If your Yucca (often called a Spineless Yucca or Palm Lily) starts dropping its leaves, it’s usually a red flag. But don’t panic! You’ll want to play detective and find the root cause quickly to prevent any permanent damage. The good news is that most of the time, these hardy plants can be saved.
The Usual Suspects
Unfortunately, there are a few different reasons why your Yucca might be losing its greenery. The most common culprits include:
- Natural aging
- Overwatering (Root rot)
- Underwatering
- Pests and diseases
It Might Just Be Nature
The Giant Yucca (*Yucca elephantipes*) is an evergreen, but that doesn’t mean its leaves last forever. The plant eventually needs to shed its old growth to make room for the new. If you notice a few leaves at the very bottom of the cluster turning brown and falling off, don’t sweat it—that’s just the plant doing its thing.
The Danger of Soggy Feet
Overwatering—or standing water—is pretty much a Yucca’s worst nightmare. When the soil stays soggy for too long, fungi and rot-causing pathogens take over, causing the roots to die. The first warning signs are usually yellow leaves that look a bit shriveled.
How to Fix It
If your plant is drowning, the only real solution is to repot it immediately. Before you move it into fresh, dry soil, take a good look at the root ball. You’ll need to snip away any mushy, rotted roots with clean shears.
As long as there are some healthy roots left, your Yucca has a fighting chance. Put it in a new pot and—this is the hard part—don’t water it for a while so it can recover. Moving forward, remember that these guys prefer to stay on the drier side.
Thirsty Plants
On the flip side, if you forget about your Yucca for too long, it will simply dry out and drop leaves to conserve energy.
How to Fix It
For smaller plants, try the “dunk method.” Place the pot in a larger bucket of water until air bubbles stop rising to the surface, then let it drain completely.
For larger floor plants, start a regular watering schedule. Give it moderate amounts of water at first so it can get used to being hydrated again without being shocked.
In the future, a good rule of thumb is to water your Yucca only when the top couple of inches of soil feel dry to the touch.
Pests and Diseases
If your Yucca is losing leaves due to a disease or a pest infestation, the problem is likely pretty far along. In these cases, your best bet might be to start fresh by propagating:
- Cut off the leafy top of the plant.
- Saw the healthy trunk into sections about 8 to 12 inches long.
- Pot these “logs” into fresh soil to grow new babies.
If you notice the leaves falling off and the trunk feels soft or mushy, make sure you cut away all the rotted sections when you’re dividing the stem. You only want to replant the firm, healthy wood!
