greattigerdane, from your description I visualise an older plant with a single cane reaching up some 8' or more with leaves attached on the upper half only. The plant is probably in a 14" container and likely to be pot-bound and its 'metabollic rate' is comparatively slow. I must say that I have never seen a single stalk that tall. Have a close look and if there are "sideshoots", you should be able to cut back them with no serious setback. I often see new and vibrant growth on older canes which have been cut back near the top. Two shoots, on opposite sides of the stalk been selected to continue its growth and fullness at the top. If not, my experience has been that it is not good for a plant to have its roots and top(s) pruned at the same time. I would try to stimulate growth by cautiously root pruning and/or manipulating the growing conditions like temperature, light or even fertilizer. I would then air-layer the plant in the area where the leafy top begins. This will favor (I wanted to say ensure) the 'continuity' of the mother plant and a side-benefit might be the development of dormant buds below the air layer. It will be a slow process. I have tried the above and after some four months there are roots in the air-layer and there is a 'swelling' of one or two buds near the soil line in one pot, on the canes which I had cut back to about 6". I expect things will speed up from here on. I set sections of the cut off canes but they rotted, mainly because I did not use a conducive medium. I expect that your neighbor wants to keep the original plant alive and rejuvenated. Many people do because they like the tree-trunk appearance near the base. I have to confess a measure of indifference to that but this may be due to a deficiency in my artistic appreciation.

Hi Summit. I had a similar problem this winter. I bought a Striped Dracaena at the grocery store. It was out no longer than 3 minutes. From door to a warm car. That night the temp was about 3F. By the time we got home, most leaves were frostbitten. They had a gray-brown color, and felt soft. I clipped them off, thankfully new growth is normal. IMO most if not all Dracaenas are cold sensitive, so temps before 32F will freeze a plant in minutes. How cold do you think the window gets? Did you ever check the temp there? Unless your window was opened, or leaks air, even on the coldest nights, a plant shouldn't frost indoors. (My front windows leak air, we place towels underneath all winter, sthere were times plants frosted) If seeping cold air isn't the problem then it's possible Dracaena roots iced over. Do you keep soil wet? They only need water when soil dries. Also, if an area gets cold at night, it's best watering in the morning, so a newly watered plant doesn't sit overnight in the cold. I lost a Sago Palm and Pachypodium/Madagascar Palm Cactus watering at night, because the area leaked cold air. If leaves are yellowing, there's a chance you're overwatering. Unfortunately, marred foliage will not turn green, nor, on a JC will new leaves grow. So, you have two options. Either let the JC grow as is, (palm-like) or cut in 3" sections, and root. What do you think you'll do? One more thing. This probably isn't the cause, but have you checked for plant bugs? Toni

allow base of stem to air dry... apply 0.1% IBA ( Rooting hormone)stick in well drained soil & provide support... mist foliage oftem.... put in a area with indirect light & avoid draft but do not cover with a plastic bag

Janet Craig has much longer wider, more bendy leaves, Drac Compacta has short stubby, stiffer leaves and more of them. Personally I've always found Compactas a bit more troublesome, but that might be just me. Comparative pics below: Janet Craig Compacta I've noticed them called 'Janet Craig Compactas' on the web - [this thread[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/janet-craig-compacta-dracaena-dsvw-vd~5277589?n=3) for example - but that's a new thing to me. As far as I know the official name is D. Fragrans Compacta. There are loads of plain green Dracs - it gets very confusing. There's a lovely but rather more expensive one called Drac Tatuada which looks like a mid-point between the two. Dunno if that's made it to the USA. Tatuada Still, with regards to Debra's original post you can treat them all the same, certainly with regards to pruning, and she has done a very good job!