Outside Yucca Care

Question

We live in Melbourne, Australia. Have an outdoor Yucca plant in front garden, full sun. Leaves are yellow and wilting. How can we prevent this? Doesn’t receive lots of water and the lawn is not flat; it slopes.

Answer 1

These are generally hardy plants. Yellowing or wilting leaves can be a result of either under-watering or over-watering the plant. Since you said it’s not over watered, it may be that the soil around it is too dry, making it difficult to absorb any water or nutrients that it does receive. Other possible causes include over-fertilizing (or lack of); sudden changes in light, temperature, or humidity; and an infestation of spider mites.

I would first check the surrounding soil to see just how dry it is. Then, if needed, add some water (and possibly nitrogen-rich fertilizer). Remove the affected leaves. If it’s due to weather, there’s not much to do but wait it out. A magnifying glass can usually help with locating small insects–treat as needed.