How to Fashion Rope from the Yucca Plant

The Yucca plant is a shrub that is commonly found in hot, arid climates such as the desert southwest, and it is very abundant.  Variants of the plant also exist in cooler areas as well.  Yuccas tend to have long, fibrous stem-like leaves that extend out from the center that can be used to make rope.  Let’s take a look at the easy steps that are needed to process the leaves.  This is an awesome survival skill and can give you access to a virtually limitless supply of rope that can be used for a million and one different purposes.

Selecting the Leaves

The first step is to choose quality leaves.  Look for ones that are green, firm and healthy.  Cut them with a pair of scissors, shears or your survival knife as close to the base in the center as possible.  Take about 3-5 leaves and place them on your workbench or table, and cut off their pointy ends.Screen Shot 2016-02-20 at 11.39.04 PM

Pounding the Leaves

You will need to remove the thick, outer skin of each leaf before accessing the fibers inside.  The best way to do this is by pounding the skin from end to end.  A tack hammer works best, but you can use any hammer or blunt object to break this outer shell.  You don’t want to pound the leaves until they start to fall apart.  Rather, pound just enough to soften the shell and make it easier to scrape away.

Take a butter or putty knife and begin to scrape the outer skin from the rest of the leaf.  You will notice a color change between the skin and the fibrous material inside, which is much lighter.  Keep scraping until the dark green portion of each leaf has been removed.  If the material is difficult to scrape, keep pounding with the hammer until it becomes easier to work with.Screen Shot 2016-02-20 at 11.39.04 PM

Making the Rope

You should be able to easily separate the fibers as you pull apart the leaf.  The fibers can be as thin or as thick as you like depending on how you will be using the rope.  You can twist fibers into a single strand of twine, or you can braid multiple fibers together in order to create a strong rope as well.

To twist the fibers, hold each end with your hands.  Fold the fiber in half, holding the bend in between your fingers as you make it as small and tight as possible.  Place the fiber flat on the table and hold the loop from the bend with your finger.  Take the strand that falls on top of the loop and start to wrap it around the other one.  The easiest way to do this is to roll the rope on the table with the bottom of your fingers and palm.  Keep twisting until both piece of fiber are completely joined and tie off in a knot at the bottom.

To braid the yucca into a rope, you will need four fibers of equal length and similar width.  Grab one end of all four fibers and loop them into a knot.  This will hold everything together while you start braiding.  Take two strands in each hand.  Pull the strand farthest to the right over the one next to it in your right hand.  Hold it in place with your right thumb.  Take the farthest left side strand, pull it beneath the one next to it in your left hand.  Pull it over the first string in your right hand and hold it with your thumb so the strand rests next to the one furthest to the right.  Keep repeating the process until the braid is completed and tie it off on the bottom.

Give the rope that you’ve just made a good tug, and you will get a sense of its strength.  Keep in mind that thicker fibers will produce thicker and stronger rope that can hold more weight and withstand more force.  It won’t take long to get a sense of the length and thickness of the fibers that are necessary for your particular needs.  However, it may take a bit of practice to get perfect twine or braids every time.

Try this out for yourself the next time you come across a yucca plant.  You will be amazed at how much rope you can get, and it can be strong enough to accommodate almost any need you may have while out in the field.

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