Newbie needs Yucca help please

Hi Everyone!

New to the forum and a bit out of my depth here as I'm a regular on car related forums...but gardening is a new thing for me.

Hoping those far more experienced (not hard!) than me wouldn't mind helping me out please.

We bought a Yucca Gloriosa "Variegata" to commemorate the life/death of my beloved Staffordshire Bull Terrier. She is buried under the Yucca and the plant marks the spot as it were.

Anyway, it's been a stunning plant, with strong healthy leaves which just kept coming; and I've kept on top of trimming the dead leaves from underneath.

All was well until this year and it suddenly looks really miserable and unhealthy...what could be wrong?

The plant should be ok in frost down to -10deg according to the label, it's in a place that has about 50/50 sun and shade (against the garage wall.

I'm not a gardener by nature but have a strong attachment to this plant and I would like it to look stunning again. TIA for any advice.

Hopefully the pics will show....and sorry for going on a bit!






Cheers, Steve

 

It looks like leaf spot a fungal disease, usually apears if the plant gets too much water, palms can get it too, usually you cut off infected leaves and burn and treat the plant with a fungicide. Also improve drainage, a dead dog won't do it much good!!

 

Thanks...when you say "burn" and treat, what does that mean?

The plant has been there for nearly three years so would drainage be the cause after all this time? I'd have thought the dog would less of a problem now due to natural processes...sorry, trying not be too graphic!

Any recommendations for fungicide?

Thanks

 

Its a problem that I have come across far too often, not really sure what it is, but it attacks all members of the agave family, those round black spots with a lighter coloured centre are a dead giveaway.
I think it may be fungal, but nothing I've tried seems to prevent it.
It does not occur during the summer months, so your plant should grow normally, its next winter when the problem starts again.
Obviously its a combination of the cold and wet, although I have agaves that have been kept in a coldframe bone dry all winter and have been virtually destroyed.

 

From this


To this, in 6 months


Yuccas as well

 

Is that a parryi pete ? I just bought one.

 

That's the thing, it's gone two winters with no problems whatsoever

Steve

 

Steve, all I can say is, cut off every affected piece and bin it or burn it.
Late summer start spraying with a fungicide for leaf spot, and use two different kinds, check the actual substance as sometimes the trade names are different but the actual substance is the same.
Copper fungicide might help. The more modern ones seem to be pretty useless apart from dithane, but that leaves a yellow deposit.
It might help, but dont count on it.

 

I think it WAS BM, or a hybrid, seed collected in Las Vegas many years ago at a chocolate factory of all places.

 

Yes a fungicide which contains copper works wonders, but cut off infected leaves before they infect the whole plant.

 

Thanks TO and Pete, looks like a much reduced Bonnie's Yuca on the way :roll:

cheers, Steve