Leave the wax cap on as this was used to seel the cut. They are not a Yucca like the ones found in the garden. I cant think what this plants name is thou! I assume youa are talking about the smaller branches coming form the side of the 'capped' stem, These are just growths that the plant has produced from when the main stem was cut. Nothing to worry about, this is a natural thing for a plant to do.

Thanks; it's the second time I've made an enquiry on this website and each time I've had an almost immediate response - good stuff.

I have seen how they do this using a bandsaw and had a go myself. {didnt use a band saw jst loppers] it gets very tall and leafless. you take 6" lengths of bare stem and plant the lower end piece in gritty compost and water sparingly. They nearly all root. The wax topping was to seal it against water loss and to indicate the 'top' end of the cutting.

i think the wax acts a bit like a plaster on a human to .

Hi,

When you cut the stem of a Yukka (or whatever the verity in your photo is) you'll find it's very moist.

I believe the wax capping is primarily to prevent moisture escaping through the cut and secondarily just for aesthetics.

The wax caps have all cracked on mine because I keep them in the conservatory where it can get up to 45c on a summers day!

I've been trying to find out if there's a special recipe for the grey wax capping but I've had no luck.

Instead, I decided to use some wax from a pure beeswax candle - it seems to have done the job nicely!

Al.