Question
Hi Darlene,
I have had my Yucca for 7 years now. It has never been repotted and is in a pot approx 1 ft tall and 1 ft diameter. It has always been healthy and continues to grow vertically (over 7 ft tall now). The problem is that it is a "Y" shape with only the top few feet having leaves.
Can I cut this back? Where do I cut? Will it regain height after I cut it off? And how long will that take?
Any advice you can offer would be appreciated.
Karen

Answer
Karen,

I have a 24 year old one that was a housewarming gift. It has been wacked off several times and stuck in the soil besiide itself. I now have about 4 trunks there. I would first cut it off about 3 feet above the soil, use a saw. Then repot the trunk into a new 16 inch diameter pot and  use potting soil mixed half & half with sand. The top that you cut off I would cut in half again but keep track of which end was up and which end was down.  Then inseert the down end of the trunks in the soil beside the original plant. In 4-6 weeks the 2 new plants will be rooted and growing and the original plant will send out new shoots and develop a whole new plant top. This would all be best done in the spring but can be done this time of year if you have a very good south facing window with no drapes to block the sun. Good luck!

Darlene