How to divide a yucca plant is one of those gardening questions that can cause an instant passion or frustration. It seems as though every time I am asked, “How to divide a yucca plant?” someone offers me another question related to the plant. “How do you start to divide a plant like this (pulling off one stem)?” or “Why don’t you just cut off the whole thing?”
Well, all this can be answered in a couple sentences. When a young yucca plant is pulled from the ground it does not drop to the ground like a ordinary plant would. Instead, it springs upright and begins to grow. But, there are a few things that you should know before attempting this division.
The first thing is that you will need to have a good cutting board. There are several reasons for this. One, when you are cutting the stem of a larger plant you will find that you might accidentally cut your finger or wrist. A good cutting board is one that will prevent that from happening. It also makes it easier to work with because the board can be slid in and out of the way of the cutting.
Once you have got your board prepared you are ready to start your how to divide a yucca plant operation. Take a piece of wire that is about twice as long as your plant and connect this to one of the stems on the plant. Now, tie the stem down so that it cannot move. This should take about ten or twelve ties, depending upon the size of the stem you are attaching to.
Then, take another piece of similar but smaller wire and connect it to the other side of the stem. When this is done the job is almost completed. You are now ready to attach the leaves and start to work on pruning. If you are having problems, you may wish to bring in a friend or a hobbyist who will have some experience with these plants.
Now, you will be ready to divide the plant into two parts. First, take another sheet of paper and draw a horizontal line down one side and across the bottom of the second half. These lines will act as guides for pruning. On the other half of the plant, connect another piece of paper with a horizontal line down one side and across the bottom. These lines will help you keep track of which half of the plant needs to be pruned and which hasn’t been affected by the other half yet. This will be an easy process when you divide the plant into proper quarters.
Once you divide the plant, you will know how to divide a yucca plant into proper quarters. The tips of the main cane will be left intact, while the tips on the rest of the cane should be removed. The cane stalk should be removed completely from the plant. The smaller canes should be divided into three even sections, while the larger canes should be divided into four.
After the division of the plant has been completed, you can move on to preparing the plant for planting. You can put the smaller canes in pots and bring the entire plant indoors before planting. If the plant has not been divided before, you will want to water the plant well to allow the roots to settle in. If you plan on taking the plant indoors for the first year, you will need to provide a little extra light and watering during the day.
