Dracaena Marginata dropping leaves!
-
Posts
-
Hey everyone, please give me some advice on how to help my Dracaena plant!
Plant info:
– Purchased it online about a year ago and it came with in its own pot. I have no idea what kind of soil.
– It’s being kept in my living room which has a north facing window.
– Watering schedule: once a week.Problem:
– Few weeks ago, I’ve noticed that more leaves are dropping than usual and there has been some significant browning. I thought maybe it was due to the heatwave so I shortened our watering schedule.
– This goes on for a week or so, browning was still apparent and leaves are still dropping (about 2-4 leaves daily!).
– We thought maybe it doesn’t have enough nutrition so we gave it some fertiliser (and some water to activate it)
– Ever since then, MORE leaves have dropped and the stem at the top appears to be wrinkly! 😭
– I have also brought it outside so it gets better light.Please let me know if I have overwatered the plant and what i can do to fix it! It’s a gorgeous plant and i don’t want to lose it.
I have attached some photos
for reference. The ones taken indoors are older photos.Sadly, I’d say it’s rotting (so fertilizer won’t do anything, the plant is too weak to even absorb that) and I’m suspecting it’s due to overwatering. By the photos you attached, it seems you couldn’t anymore save the tall stem; the rotting has gone far. I’m sorry to say that you might have to cut all the rotten stem and leave only the part that’s still intact and solid. The new smaller stem seems doing well so there should be hope to keep it alive.
Is there a saucer underneath the pot to catch extra water? After every watering, be sure to empty it. You can put clay balls so that no extra water sits in the saucer even after emptying it. It’s crucial to only water when the soil is dry. Stick a finger in the soil to check it’s the case before watering. Dracaenas are drought resistant; it’s better to leave it dry for a few days than the other way around. Also, what’s amazing with this plant is they easily sprout back after a pruning so if watering is well controlled, you should have it healthy again in no time.
Thumbs up for letting it get more light!
Hey Kell, thank you for the advice!
Yes, we do have a saucer to catch extra water. We usually leave it because the pot is reallyyyy heavy, will get some clay balls soon!
Also, do you have any tips on identifying rotten stem in Dracaena? Is it the squishy parts? I’m worried I might cut it too high or low and hurt the plant 🥲
Hi !
I think kell is right,it does seem to have symptoms of overwatering.
To cut the stem at the right spot, supposing you want it to stay as tall as possible, use your fingers to go from top to bottom, to feel how firm it is. If it’s squishy or soft, try again 4 inches/10 cm lower. Once you’ve found the firm part, make a mark 4 inches below that: that’s where you would cut.
Before cutting, though, I’d suggest giving the stem another chance: stop watering for at least 10 days, and then when you do water, do as kell said: make sure the bottom of the pot doesn’t sit in water. Water must drain out freely. The clay pebbles help prop the pot up above the level where water collects. And they increase air moisture which is good for this and most other plants.
Monitor how the stem feels to see if the mushiness is spreading. Within 3 weeks you should have a clear idea of this by comparing with the mark you made as described earlier.
Feel free to add more updates to this thread!
Here is an article on how to behead a dracaena, if it comes to that:
https://www.nature-and-garden.com/gardening/beheading-dracaena-marginata.html
Nature & Garden moderator.
Message me if you have any questions, I’ll be glad to help out!
“Winter reveals the strength inside… of those who dare go out!”
As an afterthought, do you think perhaps it got a cold shock from what I suppose is an aircon when the heat wave hit? If it got blasted with air that’s 20° colder all at once it might trigger similar symptoms.
Nature & Garden moderator.
Message me if you have any questions, I’ll be glad to help out!
“Winter reveals the strength inside… of those who dare go out!”
Everything’s well explained by @Nate so I leave it at that. I do hope your plant recovers @sysyku .
Thank you for the advice!
Yes, I think I will leave the plant out longer and give it a chance to recover before beheading it. The newer stem growth seems to be plump and non-wrinkly though (will include a pic), I hope it’s a sign of recovery. I did loosen up the top layer of soil to help aerate it, I’ve read that it helps with overwatering. As for the aircon, we live in a tropical climate so we do switch it on daily but have been keeping it on for longer hours recently – perhaps this may have played a role.
Yes it’s definitely looking better now. No more blackish spots which is a very good sign. But I do hope the stem recovers. I’d give it a 50/50 chance based on your photo. Worth the shot!
Nature & Garden moderator.
Message me if you have any questions, I’ll be glad to help out!
“Winter reveals the strength inside… of those who dare go out!”
Hey Nate, I woke up this morning to its head completely bent over 😓 it’s flopped over at the spot where the stem is squishy. Do you think I should leave it be or shall I behead it? The smaller stem seems ok so far because there’s less leaves – but I think it might flop over soon.
Okaaaay so that happened…. Time to go for plan B… as in “Beheading”:
- feel down the stem from top to bottom, locate the highest point where the stem is still firm, behead the plant about 4-6 inches below that (10-15 cm).
- If you want, you can cut yet another piece of stalk, perhaps 12 inches long (30cm) and stick that in a fresh pot with soil mix. That’ll make for a new cutting. Careful which side goes up.
- Normally, even if there aren’t any leaves anymore, the stem and plants should still have reserves and should be able to sprout new buds. Well, unless the whole stem is rotting inside. It’ll look like this:
It’s important to reach a point where the whole stem is firm. Sometimes the center will be squishy but the perimeter is harder. You might have to cut it back several times. Hopefully not too many. Try making cuttings with each piece of stalk, some of them might work.
While you’re at it, I’d even try to salvage the head itself: snip all the leaves shorter back to about 2-3 inches, shorten the stem again to just maybe half an inch (2 cm) below where the first leaves jut out, and stick that in moist but not wet soil mix. It may sprout new roots directly and keep growing slowly. To keep it from tipping over, try sticking three toothpicks around the bottom, like when you try to grow an avocado seed (see here for example). It’ll keep the head upright until roots form.
In the end, I think what might have happened is a combination of overwatering + pot sitting in extra water, and perhaps a cold if it was directly in front of the aircon. It can cope with colder air but not cold wind, so if your aircon is set to 60°F / 16°C and the plant is getting the full blast of it, that’s not good.
You really want to make sure excess water drains away to where roots don’t sit in it anymore, that’s what causes the rot/squishiness to begin.
Hopefully some portion of the tree survives! I find it more fun to try and save plants than to junk them out without a chance, but it’s also normal to get tired of it and just start over… so see how you feel about it and let us know how it goes!
Nature & Garden moderator.
Message me if you have any questions, I’ll be glad to help out!
“Winter reveals the strength inside… of those who dare go out!”
Beheading done! I’ll do whatever it takes to save this tree haha. The center is feels pretty solid but slightly damp, I hope that’s normal? I have also stuck the stalk and head in some soil, fingers crossed!
Thanks for the guidance so far, Nate – you have been very helpful! 💗
🫰🤞
Fingers crossed indeed! Keep us posted, i’m hoping it works out! I think we should get an inkling of the outcome in 2-3 weeks’ time.
You’re very welcome
Nature & Garden moderator.
Message me if you have any questions, I’ll be glad to help out!
“Winter reveals the strength inside… of those who dare go out!”
It’s possible that overwatering is contributing to the issues. Ensure proper drainage and let the soil dry out between waterings. Trim dead leaves, provide adequate light, and monitor for improvements.
for reference. The ones taken indoors are older photos.
- You must log in to post and answer topics. Sign up / Sign in
 |
Log in or Join |