These days, ornamental plants have gained mass popularity among indoor and outdoor plant lovers. So there is a high possibility that many of you must have heard and seen the Yucca plant which is another widely popular ornamental plant.
Hence, ornamental plants are mostly indoor plants, so this fact can bring up a question in your mind that can a Yucca plant live well both inside and outside or not.
Thence, let’s look deeper to learn the answer to this most common question by plant lovers.
Can A Yucca Plant Live Outside?
Yucca plants can thrive well outside because they are plant species with less watering requirements and can fairly tolerate drought. Besides, Yucca plants can even undergo 10°F (-12° C) temperature, so all these factors clear that Yucca plants are quite suitable to live outside in various climates.
Can All Yucca Plants Live Outside?
The Yucca plant is born in the regions of the south-western United States of America where the climate is much indistinguishable from the climate of deserts. Therefore, all Yucca plants are born capable of thriving fully outside.
Also, due to being born in a desert-like climate, these plants don’t require a frequent watering routine and can withstand drought relatively more than any other plant. So even if anyone can’t water them regularly, all Yucca plants will live well outside.
The cold tolerance ability of Yucca plants makes them more suitable plants that thrive well outside. Because Yucca plants can tolerate as much as -12° C or 10° F colder temperatures.
Can Indoor Yucca Plants Survive Outside?
Indoor Yucca plants are also naturally enough prepared to survive outside just like any outdoor Yucca plant. Because even though they are used as indoor accent plants, they carry the same characteristics as an outdoor Yucca plant born in a warm desert-like climate.
Therefore, if you want to keep your Yucca plant outside, without facing any hard situation you can keep it. But know that a Yucca plant only will survive in warm weather outside.
So keep the plant outside only when it’s summer or spring season and bring your plant back inside before the climate starts to change on cold days in early autumn. As the Yucca plant can’t survive in cold weather outside.
How To Care For Outdoor Yucca Plants?
Here the methods/tips are explained below regarding how you can take care of your outdoor Yucca plant.
Find The Right Spot:
Finding the right spot for transplanting or moving the Yucca plant outside is the first thing. You must choose a very sunny spot because Yucca plants love bright sunshine and they grow well under sunlight.
And then choose a well-drained soil with a pH of 5-8.5 to transplant or move the plant.
Routine Watering:
You don’t have to water a Yucca plant every day but you must water the plant routine-wise every 2 weeks in summer. And before watering the plant, check the soil in its root area down to 2-3 inches. If the soil feels wet, don’t water the plant until it’s dry.
Fertilizer:
Once every year, fertilize the Yucca plant in the spring season. Apply a fertilizer that is high-in-nitrogen but slow-release in 3-1-2 NPK formulation.
Remove Affected Leaves:
Yucca plants can go through “anthracnose of agaves”, a kind of fungal infection that causes lesions and red/orange spots on the leaves. If you notice such signs, cut off the affected leaves.
Frost Protection:
Protect the Yucca plant by covering it with a frost blanket before winter comes. The younger plants need to be protected.
How Do Yucca Plants Survive In The Desert?
The Yucca plant efficiently retains water and can hold onto the retained water for longer periods and such a natural technique makes Yucca plants capable of surviving in the desert.
The majority of species of the Yucca plant have a thick and waxy membrane that avert water loss via evaporation and reserve water in their thick roots. These plants survive well in the desert.
Also, some other Yucca species store water in their fleshy leaves, and some Yuccas have an oily covering on the leaves effectively that reduces loss of water. So these Yucca species survive well enough in the desert too.
Can A Yucca Plant Live Inside?
A Yucca Plant can survive in a good manner inside because Yucca plants are indoor plants and in recent times they are mainly used as an accent plant inside homes. So just by keeping the Yucca plant under the bright indirect sun and at a south-facing window at home, this plant will thrive fully.
Yucca plants are widely acknowledged as one of the top indoor plants and the term “indoor plant” itself gives enough justification to indicate that Yucca plants can live inside.
In fact, to see their survival ability indoors, Yucca plants are being kept as an accent plant inside homes to add a dramatic yet fresh look.
Moreover, Yucca plants are very low-maintenance plants that will grow well in any type of soil and in plant pots when they are kept inside. And it makes them naturally more suitable to live under inside temperature.
However, while growing a Yucca plant inside the home, it must be planted with well-draining soil and in a strong pot. And must be kept under loads of bright indirect sunlight.
Is Yucca A Good Indoor Plant?
The Yucca plant makes a great indoor plant. Because these plants are low-maintenance and create a stunning look with their spiky leaves and white flowers that becomes a center of attraction wherever they are kept at home.
And, with such appearance and easy take care requirements create an excellent combo and makes them an ideal indoor plant.
Besides, Yucca plants are drought-tolerant, pest reluctant, and very easy to propagate, therefore, anyone can easily grow a Yucca plant at home. And they wouldn’t have to take too much hassle in watering the plant, eliminating insects/pests, and propagating the plant.
Therefore, all of these natural facilities that Yucca plants come with also proves how much of a good indoor plant the Yucca plants are.
How To Take Care For Indoor Yucca Plants?
Generally, the taking care processes/method of an indoor Yucca plant is not that much different from the taking care process of an outdoor Yucca plant.
But for your convenience, here the tips for taking care of indoor Yucca plants are illustrated below.
The Right Mixture Of Soil:
Yucca plants grow the best in well-drained, sandy, and desert-like soil. So it’s important to make a mixture of soil that resembles a dry desert but is well-drained.
Therefore, you can take any type of soil/potting mix and mix it with some coarse sand and perlite to create a soil mixture with a well drainage system. And plant the Yucca plant in it.
Sufficient Light:
Yucca plants stay and bloom with all green leaves when they get a lot of bright sunlight for quite a long time during the daytime. So try to place the Yucca plant pot in an area with a south-facing window so that the plant can get full sunlight but indirectly.
A west-facing window or spot will work greatly too for providing enough sunlight to Yucca plants.
Watering:
Yucca plants aren’t tolerant to overwatering, so water the plant only when you will feel that the 2-3 inches of the top soil are 50-75% dried.
But routine wise water the Yucca plant in summer and spring days but ensure that the soil has excellent drainage and it’s being dried out before the next watering time. And underwater the plant in winter.
Fertilizing:
Once a month fertilize the Yucca plant with liquid fertilizer. Or else you can use a controlled-release fertilizer too.
Pruning:
In the early spring season, trim the dried or damaged leaves of the Yucca plant so that it can grow in a better way.
How Often Should You Water An Indoor Yucca Plant?
An indoor Yucca plant should be watered once every 14 days or as per the watering requirement of the plant.
But before watering, you must check 2-3 inches of the top soil because the top soil must be dried up to 2.5 inches before every watering. And remember that requirement of watering an indoor Yucca plant will vary depending on the temperature and climate.
Do Yucca Plants Like Heat?
Yucca plants do prefer heat because originally they were born and grew up in a hot and dry climate of the south-western United States, so they are naturally habituated to taking heat.
But now the Yucca plant only can take the bright but indirect heat of the sunlight. Direct heat from sunlight is not good for them.
Can Yucca Plants Survive Winter Or Frost?
Typically, the Yucca plant cannot survive in winter or under a winter frosty condition. Yucca plants only can tolerate -12°C temperature, not more than this.
However, if the Yucca plants are well-protected and covered with frost blankets during the whole winter season and frosty times, they can survive.
How Cold Can A Yucca Plant Survive?
The Yucca Plants can survive in cold weather as much as -12° C ( 10° F). If the temperature goes down more than -12° C, Yucca plants can’t withstand it. And in that situation, they are highly needed to be safeguarded so that they can survive on cold winter days.
Do Yucca Plants Lose Life In Winter?
Yucca plants are most likely to lose life in winter if they are not protected with frost blankets in late autumn. Because they can withstand too much cold as they are more like a warm-weather lover plant.
But there are some species of the Yucca plant that can easily survive in the coldest winter times and a hard freeze.
How To Protect Yucca Plants In Winter?
To protect Yucca plants in the winter season, cover the plants with 6-8 inches of mulching material all over the plant during the late autumn period and before frosting starts. Mulching material will safeguard Yucca plants from the cold winter times.
Also, you can put raked leaves directly on top of the plants.
Final Thoughts:
The Yucca plant can live both inside and outside. Because Yucca plants are born under bright sunlight and grew up in a desert-like climate which naturally made them strong enough to survive outside. Also, they have the qualities to be an accent indoor plant which indicates they can live inside too.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How Long Can Yucca Plants Live?
Do Yucca Plants Like Full Sun or Shade?
Are Yucca Plants Poisonous to Humans, Cats, Dogs, or Pets?