The yucca plant makes a lovely indoor houseplant, thrives outdoors in sunny conditions, and is a delicious food staple. You may wonder how fast a yucca grows if you have this plant in your garden or it resides in your home's interior. We researched how fast the yucca plant grows and rates for maturity, so you can stop leaving it up to guesswork.
Many species of the yucca plant take about two to three years to mature. Other varieties, such as the gargantuan Joshua Tree Yucca, can take decades to mature, up to 50 or 60 years! Different varieties of this plant thrive well outside or as indoor plants, reaching anywhere from four to 10 feet in height or taller, and require substantial space for their root systems.
Learn more about the yucca and the conditions it needs to blossom. Read on to discover the best soil for yucca and average expectations for this plant's growth and development.
All About Yucca Plants
The yucca plant thrives well in tough conditions, as long as it has room for its roots, gets sunlight, and enough water. Getting a yucca to germinate from seed can be challenging, so many gardeners like to start with a cutting from a mother plant. Give a cutting enough space in well-draining soil and wait patiently for it to establish roots.
The average yucca takes a minimum of two to three years to mature but can take up to five years or longer to show a spike of flowers. Choose this attractive perennial and enjoy cultivating a tree, shrub, or bush for decades.
Yuccas take their sweet time growing to dizzying heights if outdoors and may require frequent pruning if indoors and approaching 10 feet. The yucca plant loves a lot of space, and it doesn't need too much attention. Be cautious, as this plant is susceptible to disease, root rot, and pests if the soil is too wet all the time. As there are over 40 genus of the yucca plant, not every variety is best for eating or grows in the same way. Also, the length of maturity and growth rate depends on the variety and environment. You can control a yucca by pruning and changing its watering schedule.
Growing Yucca Outdoors
The yucca is a majestic and fascinating beauty to have in a garden or for landscaping a property. Be prepared to wait years and spend time nurturing your yucca so it will eventually show off its signature flower spike. The leaves are sharp, so wear gloves when handling. Check on a yucca's surrounding space to make sure any new offshoots that began to sprout don't fight for space if too close.
Place a yucca in an area where the roots can spread wide, go deep, and there is plenty of sun to get stunning results. Give a yucca time to adjust to the cyclical precipitation patterns when outdoors, and do not fear it isn't receiving enough water. These plants are natives to arid deserts where there is little rainfall, and they are tough to kill. Maintenance is pretty low, requiring pruning as needed, a slow-release fertilizer, and plenty of patience.
Growing Yucca Indoors
The most important thing with yuccas is to give them enough room for their roots, ample sun, and avoid overwatering. Indoor varieties need a nice mix of coarse sand, potting soil, and drainage.
Prune the stalk and any flowers down to the desired length during the spring and summer to control the plant's height. The yucca is not picky about the soil pH and can pretty much handle anything except for too much water and not enough sun. Indirect sunlight can cause a yucca to grow thinly, so consider this lovely plant for a window with western exposure.
Read more: "Can Yucca Plants Grow In Pots?"
Are Yuccas Fast Growing?
The roots of a yucca plant began to develop after three to four weeks and are typically fully developed after the six-week mark. However, this hardy, drought-resistant plant is pretty slow growing. After two to three years, this plant is mature and begins to display its showy blossoms. Not all varieties grow at the same rate, as indoor plants may receive less sun and have less room to spread roots in a pot.
Check out a set of yucca seeds available on Amazon.
How Much Do Yuccas Grow Per Year?
The growth rate for a yucca depends on the conditions of its soil, watering schedule, available room for its roots, and sun exposure. Be patient with the slow-growing yucca, as it could only grow a few inches per year. One gardener recounted their experience with a yucca in their garden. Their plant started as a seedling of three inches, grew to five inches the first year, reached 18 inches on its fourth year, and didn't develop a flower spike until it was in its sixth year.
Feel free to learn more and look into different varieties of the yucca, including but not limited to Adam's Needle, Spanish Dagger, Spineless Yucca, or the Mojave Yucca. The environmental conditions, such as the levels of received sun, water, and space allotted to spread out, impact how fast a yucca grows. Expect an indoor yucca to grow at a slower rate than one placed outdoors.
How Long Does It Take For Yucca To Root?
Once a yucca plant has been placed in well-draining soil and receives adequate sun and water, expect the plant to show roots within three to four weeks. At six weeks, the roots of a yucca plant are more developed and continue to spread as needed. If a yucca plant looks healthy, you can assume that the root system is thriving. Mature yucca typically has root systems that spread up to three feet out. Expect to re-pot an indoor every two to three years to accommodate the roots.
Read more: "What Is The Best Soil For A Yucca Plant?"
Check out this coarse fast-draining soil on Amazon.
How Long Does It Take To Harvest Yucca?
All varieties of the yucca plant are not suited for eating, as some are prized for their leaves, flowers, or other attributes. If you are growing a yucca for its nutritious, tuberous root, plan to wait a minimum of 18 months before it is ready to harvest. Avoid growing yucca in a location with freezing temperatures, and make sure it gets plenty of full sunlight to thrive. These plants are slow-growing, low-maintenance, and are worth the wait to reach maturity.
How Do You Stop Yuccas From Growing Taller?
Need to keep a yucca at a certain or want to slow down its upward growth? Make sure to cut off the flowering stalk before it gets a chance to bloom to discourage the plant's growth. If need be, cut the cane down to a desired height to control the yucca's development. When pruning a yucca, it is best to do so in the spring or summer. If you are caring for an outdoor plant, make sure to help it recover from pruning stress. Place it in a sunny place and water it as needed for it's new size.
How Long Does Yucca Take To Grow Stranded Deep?
If you enjoy playing Stranded Deep, you may be wondering how long it takes a yucca plant to grow. Gather yucca cuttings and wait 48 hours in the game time after it is planted in a farming plot to produce six fibrous leaves. Once a yucca plant has been harvested in the game, it takes one to three days in the game for the plant to regrow. Yucca is important in Stranded Deep as a resource for water, cloth, and rope.
In Closing
We hope you have learned a sufficient amount about the yucca plant, whether grown indoors or outdoors. The yucca plant is a native of the southwestern United States and Mexico that provides a host of value. Many people have enjoyed this plant for its lovely flowers, edible leaves, and nutritious, tuberous root. Make a yucca is part of your houseplant collection or help it thrive in an outdoor garden for aesthetics and as a food source.
Before you leave, don't miss out on the following fascinating articles.
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