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Top heavy Dracaena

16 years ago

I have a Dracaena that stands about 6ft tall. The stalk of the plant is not thick enough to support the leaves at the top and will snap if I do not set it close to the wall. I am not sure what I should do in this situation. I have heard all types of suggestions for this, such as cutting back the leaves to just buying sticks to tie it to for support. Is there any "standard" or highly recommended corrective action for this. (I don't have a lot of experience with this plant, and harming it is the last thing I want to do.) Any help that you can offer would be much appreciated. Thanks

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Comments (4)

User
16 years ago
Hi. What type of dracaena is it? Could you possibly provide a photo? You can purchase bamboo stakes at most garden centers and hardware stores. Usually 4ft is the tallest they come. Gently, but firmly attach them to your dracaena cane with twist ties. Try one stakes first and see if it helps before you stick more in the soil.
mr_subjunctive
16 years ago
I would advise either staking it (tying it to a sturdy pole stuck in the soil) or cutting the top off the plant and letting it start over.

If you do cut the top off, new heads should sprout from the stem just below the cut, and there will probably be two or three of them. The part you remove can be rooted on its own to give you a new plant. Both parts (the re-sprouting and the re-rooting) take a certain amount of time.

There's also air-layering, which gets you to the same place as cutting the top off but is a little gentler, a little more complicated, and a little more likely to succeed, though it also takes longer.
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bolden78
Original Author
16 years ago
It's a Janet Craig. I just read that the stalk can be cut down to help keep it upright, and it will regrow. Has anyone else ever done this?
birdsnblooms
16 years ago
Bolden, I've never cut a Janet Craig back, nor had to stake..how much light is it getting? Though Jc's thrive in low light, medium light is best..an east window is sufficient..Direct west in summer may burn this Dracaena. (unless it's set back a few feet) Jc's trunk should thicken as the plant matures so it needn't be staked..Since yours stands 6', as long as foliage is healthy, deep green, staking will be necessary. Leaning a plant against a wall isn't good for foliage..You know?
What about its pot? Jc's grow fairly fast and need repotting every 2-4 years.
Cutting the trunk is another option, but by pruning, there's a chance it won't grow stright..instead it'll elbow.
The good news is, if you decide to cut down near the base, the remaining trunk can be divided into sections, (3 two footers or 2 three footers, set in soil, and rooted. They'll even root in water. Whatever you decide, perhaps your plant needs a bit more light than it's getting now, or a larger pot?? Toni

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