Old Yucca Cane: Cut Back the Trunk, Root the Top, Save the Plant

Your 12-year-old yucca (likely Yucca elephantipes) lost all leaves, then sprouted a tiny tuft at the 4-foot tip with "feeler nubs" (adventitious root initials). You want to cut below the nubs, root the top, and discard the trunk. Yes, this works.

How to Do It

1. Cut the trunk 3–4 inches below the lowest leaves of the new tuft.
2. Trim the cutting: Remove all but the top 3–4 inches of bare stem below the leaves.
3. Root in water or moist perlite/peat. Change water weekly; keep warm, bright indirect.
4. Pot up once roots are 1–2 inches long.

The Remaining Trunk

If roots are alive, it will sprout new shoots below the cut. But after 12 years and a near-death experience, the base may be exhausted. The cutting is your best bet for a shapely plant.

Email photos for confirmation before cutting.