My Yucca Plant Dilemma
By Mary I. Kanyha
Will someone in my paradise help me? I need to know how to get rid of
yucca plants and keep them from having hundreds of new “babies.” For the
past four years, I have been out in front of the entrance to my estate every
week, digging out two gallon buckets of new yucca plants. This continues
even though all the plants and their bulbs have previously been dug out.
However, from underneath the ground, new plants continue to grow. Now
the problem is how to get'rid of these obstinate tiny plants.
Why were yuccas planted on 20 feet of land on both sides of the driveway?
Here is the story: This house at 218 Salter Path Road was built in 1978, when
our paradise had only two hired police and the town depended on the county
sheriff s deputies for protection. Well, our house was robbed. All the pots and
pans, the kitchen silverware, a shower curtain and the drapes, wide enough to
cover three Anderson windows, were taken. Thinking how to solve the prob
lem of being burglarized again and perhaps losing our 15-inch TV or our bat-
tery-operated radio, I decided to make it more difficult for any culprit wanting
items for a camp or a starter home. The idea of having 20 feet of yucca plants
on each side of the driveway seemed like a good one. It was at first very excit
ing because up North no one grows yucca plants.
We made a gate by welding a three-foot metal piece in the middle of four-
inch thick lumber so that a pick-up truck could not break through it. Every
night we locked the gate.
Through the years, the yucca plants were beautiful with their big white flow
ers. They were truly awesome. But then, the plants grew out of control and
there were dead units on each one. When I went near them to photograph, I
would get sharp cuts on my arms, and when I was cutting the grass alongside
them, they cut my legs. Somehow,it was as if they purposely did not want me
to go anywhere near them.
I followed the instructions of our County Extension Agency by treat
ing the area with brush and bush spray to no avail. The plants still came up
through the soil. I received instructions from people on the Internet. One
suggested I dig out the newly grown yucca and pour Clorox into that spot.
Another reply was to pour concentrated Roundup into the hole where the
plant was dug. Now every week, after digging out the sprout of a new yucca
plant, I pour stump remover into the hole. Roundup doesn’t work, brush and
vine killers do not work and covering the area where the plant existed with a
plastic cover does not work.
One reply said: “These are very tough plants! Dig up as much of the plant
as possible weekly, and then dig some more to find all of the roots.” Even
following these measures, I am still digging these nasty plants up every time
they send up another little sprout. This has been an ongoing weekly venture
for the past four years. Can anyone suggest how to eradicate these hardy,
drought and heat tolerant plants?
Because the fee for trash has increased, it is extremely
important to recycle as much as possible.
There is a dumpster behind the town hall for corrugated
cardboard. The boxes should be broken down
before being deposited in the dumpster.
Your recycling efforts are appreciated.
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