Question
QUESTION: Hi Nick,

I've got two giant yuccas that have grown from barely 18" when I bought them in 2 quart pots 5 or 6 years ago, to an astounding 13' (in a 30x30 pot) and 14' (in a 36x32 pot). Since I live 100 miles north of NYC in the Hudson Valley, and we see sub-zero temps in winter, I've been taking them indoors with all the other plants by first frost (at 2-300 pounds, no easy task). Well, even though I could still get them thru the big doors, they've outgrown the highest point in the ceiling now. I'm interested in cutting them approximately in half, but can find no one around here, professional or otherwise, who's got any experience with yuccas this size. I know from my own experience that capping off the lower portion will give me probably four new horizontal shoots before they take off for the heavens again - and short and full will look better and be far more manageable for years to come. But trying to root a 7' "cutting" with a trunk diameter of at least 3" is way beyond my experience. I've got 24-30" pots and potting soil, top soil and a home-brewed organic mulch mix I use, but wonder if I should try some rooting hormone, how deep to insert the stump into the soil, how much sunlight is wise and if it's even too late in the season to try this? I can't see just chucking beautiful 7' yuccas if I can transplant and get them to root. They'll be able to stay outdoors for at least a month, and when I bring them in, they'll get almost greenhouse sunlight until 2:30-3PM every day. Waddaya think?

Thanks,

Rich

PS: I previously tried to send this with a picture attached to help ID the exact plant, but the site rejected the image. I can send it to you if you give me an alternative email.

ANSWER: Hi Rich, the only way I know of propagating Yuccas is with the offshoots, cutting them and dipping them in a rooting hormone and then placing them in a medium like perlite or vermiculite; the pros cut up the trunk and go through a long drawn out procedure that I am not familiar with, and could not find any info for you. The only thing you can do is take the off shoots and discard the trunk. Nick

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QUESTION: Hey Nick,

Thanks for the quick response. Sounds like there's no easy save for the large 6 or 7 foot pieces. Since there are no offshoots to salvage, I guess the best thing to do would be to only cut back a couple of feet so I can get it indoors for the winter and grab the shoots as they develop. Maybe I'll just try to root at least the thinner of the two and see what happens. Rich

Answer
...I wish I knew the details on how the professionals do it, it has something to do with cutting sections out of the cane and cauterizing the ends and planting the entire cane lengthwise, but again, I am not up to speed on it so if you want toe experiment, it might prove interesting:)