Help save my Dracaena Corn plant!

13 years ago

I am hoping someone will have the time to help me with my Dracaena plant. This is my favorite plant I've ever had!

I got it just under five ago, it was knee high. Now it stands over 6 feet tall.

I live in Colorado, I have the plant placed on the side of a south-facing bay window. My pot doesn't have water drainage in the bottom, so I placed about four inches of rocks at the bottom of the container. I used to water it once a month and it did well for years. Just over six months ago I left the state for a family emergency and my husband didn't take care of the plant and I came home to a mostly brown dying plant. I had to remove so many leaves and was very disappointed. But thankfully it turned around and was looking nice again for a few months.

About a month ago I noticed the leaves turning yellow in spots, then turning brown and dying in those spots. I realized that I had probably been watering it a couple times a month which is more than normal for me. When I dig my hand into the soil it still feels damp about four inches down. So I haven't watered it in weeks but the plant is still looking worse and worse every day.

I also must mention that last week my plant has grown a blossom! It has never done this before.

So far what was suggested to me:

I was told it has possible sun burn but the side of the plant NOT near the window has leave damage, while you'll notice in the images that the plant with the blossom doesn't have any damage - and is the closest plant stalk to the window.

I was told that I have been watering it too much for winter and that is why I haven't watered it in over two weeks now, but it is still turning yellow and leaves are dying.

I was told that I should only use spring water to water it. I can try this but I don't understand why now it is an issue after five years of using tap water (though I should add that my house has a water Refinement kit, which I think I add potassium tabs to - not salt tabs). This kit is not new.

Which brings me onto another topic. When I make eggs at home I put the shells (only) into a container with water and that is what I use most of the time to water the plant. But again, I have been using this egg-shell water for about five years. Sometimes I use plain water with no egg shells.

I have tried to dig my hand as far down into the pot as possible to see if the roots feel rotten, but when I do this the roots are in the way and I have torn a couple so I do not want to harm the plant more.

This is my favorite plant I have ever had. I don't want to lose it and it really upsets me the condition I have let it get to. Please help me if you have time.

If you need more images or have any further questions please ask!

Featured Answer

birdsnblooms

13 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Jess. your poor Dracaena! It's been through a lot.

Tap water is fine. You don't need Spring or any other bottled water. Also, it's not sunburn.
One thing you should have been doing the last 5-years is rotating your Dracaena 1/4 turn once a week.

I think your Corn Plant has/d a 'Dehydration' problem.
How long did it go without being watered? You didn't mention time spent away from home.

You also stated the pot doesn't have drainage. Do you know the container size? Was it watered before you left?

Let's say soil dried completely and was w/o water for a good amount of time.
Then you returned and gave it heavy drink..Possibly too much??
Even though there are rocks on the bottom of pot, if you added too much water, the roots could have been sitting in water all this time.

Do you check soil between waterings? Not only the top, but halfway or further down?
Your container looks large, 'by the picture.' If the top soil dries, it doesnt' mean the bottom soil is dry too.
It needs to be checked..A thin stake is sufficient. Insert the stake as deep as possible. If the stake comes out wet, the bottom soil is still wet. And visa versa.

Lifting a pot is another way to check. Lift after watering. Wait a week, two, etc, and relift. If the pot is light, most likely the soil is either drying out or dry. Only you can determine its weight and use judgement whether or not it needs a drink.

Why did you start watering twice a month instead of once?
It's possible its roots aren't absorbing water, 'if it's beens sitting in muddy soil.'
Short periods of drought won't cause much harm, but heavy periods can cause permanent damage, preventing the plant from breathing.

This happens frequently. Soil dries too much, then the plant ends up over-watered. Especially if the pot is w/o drainage.

If your plant was in a pot with drainage, the first thing that should have been done is, soaking in a bucket of water, until top of soil is moist. Soaking can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes. Possibly more depending on pot size and amount of soil.

What type of soil was used when you last repotted? Have you repotted in the last 5-years? Do you fertilize?

It's going to require some work, but you love your plant so it's well worth it.

Unpot the plant. Toss out old soil. Add fresh, semi-well-draining soil.
Although your pot is very pretty, instead of potting directly in the container, pot in a plastic pot w/drainage.
Pot size should be determined by the root-ball. 1-3 sizes larger is fine. After your plant is potted, it can be placed in your pretty blue pot. BUT, it's important you place something inside the pot so when you water, roots don't sit in water.
I use styrofoam sheets. Break a piece or two to fit inside ccontainer, 'depending on thickness,' in the blue pot, then set the plastic pot on top of the styrofoam.

Water well...enough all parts of the rootball are moistened.
Remove dead leaves, or trim brown edges of leaves.

Is the air in your house dry? If so, start misting. Or, if your plant isn't too heavy, give it a shower. Rain water is the best medicine, but if it's cold or not raining, that's out. lol. Instead, spray each leaf.
After your Dracanea settles in, renews growth, give it a half-dossage of an All Purpose Fertilizer.

In the future, rotate, once a week, so the entire plant gets balanced light.

an unobstructed, south window is usually harsh for Dracaneas, in summer, when sun is blazing, but since your Corn Plant has been in that window the last 5 yrs, it probably adapted. Sunburn would be obvious.

I wish you luck..It's going to take some work, but you love your plant, so get to it.
BTW, check its roots. Corn Plants are pretty forgiving. Toni

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Comments (8)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi, Jesse - Your primary issues can easily be distilled. Your plant is almost certainly suffering two problems that won't reverse themselves w/o you taking action. One is over-watering, the other is a high concentration of salts in the soil - both primarily attributable to the fact that the pot doesn't have a drain hole. To correct these issues, you need to have the plant in a pot that does have a drain hole, or make a drain hole in the one you have.

If you would like me to, I'd be happy to walk you through how you can best deal with your issue temporarily. Ultimately, for best health/growth over the long term, I would suggest you do a full repot this summer into a soil that is durable and drains freely. I can guide you through that, too - and explain the benefits of fully repotting your plant(s) instead of just potting up if you'd like.

Al
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Well, what do you mean by not much light... maybe not full sun, but it will need some light. When you water, is the soil totally dry? The water may be running down the dry soil on the outside of the soil between the pot and soil OR there is no drainage and that's too much water and it's rotting. Those are my two guesses.
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letmebefree
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Good morning my Dracaena plant was outside for the summer > i planted it in the ground with the pot >> in the fall i brought it into the house and for some reason it's been a slow death >> it now has lost all of the leaves and just the stock is left ,it's about 4 feet tall >> I bought some hormone powder any ideas what i should do to keep this plant alive >> I love the way it looks >..thx
lmontestella
8 years ago
Sorry to tell you, but this conversation is from Feb 2011. I don't grow this or I'd try to help you.

Perhaps posting a new, separate thread w/ a picture, asking for help might yield quicker answers.

I can tell you that using rooting hormone on an ailing or dying plant will not help it recover, sorry.

All I can suggest in the meantime, is scratch the trunk w/ your nail, if you see any green, it MAY still be alive & salvageable.

Lena
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
8 years ago
What sort of soil was it planted in when you put the pot in the ground? Were the roots you severed that were running outside of the pot into the ground substantial?

Don't use the hormone powder, whatever it is. Don't fertilize for now. It will be very easy to over-water at this point, so monitor water needs very carefully. Can you post a picture of the plant? Have you fertilized it? if not, don't. Have you been watering the plant when you can still detect moisture in the soil? Was the plant in full sun while it was in the ground?

Al
letmebefree
8 years ago
Thanks everyone for the help > i did check the stem with my finger nail it seems moist and white > i have watered it with a miracle grow mixture > this weekend I'm going to pull it out of the pot and have a look at the roots > do the roots have to be in soil ? // by the way the pot sits in a larger one \\
Donna C
7 years ago
I am curious how the woman's plant turned out...Been 6 yrs since this was written so long enough for it to have turned a corner to the better or worse. I have the same exact problem with my plant and finding legit help on the internet is impossible since everyone thinks they have the "correct" cure, and tell you at the same time that everyone else's solution is not the right solution. SMH .
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
While I agree for the most part that almost everyone thinks they have the "correct" cure, I think it's an overstatement to suggest good help on the internet is "impossible" to find. If someone truly thinks it's impossible, it might be because that person's level of knowledge is incomplete to the degree the part that actually IS impossible is the person's ability to tell the difference between good and bad advice.

Too, there is nothing wrong with telling someone their suggestions are sub-par if you can explain clearly why you hold that view, or saying your suggested method is superior to another if you can explain WHY it's better.

The
destroyer of weeds, thistles and thorns is a benefactor, whether he
soweth grain or not. ~Robert Ingersoll

If someone can't fully explain why their suggestions are appropriate in a way that makes sense to others, (s)he shouldn't expect others to believe what (s)he's saying. If you pay attention to how a person qualifies what (s)he's saying so the advice given is contextually appropriate and factual, whether in the presentation or defense of information disseminated, you won't go far wrong.

Al

Help save my Dracaena Corn plant!

birdsnblooms

Comments (8)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

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