bwallace2, they could be centipedes, millipedes or sow bugs. Of more interest is how they got there. If it is a "new" plant, the bugs could have come in as hitch-hikers. If the plant has been in its location for some time, then the bugs may have migrated from another part of the house. Hopefully, you have flushed them all out because it is not advisable to water the plant just yet.

Morning, A1. Thanks. In the late 90's/early 2000's I joined Freecycle, (forgot the name which is the reason I asked you,) but unsubscribed after getting as many as 25 emails per day. lol. I haven't grown Spikes for a while, but tags read Cordyline, Dracaena sp. I can't recall green spike name, but purple was called Red Star. In zones 8 and up, Spikes are grown as perennials, but in zones 7 and under they're grown as annuals or house plants. 'during winter.' Here's an old photo of my green and red/purple Spikes. One site coins purple spike as Cordyline baurei, 'Red Star.' Description...A Dracaena (Cordyline baurei).... I do not recall C. (baurei) on Spike tags. Dave's Garden calls purple spike, C. australis, and Dracaena Spike 'Purple Tower.' PT doesn't sound familiar either. lol. Another site...about.com Cordyline are common decorative plants that appear under a few names in garden centers. In fact, the whole thing can get rather confusing. The most popular indoor cordyline is the C. terminalis, which is often sold as C. fruticosa or Dracaena terminalis. Likewise, these plants are often referred to as "Ti plants" or "Hawaiian Ti trees." However, Dracaena fragrans, with its bright green leaves, are also sold as Ti plants, and in fact, cordyline and dracaena are both members of the agave family. The best way to tell the difference is look at the roots: cordyline roots are white, and dracaena roots are yellow or orange. There are 15 species of cordyline, but only a few are commonly seen in cultivation: â¢C. australis. Resembles yucca plant, with narrow, long and grayish to dark leaves. â¢C. terminalis. A gaudy, show plant with nearly infinite varieties. Leaves are wide (3") and thin and come in green, red, black, yellow, orange and mixed colors. Varieties include C. terminalis 'tricolor', C. terminalis 'Rededge', C. terminalis 'Firebrand' and C. terminalis 'Ti' C. terminalis sounds right. Toni Tips for growing cordyline plants indoors, including watering and humidity ... and an easy explanation to sort of cordyline and the (closely related dracaena)

It could be a case of 'just because they can, doesn't mean they should' when it comes to water. (Survive on sparing amounts, that is.) Once a fortnight is probably fine over winter but round about September you could shift to once a week. Or a thorough soaking and then let the root ball dry out before the next soak. Anywhere in Oz right now (unless you live in a flat in town) you could put your Dracaena out for the summer so long as you keep it out of mid day and fierce afternoon sun. And give it enough water to cope with the heat. That splitting may have occurred from water becoming available after a dry spell. I've seen it happen in cacti - and lived with the embarrassment until the new leaves came in :-( . When you shift from the winter watering system to the summer one you could try using maybe half a cup a week until the root system has returned to growth. Might also have been sun scald if the trunk got hit by even winter sun through glass. Bright light but protect from raw sun.

Lact., yes the link worked, TY. I don't have any advice about devices besides computers, but I just paste the URL into the body of the message, which seems to work well, and shows the link as a URL. The uploading of pics has gotten more awkward though, showing up in other spots besides where the cursor is. Then, even though there's a magnifying glass option, the pic rarely shows a larger version if that is clicked, and sometimes it's smaller. Interesting article but at one point, it should say hearty (stalwart,) not hardy (can live through freezing temps.) The link to supposed cultivar 'Gold Dust' just links to the plain species entry at USDA (with a pic of what looks like 'Florida Beauty' cultivar.) 'Gold Dust' may be a cultivar name, but no evidence of that yet is in this discussion so far. A common name is a nickname, used by whim of the grower or owner. A cultivar name is patented. Of the Dracs I have, 'Florida Beauty' is the 2nd-slowest grower. 'Janet Craig Compacta' is the slowest.