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Yucca palms are extremely popular plants, which are suitable even for beginners due to their appearance and their undemanding nature. The houseplant can reach heights of up to five meters even in the tub, which makes repotting an important factor in yucca care. Choosing the right substrate and the right time is particularly important when transplanting palm lilies. At the same time, possible health problems of the asparagus plant, such as yellow undersides of leaves, can be effectively treated.
time
There are a few signs that can help you know when it's time to repot. These relate on the one hand to the age of the yucca and to the condition. Basically, the slow-growing agave plants should in the rhythm of two to three years be repotted, as they can grow quite a bit during this time. Older specimens in particular continue to grow incessantly, which quickly leads to a lack of space in planters that are too small. Typical signs of a necessary transplant are:
- Due to its size, yucca tilts in the pot and finds it difficult to stabilize itself
- Roots grow out of the drainage holes or over the edge of the bucket
- the old substrate is pushed out by the roots
- the old substrate is very compacted and prevents the irrigation water from reaching the roots
- the undersides of the leaves turn yellow
- The pot generally seems too small for the yucca
If any of the above occurs, you should repot immediately, even in winter. If your specimen is vital and healthy, you only have to stick to the rhythm of two to three years. Then repot in the spring when the plant has come out of hibernation and is starting to sprout again. At this point, the plant has relaxed for a long period of time and can survive the move to a new pot or fresh substrate.
tip: fresh substrate after the winter is a great pleasure for yucca, as it is not fertilized during the cold season. After moving to a larger vessel filled with new soil, the roots can look forward to the first nutrient additions of the year.
substrate
The substrate is an important point for yucca high demands on the soil. Since the plants are agave plants, the plant is used to nutrient-rich substrates that offer good drainage and do not compact too quickly. It is best to mix such substrates for the succulents yourself, as the pH must be between 6.0 and 7.0. With your own mixture, you can adjust the pH value precisely, as palm lines are extremely sensitive to a pH value that is too low. The substrate for transplanting is composed as follows:
- 5 parts potting soil
- 4 parts clay soil
- 1 part quartz sand
- 1 part pumice gravel, expanded clay, lavalite, lava granulate or perlite
As an alternative to potting soil and arable soil, you can use a mixture of standard potting soil and potting soil with quartz sand and one of the drainage materials mentioned above. However, the field and potting soil are more permeable and the yucca sits loosely in the substrate, which makes it much easier to supply the roots with air. The pH value is adjusted by further additions of field soil, which are as follows:
- Less arable soil: pH value drops
- more arable soil: pH value increases
For this reason, you should definitely do a pH test to check the value and adjust accordingly. Be extremely thorough with this step as it is the only way to accurately adjust the pH level, which is important for the vitality of the plant. However, you must not forget one essential point before using the soil: the sterilization of the soil.
expanded clay
Simply heat the soil in the microwave for a short time, about a minute per liter of soil, and then you are ready to use it. Sterilization kills germs, bacteria, fungi, and insect larvae that could affect the health of the yucca after repotting.
Repotting: instructions
Once you have all the necessary components for the substrate, you can now choose a pot for transplanting. This should be a little larger and give the plant enough space for the next two to three years. Between three and five centimeters larger is recommended, unless you have a very large specimen. Palm lilies have a pronounced root growth and are very wide, which speaks for a large pot. Now you can repot:
1. Preparation
Be sure to put on a pair of gardening gloves before repotting. The leaves of the yucca are very sharp and you can even cut them when transplanting if you are careful. Therefore, gloves are a must when you want to get the yucca out of the pot and put it back in.
2. Get the yucca out of the pot
Now carefully remove the yucca from the pot for transplanting. It can happen that this is stuck in the substrate when it is compacted. In this case, take a knife and run it along the edge to loosen the substrate.
3. Clean and check roots
Carefully remove the soil from the roots. This step needs to be done with a lot of care so you don't accidentally tear or kink roots, which the yucca rarely forgives. Then check all the roots for rot and damage. Those that are rotten or badly damaged should be removed with disinfected scissors. Don't remove healthy roots, though, because yucca don't like proper root pruning.
4. Mix and fill in the substrate
Now mix the fresh substrate in the new pot. The pot should have drainage holes. Place the drainage materials at the bottom of the pot and the mixture of soil and sand on top. Make sure here that the soil is not compacted, because yuccas like it loose and permeable. After the soil has been put into the pot, tap it all around so that the substrate can be evenly distributed. This also avoids air holes in the substrate.
5. Put the plant in the pot
The plant is now placed in the pot and the rest is filled with soil. Tap the pot again here so that the soil is evenly distributed around the yucca when repotting.
6. Casting
After filling, press the substrate lightly on the surface. Now water the yucca thoroughly and put it back in its usual place.
tip: if the pot used is still big enough but the yucca shows signs of fatigue, you can simply change the substrate. Cut back large specimens, remove the old substrate, clean the pot and place the plant back in fresh soil.