Advice needed

Hello

We have 4 large what we think are Yucca's/palms? Two of them are getting too tall, and one is falling to the side. We would like to keep them but they need to be shorter! Can we top them successfully?

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j102/leejameswestwood/Garden.jpg

[ 10. April 2006, 10:35 AM: Message edited by: leejames ]

 

I had one when I lived in N. Ireland and it got frosted right to the base and was a mass of soggy rotten pulp. I thought it was gone but when I dug it out the roots were quite healthy and it was trying to throw up new shoots.

I think you could level it and let it regrow to your taste. Topping is likely to just make matters worse as it would probably just branch and make an even more dense top.

Not an expert on this though so don't reach for the saw just yet!

 

Think you're right Frogesque - but, agreed, let Strongylodon and Pete2255 deal with this!! :D

Just think how much more light you'd get by keeping them under control. I don't know what their roots are like - I don't fancy having anything that big so close to a building. If it's got long tap-roots, you#re likely t get subsidence probelms, and if it hasn't, it's prone to being blown over - don't fancy either alternative!! :eek:

 

They look like cordyline austalis. Yuccas do sprout from whereever you cut them but I'm not sure about cordylines. I do know from experience that if you cut it off at ground level it will sprout from the base (in around a year's time).
Areally intersting thing about the trunk is that it grows down as well as up so they don't have 'tap roots' as such and the roots are mainly fibrorous.
My suggestion woulb be to make a saw cut a little way into the trunk at the height you would like it to sprout from and if it sprouts go ahead and chop it off just above that point.

 

In my experience you can cut them where you like and they will sprout, all you need to do then is thin the resulting new shoots if you want to.
I agree they are Cordylines.

 

Just had another look and I can see the one on the left is a problem, think personally I'd dig it out.
The one on the right I'd clean up and remove all the dead stuff, supprising the difference it would make.

 

Thanks everyone for your advice. Will have a go at cutting them down to more suitable height!
May come back for more advice!
Many thanks.