 days. then wait 3-4 days and water it again. Think desert. Let me know what the bugs look like and I will tell you what you need to do to get rid of them. It may be as easy as keeping the plant dryer and they will go away. I look forward to your description of the bugs.

Darlene