Cutting overgrown yucca

TerryR

I recently helped an elderly friend with a very overgrown garden by cutting down some large green and variegated yuccas that he wanted removed. They were initially much too large to dig up whole so I cut the tops off with about 2 - 3 foot of stem each and brought them home to try to grow them on. Should I treat them like succulents and let the stem ends dry off before planting them in a gritty compost? 

Paul B3

Are they true Yucca species ?

Some people often call Cordylines 'Yuccas' .

BobTheGardener

If they are definitely yuccas then the pieces will almost certainly root in gritty compost and letting them callous-over for a couple of days first is a good idea.  I had one in the front garden which I eventually dug out when it became too large and very tatty looking.  I removed as many of the huge, thick, fleshy roots as I could, down to about 3ft below soil level - it was in a large raised bed.  Two years later it reappeared.  However, the new foliage is looking good so will keep it for now.

A few years before I tried to remove it, a piece accidentally broke off when I removed a flowering stem and still have that growing in a container of gritty compost (reticent to plant it in the ground because of the root issue.)  Due to the time of year, I would keep the cuttings indoors in plenty of light but out of direct sunlight until they root, preferably somewhere well away from radiators to lessen the chances of them drying out before the roots form.

TerryR

They are all definitely yuccas that I have acquired, as I already have a cordyline and 4 variegated yuccas that I have grown for the past 15 years. I have never though had the necessity to chop any of them so wasn't sure whether these would survive being cut.
Thanks for the advice, I'll put the in the garage that has a window as they are still in large compost bags outside and it hasn't stopped raining for days! Hope they don't rot off now!!