Question
Thanks Darlene!

What makes you think the plant is dying? - As soon as new leaves come out.. they begin to curl and break off at the base.  This includes the inside and outside leaves.

How much light does the plant get? - Morning sun through a window... direct only for about an hour.  I have a place I can move it to so it would get strong afternoon sun...

How often do you water the yucca? once a week

How large is this plant? How large is the diameter of the pot it is in?  each cane is about 2 inches in diameter.  Once is about 2.5 feet tall, the other about 1 ft.  The pot is about 14 inch in diameter.

Thank You for your help!  

Answer
Jill,

Yuccas are desert plants. It is definitely not getting enough sun and is getting way too much water. The stress this puts on the plant attracts the insects.

First, get a garbage  bag and put the pot in it an twist tie tightly around the base of the plants. Then take your plant to the kitchen and lay it on the kichen counter with the plants in the sink. Use your sprayer to literally wash the insects off and down the drain. Use water that is not warm or cold and make sure you get in between the leaves and in the curls and remove as many insects as possible.

Then move the plant to the sunnier location and leave drapes &/or miniblinds open. Stop watering it! Do not water again until it has been bone dry for a week and feels very light weight. During the winter mine gets watered about every 3 weeks.

Mine is 24 years old and I have taken numerous cuttings off of it. It is bout 5 foot tall and in an 18 inch pot. In the summer it goes outside under a spruce tree, they will get sunburned if you put them outdoors in a full sun location.
During the summer it gets watered with the hose about once a week and more often if it rains. In the summer it is in a growing mode with the longer days and more sun, it the winter they go semi dormant because of the short days. Yours is probably really dormant because it gets so little light. More light and less water will help.

Then fill a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol straight out of the bottle. Once or twice a week inspect those growing tips for more signs of insects and if you see them or even if you don't spray the area thoroughly with the alcohol. It will kill any insects on contact. Make sure you get the tops and bottoms of all the leaves. That should take care of the problems. Good luck.

Darlene