Question
QUESTION: after flowering do you remove the flowering stem

ANSWER: Pamela,


When giant yucca is grown in the garden you should remove old flowering stems but leave the dried leaves to absorb moisture and help insulate the plant in colder areas.

Read more: Yucca Plants in the Ecosystem | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_7458055_yucca-plants-ecosystem.html#ixzz1CR0TfwSb

Good luck with your beautiful plant Pamela.

Darlene

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QUESTION: my yucca was doing really well until we had the high winds and has now drooped. Have fed with plant food and watered as I thought  that it may have dried out with high winds
.
I am so disappointed after having it for such a long time and really hope that I haven't lost it.

Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

Fondest regards

Pam Harriott

ANSWER: Pam,

Tell me about your weather conditions lately. Have you had severe freezing temperatures or a lot of rain??? Either can affect yuccas severely. Is the trunk still very firm or is it soft and mushy?  They are tough plants and chances are it is not dead but you have to answer those questions for me to tell you how to handle it's care over the next several months or you could loose it. Let me know and I will tell you what to do.

Darlene

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QUESTION: In answer to the questions in your last reply. We have had very high winds and previously a lot of frost and snow which the plant seemed to survive. It is firmly in the ground and doesn't appear to be soggy, although there are a lot of tree leaves around the the base of the plant which I will remove.

Thank you for your help

Regards

Pam Harriott

Answer
Pam.

The freezing could be the problem. If it froze the trunk it could be soft next to the ground under the mulched leaves. All you can do at this point is remove those leaves and if the ground is soft enough that it loosened the soil around the roots and allowed the plant to fall over you can see if you can put a strong stake in the ground a few feet away on the side opposite from the direction that it is leaning.  Then try to pull the plant back upright toward the stake and tie or wire it to the stake put the trunk needs to be wrapped or the wire or rope needs to pe but throught a short length of hose to protect the trunk from the rope or wire digging in.

Otherwise just watch it and see if the plant leafs out or greens up again. Since it is a tough older plant it will either start growing normally on top or if the trunk is froze at some point it will send out new growth from below the frozen point and grow a whole new top. At that point you cut off the old dead top a few inches above the new growth. If it was froze all the way down by the ground it will send up a new separate plant from the roots. Do not cut off the old plant until the new one is at least up to your knees then be sure not to cut the old one off too low or you may damage the new one. Keep me posted on how it is doing. Good luck.

Darlene