Q.Yucca
I have an offshoot of my grandmother’s Yucca, which she brought over to the U.S. from Austria in the 1930s. It has been planted in my yard in Yuma, AZ for the last 9 years and has been beautiful. This year I was gone in the summer and this summer was brutal to a lot of plants and I think it dehydrated from the top down, even though it was on a drip system and got good water. My question is…if I cut off the dead top, will it come back from the roots? Or is it toast? I really hate to lose it. I never have had an offshoot of it in my yard and I have never had it bloom. Thanks for your help with this.
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
First, check if there is still any living part to the stem. As described in this article, you may be able to cut back the stem (assuming it has a distinct stem) one-third at a time to check whether there is any living part inside the stem:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/how-to-tell-if-a-plant-is-dead-and-how-to-recover-an-almost-dead-plant.htm
If you do find a living part, allow it to regrow from there. If not, cut it back to the roots and it still may regrow. Avoid fertilizing while it is recovering or it may go into shock.
Good luck with saving your yucca!
