Sledge Hammer
Yucca glauca is our local native yucca. The common name is Soapweed, because native Americans used the roots to make soap. Harlequin’s Gardens has been using an extract of Yucca schidigera, Mojave Yucca, in our plant production for 30 years. Yucca roots are high in saponins which are plant chemicals that are both water and fat soluble. In nature, the saponins enhance nutrient absorption and serve as antifeedants to reduce pest damage.
The yucca product that we carry for our customers has the terrible name ‘Sledgehammer’, because it breaks down salts from high fertilizer use. We offer it for its natural function to release the surface tension of water which greatly helps water absorption into the soil and into the roots and through the cell walls of plants. These effects are particularly useful in helping seeds to germinate and helping drought-stressed plants absorb water and more quickly recover from dehydration.
The label says that Sledgehammer is just yucca. Use it at two teaspoons per gallon of water in normal watering.
We routinely use yucca extract as an emulsifier and ‘sticking’ agent whenever we are applying any kind of spray to plant foliage. This includes foliar feeding, horticultural oil sprays for pest management, or liquid kelp spray for toughening the leaf cuticle to block disease spores.
Mikl figured that if yucca helps with water absorption, then it could help with dehydration that comes with working outside and forgetting to drink water, so he takes one yucca capsule (made by NOW) a day. Yucca has the added benefit of improving nutrient absorption and reducing joint pain. It is said to improve digestion and support gut health.