An unusual plant called filamentous yucca has become popular with gardeners due to its unusual appearance. The culture is a garden evergreen with bell-shaped flowers and filamentous shoots that give this yucca variety its name. Another name for the culture is filamentose. To grow such a beautiful flower, some rules must be followed. Then it will become the main decoration of your garden.
Description
The plant has dense leaf rosettes. The leaf plates have a xiphoid shape, on average their height reaches 60 cm, diameter is 6 cm. Long thin fibers fall along the edge of the leaves. Flowers are cream or golden in color, cone-shaped. The first buds can be observed as early as 2-3 years of age. A flower panicle emerges in early June, its height is 0.5-2.5 m.
One leg can have up to 150 flowers. Each bud is up to 6 cm in diameter and blooms for about three weeks.
Currently, there are more than 30 varieties of filamentose. Several varieties are especially popular with gardeners.
Bright edge
The leaves of this species have a blue-green tint with a yellowish frame. The peduncle can exceed one meter in height. The flowers are large, creamy white.
Color Guard
It is characterized by rapid growth. The leaves have a variegated surface with yellow, white or bluish lines. The petals are milky white in color.
Gold heart
This species is good because it tolerates winter well. It has light green leaves and creamy flowers that turn light pink with the arrival of autumn.
Colored guard
This species is characterized by the presence of creamy yellow sharp leaves with a pink tip and a bright green border. At low temperatures, the pinkish tip gradually changes color to coral.
Landing
In open ground
Yucca is planted in an open garden area in spring. Before winter, the plant will have time to settle in a new place and prepare for the cold weather.
When choosing a place for planting, give preference to flower beds that are in the sun, protected from the wind, and away from areas where water accumulates.
Despite the culture's resistance to drafts, a blown place will not work for it. If the plant is planted in the shade or in a damp lowland, then these conditions can provoke rotting of the root system. Therefore, a sunny dry area is the best option.
Having chosen a suitable flowerbed for planting, follow several consecutive steps.
- Dig a hole at least 50 cm wide and 80 cm deep.
- Place a layer of gravel and sand at a level of 20 cm (they will act as a drain).
- If the soil in the pit is sandy, then it is recommended to add black soil in a ratio of 1: 1. Clay soil must be combined with sand and forest land in equal parts. Black soil should be lightly supplemented with sand in a ratio of 1: 4.
- Fill the hole with prepared soil.
- Place the shoot on a mound, straighten the roots, cover the sprout with soil up to the root collar.
- Gently compact the soil around the seedling and moisten it slightly.
- In case of subsidence of the earth, you can add a little more soil mixture.
Seeds
Some growers prefer to plant yucca seeds. The sowing procedure is carried out in early March. It includes several stages.
- Soak purchased seeds in warm water for 24 hours.
- Prepare leafy or peaty soil, moisten it with hot manganese solution.
- Spread the soaked seeds on the surface of the cooled soil, sprinkle on top with a thin layer of dry soil.
- Place the container in a transparent bag and leave in a warm area near the window, airing daily.
- Provided that the planting material is fresh and of good quality, the first shoots will hatch in 3-4 weeks. After that, the pot can be removed from the bag and placed on the windowsill.
- In early summer, the emerged seedlings will already be ready for transplanting into open ground.
Care
The main rule when caring for filamentous yucca is to avoid waterlogging of the soil, since the plant has weak immunity and is prone to fungal diseases. If the gardener still did not keep track, and the roots of the tree began to rot, it is recommended to carefully remove the specimen from the ground, eliminate the decayed roots and plant the updated flower in a separate container. It will be possible to plant the plant back into the garden only next season.
The plant needs high humidity only in dry summers. The rest of the time it is enough to water it once a week in moderate portions. Rainwater is suitable for watering. Watch out for the drying of the soil, it is important not to pour the yucca. At the same time, the plant can also poorly tolerate a lack of moisture in the air. To maintain optimal humidity, the flower is sprayed from a fine spray bottle once a day.
The culture needs feeding once a month. Mineral mixtures are used as fertilizers. The transplant is performed every two years. If it is a young plant, then it should be replanted every year. Transplanting is carried out by the transshipment method, while preserving a small part of the old soil.
For adult specimens, it is recommended to renew the topsoil once a year.
If filamentous yucca is grown outdoors, wintering is of great importance. Collect the leaves in a sheaf and tie them together. Prepare the fallen leaves and sawdust, cover the root area with this mixture. This layer will be the winter protection for the plant.
Home maintenance
According to some astrologers, filamentous yucca has the ability to absorb negative energy and tune a person to positive thoughts. Therefore, many growers prefer to grow crops indoors. Home care is somewhat different from outdoor care.
Indoor yucca is also afraid of an excess of moisture, so if the owner of the plant doubts that the soil has dried out, then it is better to postpone the watering procedure for a couple of days. The flower will easily survive the lack of fluid.
For indoor maintenance, it is recommended to choose varieties that grow in their natural environment in arid conditions with an abundance of sun. They are not afraid of dry apartment air, they are also picky about the composition of the soil.
During the period from spring to autumn, indoor yucca filamentous is watered as the soil dries to a depth of 2-5 cm. In this case, warm boiled water should be used. Gradually, the frequency of watering is reduced, the portions should be reduced. The cooler it gets in the room, the less moisture the plant needs.
In order for the leaves to breathe well in the heat, it is recommended to wipe them with a damp cloth, but after this procedure it is unacceptable to put the flower in the sun, therefore, it is better to manipulate it in the evening - by the morning the leaf plate will dry out.
You should grow filamentous yucca at home on the south window. Be sure to provide protection from cold winds and drafts. A well-grown indoor flower develops in partial shade. In this case, it is important that the rays of the sun hit the leaves of the plant for at least three hours a day.
In the summer months at a temperature of 18-25 degrees, filamentose can be taken out onto the balcony or terrace, but as soon as the thermometer drops to 12-16 degrees at night, the plant must be returned to the room. The minimum acceptable threshold for growing yucca is 8 degrees above zero. A room yucca needs a transplant in three cases:
- if the roots have grown strongly and occupy the entire volume of the container;
- if the root system has begun to rot;
- after purchasing an older copy.
Gardener mistakes
Faced with the fact that the planted shoot does not bloom, the gardener must understand the reason for this situation. There are several options:
- perhaps the plant is planted in the shade and lacks the sun;
- if the plant was not adequately covered for wintering, then frost could damage the buds;
- if initially a weak, immature specimen was chosen for planting, then it can bloom only for 4-5 years of life.
If brown spots are observed on the leaves, then most likely the soil was waterlogged or initially did not take care of high-quality drainage, which led to the appearance of a fungus. If dry light spots are seen on the plant, then this may indicate a prolonged exposure of the plant to direct sunlight. If the culture has leaves with a brown tip, then this indicates frequent drafts or too dry air.
Even more interesting information about filamentous yucca and the peculiarities of its cultivation can be found in the next video.