My dracaena marginatas are dying.. HELP!! (Image heavy)

17 years ago

I have several dracaena marginata plants. Over the winter they have been steadily dying.. The leaves turn completely yellow, drop off, and the ones that don't brown steadily at the tips and develop yellow spots all over. I don't understand it. I mist regularly, my room is a constant 70 degrees, and I try not to overwater, though I may have in a misguided notion to try to save them.

Here are pictures.. I don't know what's happening, this didn't happen last winter!

Examples of the browning tips...

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The leaves on this plant are actually turning dark red and yellow at the same time.. Might be because it's next to the window.

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An image of the yellow leaves.. Only one here because I picked most of the others off already. {{gwi:78576}}

Yellow spots...

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And some new problem.

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Help.... :(

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Comments (10)

gabro14
17 years ago
What about sun? Are they in a sunny location? I find that my d. marginatas do very poorly in direct sun. The leaves turn yellow and die off. Right when I moved the one that was in direct sun, it started to thrive. That's just one thing to think about...not sure if that is the cause or not though. Good luck.
Gabi
monaleilani
Original Author
17 years ago
gabro14:
My dracaenas are in the same place they've always been. I have a sliding glass balcony door they sit in front of that gives them west light, plus there are two windows on the other wall that gives them north light. These windows are always uncovered because I have other plants. They get direct light at two times of day, other than that they get plenty of indirect light.
Also, before anyone mentions it.. I water using unfloridated water.
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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. :)
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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
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Don't bother misting it. You can't most enough to compensate for 16% humidity, and you might actually be increasing water loss in the same way our hands dry out badly in the winter if we do anything with water - evaporating water molecules On the surface adhere to water molecules in the tissues and draw them out. Im pretty sure it also happens in plants. I have only my tiny phone screen to view this, but am I seeing some leaves that are brown at the base, or brown in the middle rather than just at the ends? Are the leaves turning yellow before they turn brown? It doesn't look like it to me. I also don't see any wilting, and the dying leaves aren't mostly at the bottom. If I'm seeing it correctly, there are areas of dead/dry/brown tissue all over the plant, but there are no yellow leaves and the plant isn't wilting. To me, that makes a watering issue unlikely, too much water will turn leaves yellow and/or cause wilting. Too little water will cause wilting before leaves turn brown. I know of only two or three things that cause tissue to die right in the center of long leaves while leaving the bases and ends of the leaves green (temporarily, anyway): freezing or sunburn, sometimes heat can do it. Are you certain there isn't any direct sun on it? The sun is low this time of year so the sun's rays reach farther into windows than when it's higher. Direct southern sun is currently coming over 20 feet into my apartment. In the summer it's only about 2 feet. Are you home often enough to know for sure it hasn't gotten scorched? Are you sure it's out of the way of any heat source? Going completely dry twice in two weeks seems strange to me, but if you're humidity is only 16%, maybe that's not so odd (70% in my cool apartment in the gloomy Pacific NW). Don't let it go completely dry. I hear people refer to completely dry often, and I'm not sure they really mean completely dry. If it is completely dry, then root hairs and whole root systems will die and the plant won't be able take up water when it is watered, and then it will rot, if you poke a pencil all the way to the bottom of the pot, there should be some evidence of moisture when you bring it back up - even just a cool sensation when you touch the pencil to your upper lip, but preferably a wee bit more than that. If you really have been letting it go bone dry, as another poster stated, hydrophobic growing media will be a problem, and those spots might be killing sections of root. Soak the whole pot in a bucket of 70-90 degree water for about 15 minutes or until the pot sinks and it no longer bubbles, then resume watering Normally but don't let it dry out so much between waterings. You haven't fertilized it or anything, have you? Fertilizer burn will quickly cause brown tips in plants with no wilt or yellowing. Don't fertilize until it's actively growing in spring. Last question: it wasn't near heat in the nursery or store, was it? A couple months ago my local Walmart had the overhead heating system on full blast in the semi-outdoor garden center...and they had dozens of plants just a couple of feet from red-hot heating elements. I couldn't hold my hand above the plants for over a few seconds without becoming uncomfortable. Of course, all those plants formed large dead areas within a few days, but I'm certain many unwary people brought them home first and couldn't figure out why their plants were drying suddenly just days after purchase.
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Yes, mealy bug eggs, nymphs, and somewhere in those leaves the adults are hiding...I would spray also..The reason why your leaves are floppy is because you are not providing bright in-direct SUN light, like sun through sheers or greenhouse glass.....It will stay floppier than when you bought it but can still be very healthy... if your plant is in a well drawing mix, watering is right on, that means no letting it dry out since the leaves will turn yellow and fall off, no over watering since the top leaves and older ones will turn black at the tips, and the salts not from the tap and fertilizer not allowed to build up in your mix that will turn the leaves yellow on the tips by flushing your mix out once a month, it will be just fine) The stronger your plant is the less likely it will be attacked by any kind of pest looking for a weak and stressed host...
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tjsangel
17 years ago
Hi,

I think the culprit is overwatering. These dracaenas dislike extra water, especially in winter. Is that some type of moss you have in the pots? I'd take that out and you can see the soil. Once the top inch is dry you want to water. Also make sure there are no cold drafts coming from the window or door. Let water drain out into the saucers and dump the rest. Good luck!

Jen
monaleilani
Original Author
17 years ago
tjsangel:
I'm not really sure if it was overwatering. They seemed to be getting worse when I hadn't watered them for a while, then I thought, maybe they needed to be watered. So I watered them. And the worsening continued.
The moss is supposed to be there, it is supposed to help the humidity around the plants. I have always watered them in the way described...
In the last couple of hours I have been thinking maybe they are getting too much direct light.. The ones closest to the door are the ones that look the worst. That or it's the cold coming from the balcony door.. But there is a heating vent near there too, you'd think they'd cancel each other out.
Ugh!
gabro14
17 years ago
I still really think it's a direct sun issue. I had mine in an East facing window so it only got a little bit of morning sun, and it still got "sunburnt". And my new placement is also near a cold window (but under it so that it doesn't get direct sun, and there's a heating vent right next to it...so I don't think the cold is a problem if yours is near a heating vent). I understand you've been doing things the same way before and this never happened, but that doesn't mean you should rule certain issues out. It can't hurt to take it out of direct sun and see what happens. Just my advice.
greattigerdane
17 years ago
The moss is really a more decorative item more than a humidity provider. All that's really doing is keeping the soil from drying properly. Many indoor plants really don't need any extra indoor humidity to do well.
I would move the plant so it only gets dapple sun and bright indirect light only, take off the moss and only water when dry.
If you have hard-water, chlorine alone can cause brown tips, let the water sit a while to disperse it out. Fluoride will not disperse.
Over-feeding can cause brown tips (fertilizer burn)So can constant wet soil, or soil that's been dry too long.

Billy Rae
mariateresa
17 years ago
The yellow spots could be a fungus. There's a site that deals with problems in growing dracaenas. Have a look, maybe it will help you.

Here is a link that might be useful: dracaena production guide
monaleilani
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks to everyone who has posted.. I've moved my Dracaenas more toward the center of my room (and away from the sliding patio door). Now hopefully they won't get as much direct sun as they were before. It's just surprising to think that tropical plants like that don't like direct light.. Then again, dragon trees are from Madagascar so they'd probably be lucky to get any light in a thick jungle environment..
Thanks again!
Mona Leilani
plantfreak727
17 years ago
Hello fellow house plant freaks

Sorry to hear about your Dracaena declining. My Dracaena thrives on ignorance. What was once one of my favourite house plants is now a plant that tends to be pushed out of the way every now and then. it sits underneath a fluorescent light all day and gets watered when it is dry. It has spent most of its life sitting on the floor being pushed out of the way when i needed the room and is mostly an annoyance rather than a prized specimen for me. Despite what seems like a lack of care for it, it still continues to push out new growth from the top. when the leaves crack, i give it a haircut with scissors. i can't remeber the last time i fetilized it (i dont think i have yet months after buying it at Wal-Mart in a not so good condition for 3 bucks) Sometimes i think the best thing you can do for a plant that is declining is to just ignore it and let it do it's thing.

Here is a picture of it on my messy desk. It shares it's home with junk laying on my desk and some chemical containers laying around.

{{gwi:78579}}

- Pete, 19
marina_sebird7_com
13 years ago
It looks like my Dracaena is dying. It about 3' tall, no branches or shoots on the trunk (it's not a young plant). It still has last two leaves. they are green, one of them still unfolded. Please help me to rescue my Dracaena. Or may be I should use live tip of the plant for propagation? Thank you.

My dracaena marginatas are dying.. HELP!! (Image heavy)

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gabro14

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My dracaena marginatas are dying.. HELP!! (Image heavy)

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gabro14

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