How to Root a Yucca Tree

Yucca trees, with their thick, random, upturned branches, give the landscape a Southwestern appeal. New trees start easily from side-trunks cut from established trees, but it can take up to six months for the new tree to establish a strong root system and put on new growth. It grows very slowly as a single straight trunk until it reaches a height of 3 to 9 feet and begins putting on side branches. Established trees survive prolonged periods of very hot temperatures (in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit) with very little moisture.

Pruning saw
Spade

Instructions

- 1
  Cut a trunk growing at the side of a yucca tree in late spring or summer using a pruning saw. Remove the thatch and leaves from the lower 12 inches of the cutting.
- 2
  Season the cutting by placing it in a cool, shady place for about a week.
- 3
  Dig a hole about a foot deep. Cut 1/4 inch from the bottom of the cutting and place it cut side down in the hole. Fill in around the stem with the dirt you removed from the hole. Press down with your hands as you go to remove trapped air.
- 4
  Water slowly, allowing the soil to absorb as much water as possible. Stop when the water begins to run off rather than sink in. The cutting doesn't need additional water after the first week or two.

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