Basically, the yucca - although it does not belong to the palm tree (as is often wrongly assumed) but to the agave family - is a very robust and easy-care houseplant. The Yucca, also known as the palm lily, can become ill, especially due to care errors, but also due to an unsuitable location. Clear indications of this are yellow or brown leaves and noticeable leaf loss.
Why is my yucca palm losing leaves?
A yucca palm loses leaves due to waterlogging, lack of light, incorrect wintering, sunburn or diseases and pests. Identify the cause, adjust care accordingly, and remove damaged leaves to preserve the plant.
Many causes lead to leaf loss
There are many reasons why your yucca is shedding its leaves. These usually initially turn yellow or brown, dry out and eventually fall off. In some diseases, only a few brownish spots appear on the leaves - which can spread quickly in the event of a fungal, bacterial or viral infection - or only the tips of the leaves become brown or black. If only the lowest leaves occasionally turn yellow and die, this is normal: This is how the yucca forms its trunk; it grows bald from below and grows new shoots above. However, if the discolored leaves appear in the middle of the head, there are other reasons behind it.
The possible causes at a glance
For a quicker diagnosis, we have put together a brief overview of the possible causes.
- Yellow / brown leaves, possibly with a soft trunk: waterlogging
- dried leaves on dry substrate: too little water
- Yellow leaves v. a. at the end of hibernation: incorrect (too warm) hibernation, lack of light
- Yellow leaves: lack of light
- Yellow/brown leaves only on the side facing the sun: sunburn
- Yellow / brown leaves without any apparent external causes or just leaf spots: disease or pest infestation caused by fungus / virus / bacteria (pay particular attention to gall mites!)
- Do the fallen leaves and other leaves feel sticky?
Appropriate countermeasures
As is well known, prevention is better than cure, which is why you should care for your yucca carefully and, above all, in a species-appropriate manner: then you will most likely be spared worries about falling leaves. If the plant is still affected, you should diagnose and treat it according to the following scheme. First, take a close look at the yucca:
- Is it too dark or perhaps in the blazing sun?
- Is the substrate dry or rather moist?
- Have you changed anything recently, such as the watering interval or the location?
- Was the yucca perhaps moved to a new location too quickly?
- Was the indoor yucca placed outside or vice versa?
- Is there any evidence of a pest infestation?
- Was the plant perhaps exposed to (cold) drafts?
- Do other neighboring plants also show the same symptoms?
Using this questionnaire you can narrow down the possible cause more precisely and then act accordingly. Of course, this includes eliminating the cause - and removing the damaged leaves, if they haven't already fallen off on their own.
Tip
In severe cases - for example if there is wilting caused by waterlogging - all that remains is to cut off the remaining he althy parts of the yucca and plant them in fresh substrate for rooting.
