Urgent Advice On Yucca Gloriosa

[Ann]

Hi - urgent advice needed please from AB gardeners!

We have a beautiful 20 year old Yucca Gloriosa plant 4 ft tall growing in an enormous clay pot. It has been in this pot for the past 10 years and at the weekend we noticed the pot had suddenly broken (it is really thick too!) and it is obvious the huge rhizomes and roots have caused it to break. I'm now in a dilemma, I could attempt to plant it in our front garden but I would really like to keep it in a huge pot as it is in a lovely place on our patio which can be seen from the lounge. The pot it is in is approx 52cm in diameter so I would need a bigger pot which are difficult to find.

My question is would it be possible to cut just a few of the huge rhizomes off the sides of this plant without harming it - or are they vital to the life of the plant? I would hate to lose it as it was a Silver Wedding gift. If I could find a larger pot should I just lift the plant complete in its broken pot into the new one, or take it out of the broken pot first, as it is going to be so heavy and dangerous (very spiky) to transplant. Any ideas please folks? Thanks in advance :)

[gangesboy]

According to the RHS you can propagate by removing the rooted suckers
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/65193/Variegated-Spanish-dagger/Details

[GRUMPY]

Personally I would get another pot with a larger diameter than the existing one if possible and then lift it out of it's old pot into the new one a momentous task I know but, it will be well worth it.Whilst you are doing it you could propagate some more plants into smaller pots as well.
I hope this helps

[Ann]

Thanks Grumpy. I know its a horrible job but I just love the plant. How do I propagate new plants when its just from a central stem? Do they grow from the rhizomes like dahlias? If so, then it probably wont hurt to cut a few off to give more room in the pot?

[boxtops]

ann - I had a similar experience many years back with the (now) huge rambling rose in my back garden - the roots broke out of the pot and in fact I found that the main root had grown through the hole in the bottom of the pot, and was way into the soil. I dind't want to move it - so I got some bricks and mortar and built a garden planter round the original root ball. I don't know if that would work for you, but it saves having to worry about future repotting, and my plant didn't mind at all!

[Old_Geezer]

Whilst not professing to know, I can say I had yukka once, and it grew big so I put it out on the patio in its pot. And the colder weather did for it :-( It now forms the centre of my compost heap.

[boxtops]

Perhaps yours was an indoor version, o_G - our neighbour's yucca is about 8 ft tall, planted in the front garden.

[Ann]

Thanks that sounds a good idea Boxy, maybe that could just work. We have just been to 3 garden centres and nobody sells big enough pots (55cm) the only one we saw cost £99.99 - a bit too pricey!!

[vakayu]

Hi Ann I don't know if it is of any help have you considered a half barrel,or is that not big enough either?

[Ann]

We looked at the barrels vak, but they are not deep enough. Thanks for your suggestion though.

[vakayu]

Oh sorry Ann,how silly of me to think you had not already considered that angle,hope you can come up with a solution as it seems very important and special to you.

[vakayu]

Would there perhaps be anything suitable size(Idon't know what exactly)in a reclamation yard?

[Ann]

Will certainly go and have a look thanks vak x