Palmlilie, Yucca elephantipes - care in the room

• Palm-tree, Yucca elephantipes
  • Care in the room
  • Location
  • substratum
  • to water
  • Fertilize
  • To cut
  • multiply
  • Increase in transverse position
  • Kindel for the offspring
  • repotting
  • Diseases and pests
  • Conclusion

As a houseplant she dominates the scene and creates an aura of exotic plant splendor. The Palmlilie scores with a majestic stature and frugal unpretentiousness. Where space permits, the Yucca elephantipes stretches impressively to the ceiling, trumping with several trunks and mighty crowns. Find out here which aspects of care are really important in the room.

Palm-tree, Yucca elephantipes

With a palm leaf green liveliness finds its way into large living spaces, representative entrance halls and large offices. For a Yucca elephantipes to fulfill its task as a majestic design element of creative interior design over many years, no extensive care is required. In fact, the bar for professional cultivation is at the beginner's level. So it is hardly surprising that giant palm trees rank high on the popularity scale of the best houseplants. Explore all the elemental aspects of skilful in-room care that gets the most out of the exotic greenhouse.

Characteristics

• Plant family: asparagus plants (Asparagaceae)
• Located in Mexico
• Perennial, evergreen and woody
• Growth height as a houseplant: 200 to 500 cm
• Crown shape: Rosette-like with up to 40 cm long sword blades
• Forms several stems from the thickened base
• White bellflowers from August to September from 5 years
• Formation of capsules in the seed after flowering
• Temperature minimum: 10 degrees Celsius

Care in the room

Immersed in the warm climes of Mexico, the palmlilie thrives in Europe mainly in the Mediterranean area under the open sky. In the local regions the Yucca elephantipes makes sense as a houseplant in the course. As you can see from the following nursing guide, the powerful plant does not hinder the cultivation of even beginners. Instead, the palm-like asparagus plant forgives one or the other omission, as long as the following conditions are heeded.

Location

The origin already indicates that the Giant Palmlilie in relation to the light and temperature conditions in the room emphasis on exotic conditions. This is how the location should be:

• Bright to sunny location without blustery midday sun
• Ideally, a sunny, north-west location instead of a sun-exposed southern exposure
• Temperatures between 10 and 28 degrees Celsius

Missing a Yucca elephantipes to light, it tends to the formation of Geiltrieben. In the worst case, a complete trunk of the sun is inclined, which is not conducive to the decorative appearance.

1 of 2

Tip: If a palm leaf leaves the leaf tips hanging down, the location is too dark.

substratum

As the giant palm leaves show a slow growth, it spends a long time in their respective substrate. Therefore, pay attention to a well-balanced composition, because in commercially available potting soil you will not enjoy your plant much. Simply mix the perfect substrate yourself, because the production is completely uncomplicated. As a reward, you can enjoy a spectacular indoor plant, permanently healthy, vital and vigorous, as long as the other care requirements are met as well. This recipe has proven itself:

• 5 parts container potting soil from the garden center
• 4 parts good garden or field soil, with a high clay
• 1 part washed quartz sand
• 1 part lava granules, pumice or perlite

Thanks to this combination, the ideal pH value of 6.0 to 7.0 automatically results, which has an advantageous effect on the growth of a palm leaf. If you decide to purchase a finished substrate, the pH on the packaging should be read. Choose a high-quality, structurally stable potting soil with a low peat . The more peat is contained, the faster the earth collapses, compresses and obstructs the spread of the roots.

Tip: Garden or soil should be sterilized before use. To ensure that there are no pathogens or pests, place the substrate in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

to water

During a growing season, the substrate must not dry out. Therefore, pour regularly and abundantly so that the water reaches the bottom of the bucket. A daily thumb test indicates when casting needs exist. If the upper 3-5 centimeters of the substrate feel dry, they are watered. To take account of the slightly acidic pH, it is advisable to use collected rainwater or pond water. At least tap water should be left out for a few days.

So that no waterlogging can form in the root ball, a coaster is emptied after 20 minutes at the latest. If the giant palm oil has increased in weight, stand feet under the tub prevent waterlogging and at the same time promote aeration of the substrate from below.

The professional water supply of this exotic houseplant does not include the repeated spraying of foliage. On the contrary, a yucca can handle even dry heating air even better.

Fertilize

The nutrient requirement is at a medium level. Fertilize the houseplant from April to October every 14 days with a mineral-organic liquid fertilizer for green plants, the expectations are fulfilled in this point. It is important to note that fertilizer is never applied to dried substrate. In case of doubt, first pour with clear water and let the fertilizer follow.

To cut

Carefully maintained, a palm tree thrives as a houseplant for many years. Over time, it reaches dimensions that exceed the available space. In addition, after several years, the desire for a rejuvenation of this powerful exotic can be justified. How good that a pruning can be done so easily. Follow these steps:

• The ideal time window is open from the end of March to the beginning of May, after the hibernation has ended
• Suitable tools include a jigsaw, a sharp bread knife and a kitchen knife with a smooth cut surface
• Shorten the offending trunk shoot to the desired height
• Straighten the cut surface with the kitchen knife
• Seal the wound edges with tree wax keeping the center clear

It is completely normal if you hesitate before this radical cut. Bear in mind, however, the botanical nature of a yucca elephantipes. Her habit only looks like a palm tree. In fact, you have an asparagus plant that - unlike a real palm tree - has numerous vegetation points along the trunk. From these resting eyes, the giant palm leaves drive out after the pruning.

multiply

Hand in hand with a pruning is the easy to practice propagation. Each healthy stem segment with a length of 20-30 centimeters has the makings of an independent palmlilie. The most important prerequisite for the successful course is the marking of the polarity before the cut is made. Treat the stem or head cuttings so obtained according to this manual:

• Small pots fill with lean potting soil or a peat-sand mixture
• Under consideration of the previous direction of growth in each pot, insert a cut in half
• Pour with warm, lime-free water and a transparent hood

On the partially shaded, warm windowsill, the rooting takes place quickly. The substrate is kept constantly slightly moist. If a fresh shoot appears, the cover has fulfilled its task. Once the culture container is completely rooted, topple the young palm leaves into the recommended substrate.

Increase in transverse position

If the original growth direction of a stem cotter can no longer be reconstructed, the plan of an increase is far from over. You compensate for this deficiency by transversely planting the stem segments. These may not be completely covered with substrate. While a root network develops out of the subterranean nodes, vertical shoots spring up from above-ground eyes. Otherwise, the further care as well as normal cuttings.

Kindel for the offspring

To grow a Yucca elephantipes, a cut into the decorative trunks is not mandatory. Instead, keep an eye on the root area, as this is where Kindel forms on well-established palms. These are fully developed young plants in the form of secondary sprouts, which are only a little aufgepäppelt. How to handle it professionally:

• A suitable secondary shoot has at least 5 separate leaves
• Cut off with a sharp, disinfected knife
• Planting in a moist mix of compost earth and quartz sand

Until the next fresh shoot, place the pot in a partially shaded, warm location and water regularly. When rooting is complete, plant your pup into potting soil for an adult palm.

Tip: If the Yucca elephantipes stays in the room all year round, there are no special arrangements for hibernation. Only the reduced need for irrigation water is considered and fertilized from November to March.

repotting

The change into a larger planter stands for the Giant Palmlilie only every 2-3 years on the care plan. If the roots grow out of the bottom of the bucket, the time has come. In addition, it is advisable to repot a freshly cut palm to support regeneration. The best time for this action is immediately after hibernation in March or April. In these steps, the repot succeeds exemplary:

• Do not water the palmlilie the day before
• In the new tub over the drain drain a drainage
• Suitable materials are chippings, potsherds, gravel or expanded clay
• One third of the fresh substrate is filled in to push a hollow in with a fist
• Pot the yucca elephantipes and remove the discarded substrate

While a helping hand supports the giant palm tree in the middle of the tub, fill the fresh substrate between the roots. In doing so, press the earth repeatedly so that no air holes are formed. The advantage is a pouring rim, so that later no dirty water spills over.

Diseases and pests

As a houseplant, the Palmlilie is rarely visited by diseases. However, it is one of the preferred loot schemes of wool and mealybugs. Therefore, keep an eye on your yucca because countermeasures should be taken with the first symptoms. If small tuberous elevations on the leaves and in the leaf axils are to be recognized, accompanied by whitish webs, these means promise a successful fight:

• In the first step, isolate infected houseplants to prevent them from spreading
• Soak a soft cloth with spirit to wipe the lice
• In the early infestation stage dab the pests individually with high-percentage alcohol
• If possible, repeatedly rinse the infected palm leaves with water over head

If the use of alcohol on the soft leaves is too delicate for you, treat the foliage with a solution of paraffin oil. To do this, add 12 grams of paraffin oil to 1 liter of lime-free water and mix well. With this mix, spray the yucca elephantipes every 2-3 days.

The effectiveness of home remedies for the control of wool and lice is increased by the subsequent use of beneficial organisms. The natural antagonists, such as lacewings larvae, parasitic wasps and Australian ladybugs, hunt down the remaining specimens until none is left. The handle to chemical insecticides on a Yucca in the room is therefore not indicated.

More detailed information and tips on controlling wool and lice can be found here: Fight wool and mealybugs

Conclusion

The palmlilie is one of the titans among indoor plants. Once she is fully grown, her majestic stature takes our breath away. Surprisingly, the bar for successful cultivation is not high. As this instruction for the care in the room proves, a Yucca elephantipes even introduces the beginner in the hobby nursery with no insurmountable hurdles. The professional choice of a sunny location, supplemented by a balanced water and nutrient balance, creates the best conditions. If you also take the trouble to mix the substrate yourself according to the recipe presented here, you will be rewarded with a splendid specimen. A due pruning or propagation by means of Kindel or cuttings then goes just as easily from the hand. Cunning pests and diseases have bad cards in a lovingly groomed Giant Palmlilie.

Tips for quick readers:

• Bright, sunny location
• Warm with temperatures between 10 and 28 degrees Celsius
• Structure-stable, humus rich, well-drained substrate
• Ideally, a pH of 6.0 to 7.0
• Moderately pour with low-calcium water after a thumb test
• Spraying the leaves is not required
• Fertilize every 14 days from April to October
• Pruning if required from March to early May
• No separate wintering offered
• Growing through stem cuttings, cuttings or Kindel
• Repot every 2-3 years in March or April
• Indispensable is a drainage on the bottom of the pot
• Diseases are rare in the room
• Common pests: wool and mealybugs
• Effective control with home remedies possible