Yes, this can happen after repotting. I am not entirely sure what, exactly, occurs but I suspect it is caused by the roots not being able to take up water. For me this effect occurs most often when I get anxious and repot in the winter when the plants aren't growing much. My guess is that the act of transplanting tears off the fine roots (you may not even notice them) and leaves the thicker roots intact. It is the fine roots that do most of the water/nutrient gathering. When transplanting during a period of growth these roots easily and quickly regenerate, but when transplanting during a 'snooze' I suspect they do not quickly regenerate and the plant dehydrates. This will cause leaf drop and in severe cases the stems can go soft and the plant fall over. All the above is my guess, I really do not know if it is correct, it's just based upon my observation of what Dracaena and some others often do when winter transplanted.

It looks like you overwatered the plant, which could be the reason why the leaves are yellowed and shriveled in places. The use of the hairdryer (never a great idea) could have very easily burned the leaves and caused them to turn yellow. In your photos, I see some leaves are yellow at the base; these leaves are done for, I would cut them off and be done with it. They won't recover... If there are any leaves which are bright green and healthy, those will do just fine. Using a finger to test the soil is a very good way to measure the dryness/wetness level of the plant. You mentioned trying this and that the soil was only slightly damp. Another test is to pick up the whole pot. If it's extremely heavy you may have overwatered. (Conversely, if it's very light it will need some water ASAP!) Always be sure your plant can drain off excess water and that it never sits in water for a prolonged period of time. Checking the roots will help you assess the damage level of the root system. If it's stinky or mushy, it's rotting. cut away any roots that are brown and mushy. Roots that are yellow or white are healthy. I would suggest letting the plant dry out before watering again. Also I might add that the heater nearby could be drying out the plant prematurely, causing it to need more water more often. Be sure the window it is near is not too cold; this can cause yellowing of leaves too. Good luck!

Toni - Thanks for the reply. Pictures are linked below. I should clarify that it was, in fact, my wife who has overwatered. She's been suitably chastised and will not be watering any longer, trust me ;) The rot has, to date, only been visible in the roots (though it was extensive). The trunks are not soft on any of these yet. The two in the first 5 pictures are approximately 6.5-7' tall. The other 3 pictures show the three that share a pot and are about 3.5' tall. Unfortunately none of these dracaena have shoots/branches I could use to propagate - all are straight up, as you'll see. So I can't take any stems without either air layering or just chopping pieces of stalk off, which is what I'd been hesitant to do. They've all lost more leaves than is evident here, probably in the range of a dozen or more on each of the large plants and closer to 8-10 on the smaller ones. I suppose the question is, would cuttings like I'd have to do even be strong enough to root, given the weakened state of the plants. Hard to know for sure, of course. I should also mention that I do know it's best to pot in a container inside a ceramic pot and not directly into the ceramic pot. As a matter of personal taste I'd always gone with direct potting into the pots like you see, including large gravel in the bottom and potting soil mixed with perlite. My experience had always been good up until now (isn't that always the way this stuff happens?). Of course, had I potted within the pot this post wouldn't even exist, likely. But for now I need to do what I can to save them. Also, as I mentioned in the previous post I had been meaning to repot these, especially the smaller plants (isn't that ALSO always the way?) which were quite intertwined below the surface. If they survive separation is in order, as well as a good chop to reduce gangly-ness (true for the big ones as well). Thanks in advance! -M Here is a link that might be useful: Dracaena with root rot

We cut down, drastically, yesterday, about 20 of these that were over 12 ft tall. They were in an area where I had planted the 2 ft pieces a couple of years ago, to propagate later. Now, in my 'vivero, there are 50 future plants....