It is one of the most popular indoor plants because it is the easiest to care for: the yucca palm. The often very fast-growing plant with the trunk growing straight up and the palm-like tuft of leaves usually thrives on its own - as long as you don't water it too much and also hold back with the fertilizer. The only problem is frost, because the indoor yucca is not hardy.
The room yucca does not tolerate frost
Hardy vs. Non-hardy Yucca
The species Yucca elephantipes, which is absolutely not frost hardy and therefore has no place outside in the cold season, is cultivated as a houseplant. This indoor yucca must never be exposed to temperatures below freezing - depending on the age of the plant, frostbite is unavoidable. Older specimens are usually much less sensitive. Bring the plant back inside at the beginning of autumn and be careful when airing out during the winter months: It is better to put the yucca away before you open a window and let in cold air. In contrast to the Yucca elephantipes, however, there are hardy species such as the Yucca gloriosa or the Yucca filamentosa, which have no problem with frost at all.
How to recognize frost damage
If your yucca has suffered frost damage, it will probably manifest itself in these characteristics:
- Your yucca suddenly droops the leaves (e.g. after airing).
- After this first sign, the plant may or may not recover
- Leaves, shoots and/or trunk will become soft in the following days to weeks.
- White dots can also appear on the leaves and shoots.
- This is frostbite.
- Finally, the leaves will turn yellow and then eventually die off.
Save Frozen Yucca - You can do that
If you think your yucca has frozen, don't do anything for now - except, of course, keep it away from further cold. Just watch the plant: are the leaves and shoots recovering on their own or are they actually dying? During this time, water the yucca only a little, do not fertilize it and place it in a bright place. Whether and how much of the plant can really be saved, you usually only find out in the spring. At the beginning of the growing season, it is best to proceed as follows:
- Inspect the plant thoroughly.
- Cut away any frozen and diseased parts.
- Water little, prefer to spray the yucca.
- Fertilize carefully to stimulate new shoots.
- In the case of severe frostbite, do not be afraid of a radical pruning.
- With this you can remove all leaves and only leave part of the trunk including the roots.
- It is best to repot the trimmed yucca into fresh substrate.
- With a bit of luck, the plant will sprout again.
tips
In general, it makes sense to shorten oversized yuccas from time to time. This rejuvenates the plants and ensures many fresh shoots.