In general, the yucca, or palm lily, from the arid regions of the USA and Mexico, is undemanding and easy to care for. Nevertheless, there are a few care mistakes that the popular indoor tree quickly takes offense at - and reacts immediately with dry, brown leaves.
Dry leaves are usually due to a wrong location or care mistakes
Why the yucca has dry leaves and what you can do about it
These dry leaves can have various, even contradictory, causes. Don't make the mistake of watering the supposedly dry yucca - the brown leaves are very rarely due to a lack of water. Instead, take the time to take a thorough history of the plant. This is the only way to make the right diagnosis and take appropriate measures. To help you do this, we have compiled the most common causes of dry leaves for you.
Waterlogging / waterlogging
Overwatering is probably by far the most common reason for dry and browning leaves. The yucca comes from very arid regions - and should therefore be kept rather short in terms of water. Good pot drainage is also very important so that excess water can drain away quickly. Never leave the yucca standing in water, but remove it immediately from the planter or saucer! How to recognize waterlogging:
- Despite the damp soil, the leaves look dried out
- they turn brown and hang limply
- the plant shows stunted growth
- the substrate often smells musty
You can remedy this by potting up the plants and cutting away mushy, brownish roots. Place the yucca or its still healthy parts in fresh, dry substrate.
Heat damage / sunburn
Especially during the winter months, the yucca can suffer heat damage if it is overwintered warm and is possibly also near the heater. Either due to pent-up heat and too little fresh air, but also due to the abrupt moving of a yucca from a darker place to full sun, the following symptoms can occur:
- drying leaf tips and edges
- Leaves dry up and turn brown
- Plant loses dry leaves
- Yucca generally appears limp
As a countermeasure, take a relocated yucca out of the sun and slowly acclimate it to the new location instead. Overheated plants, on the other hand, need more air - air them out regularly or place the yucca outdoors.
frost damage
Unfortunately, the Yucca elephantipes, which is often cultivated as a houseplant, is not hardy and should therefore not be exposed to temperatures below freezing - not even for a short time, for example during winter airing. Sub-zero temperatures can cause cold damage, which manifests itself in brown and dry leaves. Cut away the affected parts and avoid drafts.
tips
The room yucca also needs a break in winter and is therefore best overwintered at around 10 °C in a bright room.