Why Your Yucca Will Never Grow a Thick Cane (And What to Do)

How Yucca Canes Are Made

Commercial yucca canes are sections of 15–20 foot mature tree trunks, cut, rooted in pots, and then sprouted. A "cane" is a piece of old trunk, not something a young plant grows.

Your Plant Is a Tip Cutting

The $3 Walmart yucca is a rooted top cutting. It will grow taller and produce new leaves, but the stem will always remain relatively thin and green—never becoming a thick, woody cane.

Options

• Enjoy it as a tall, architectural foliage plant.
• If you want the classic cane look, buy a plant sold as a "yucca cane" (usually 3–5 feet tall with a thick base).

No amount of fertilizer, pruning, or time will turn a tip cutting into a cane.