Question
I have had a yukka plant for 20 years and it lives happily in a sunny window. So happily though, that it is now over 10 feet tall and has reached the ceiling. It is a single stem plant with no side shoots. My question is can I cut the top off to encourage side shoots and reduce its height?

Thanks
Jill

Answer
Jill,

It is best to prune it in the spring but it can be done now. First go to a garden center and buy some rooting hormone, Lowes, Walmart, Home Depot all carry it, it comes in a small plastic bottle. You can cut the plant down as far as you would like to. In fact I would reccommend that
you cut each stalk in half or more so it has plenty of room to grow again.

You can then cut the part that you cut off into 1-2 foot sections, keeping track of which end of each section was toward the ground. If there are leaves on the sections remove the 2-3 lowest leaves. If it is bare stalks that is okay too, they will still root. Then dip the lower part of
each section into the rooting hormone and insert that into a new pot of soil and firm the soil around the stalks. You may need several pots of soil if you cut a lot off. Do not use pots larger than 12 inch pots. Do not try to root sections longer than 24 inches. Do not put more than 5
cuttings per pot. Most should root but a few may not. It will take awhile this time of year, they would root sooner in the spring. Be patient. Set the pots in the same light that the parent plant is getting. Water them the same as you do the parent plant. Yes, this will cause the original plant to send out side shoots and become bushier. Good luck.

Darlene