Beginner with dying dracaena marginata
katsia
10 years ago
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Comments (24)
katsia
10 years agokatsia
10 years agoRelated Discussions
small dracaena marginatas dying?
Comments (1)It sounds like it may be more of a case of under-watering? Dracaena do not like to be sopping wet, but letting them dry out completely is not good either. The stems flopping over is also symptomatic of under-watering. I adopted a D. marginata "tricolour" that did the same thing. I would recommend picking up a moisture meter, mine has helped me out a lot. And here's another cool trick I've learned from this forum; D. marginata will have a dark spot on it's trunk when it's sufficiently watered. Sort of a natural moisture meter. :)...See MoreLittle dracaena marginata with browning lower leaves
Comments (12)I just noticed Planto left comments. Planto, sorry if I repeated anything you said. Blabberboca. Your Dracaena looks a lot taller on your link. Are roots growing out of drainage holes? If so, your marginata definately needs a larger container. Before, I forget. You said you watered straight from the tap. Is it possible to fill a container w/water and let it sit overnight before watering?? Is soil crumbly after you water?? How often do you water, and do you water thoroughly so rootball is saturated? Sips don't do the job. Ah, you have a garden window..Lucky you! :) Yes, I'm certain a south, 'semi-enclosed area' gets hot in summer. Is it possible to move your marginata in the background, or another room? During winter, your garden window would be a great place to for your marginata and other plants. Don't fear repotting. :) Select a larger container, (5-6")add a little soil on the bottom of new pot. Remove plant carefully from old pot, center in new pot, then add fresh soil around the rootball and top.. Once you repot, you'll soon be an expert...lol....See MoreDracaena Marginata Dying
Comments (6)In most cases, stem and root rot in D marginata plants comes as a result of a bacterial infection (Erwinia carotovora), which doesn't respond to chemical treatments. Warm and wet conditions promote the growth of this organism, so over-watering and heavy soils should always be avoided. The disease I mentioned, and other soft rot diseases are usually first noticed on the basal (bottom) portion of the plant, most often at or just above the soil line or in roots. The affected part of the lower stem gets wet looking and dark, before it turns dark brown dark brown and turns spongy. The periderm (bark) usually separates from the cambium, which is the 'puffy' symptom you described. It also usually has the same odor as wetwood or slime flux in trees - a sour smell. If all the stems have a common root system, it's unlikely the plant will maintain viability over the long term. If they are separate plants, started as individual cuttings, I would remove the infected plant and the associated roots, and repot the remaining cuttings in an appropriate soil - one that is durable, well-aerated, and free-draining. In advance, I'll say it's a poor time to be repotting, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Your call. Fertilizer sticks provide nutrients in a form that is slowly soluble. As soon as the nutrients dissolve in the soil solution, they disperse throughout the container, so it's not true that they only fertilize in the immediate area of the sticks. Think of a sugar cube or teaspoon of salt dropped in a cup of cold water. As soon as the sugar or salt goes into solution, it evenly disperses throughout the water and reaches an equilibrium (isotonicity). The same thing happens with the sticks and the soil solution (water in the soil). For a number of reasons, though, I don't like fertilizer sticks and would avoid using them if I could, though they are better than nothing if used appropriately. Did I understand correctly - that you potted up, then returned the plant to the smaller pot it was originally in? Commonly, I suggest that you leach the container to try to ensure the level of soluble salts is as low as it can be, while still maintaining an adequate charge of nutrients in the soil, but how you decide to proceed with regard to what you do about the dying plant and repotting would probably have an impact on what steps are most appropriate ..... Al...See MoreDracaena Marginata Help
Comments (4)Your trees look normal. The older leaves are supposed to point down. That looks like a nice spot for it next to the window. The top leaves are starting to lean toward the window. Rotating it halfway around every a couple weeks should keep it even. Does this pot have a hole in the bottom? 6-8 cups of water should be enough for some to run out of the hole. If it has one, maybe something is blocking it....See Moreidowumichael
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