Generally this plant does not need much light. It can take the light, but if you have a room that is too dark for other plants, it will take it. Sometimes I feel like I could put mine in a closet and it'd still grow (wouldn't advise that though!). Maybe that's what the previous owner did? lol. To grow branches, you're in a good spot now. A good spot, in that the plant looks pretty ugly right now, so chopping a bit off the top won't hurt its look too much :P Basically, if you cut it back some, it will grow new branches. Dracenas are not known for branching much, except when cut back. And they look better cut back and branched. If/when you do cut it back, extra care during that time (water it when the soil is dry-ish, give it good ambient light at the least) it'll bounce back with some new growth in a few weeks. Depending on your climate, anywhere from a few months to a couple years before it'll look great though. But rest assured, it is very hard to kill this plant. For it to be dying, someone either lived in a basement appartment with few windows and black walls, had it in the garage or attic, or is a moderately skilled plant assassin.

think of it this way .... as you drive around.. trees grow EVERYWHERE ... with little of no help from us .... if we move them.. and disturb the roots ... we need to water them.. throughout the root zone ... that is probably not 16oz of water ... EVERYTHING ELSE you can dream up.. is CONTRARY to nature.. and once you move away from the simplicity of nature.. you are asking for trouble... i like to call it.. KILLING THEM WITH TOO MUCH LOVE ... water is a necessity .. everything else you added was love. ... as noted clay isnt that bad .. the only real problem with clay is drainage ... you can easily drown a plant if you dont deal with it all .. now all that said.. that is all about trees... conifers.. and shrubs ... they are all the same.. in regard to planting and aftercare ... when you move to what might be called HIGH PERFORMANCE plants .... plants that blow their whole wad in one year [annuals] ... or perform by putting out brilliant flowers ... they need a lot more... and MAYBE your amendment scheme is helpful .... though i would bet you can do it all for free.. simply by amending your soil with free compost from the compost/waste company/city .... just add a few inches of compost.. fork it a bit to break the clay .. and do that every year.. and soon enough. you will be beating your HIGH PERFORMANCE plants back with a stick ... you have to learn the difference between the types of plants ... and act accordingly ... not everything gets the same attention ... next time.. if you come across a project that involves plating numerous of the same plant... try different methods ... you should have planted a couple.. in plan ole clay.. with only proper water ... TRUST ME ... we have all been there.. done that ... i used to spend piles of money on all the foo foo amendments ... and then we had kids.. and now i dont have money.. and just water .. and frankly .. they all grow to spec's ... but on my sand.. i dont mess around with all the plants that require too many amendments.. i just dont have the time nor the money.. nor the will to do all that stuff ... plant it ... water it.. if it lives.. super.. and if it cant take my abuse... and dies.. so be it ... it is said .. you arent a real gardener.. until you have killed all your plants three times .... lol ... good luck .. i appreciate your will to learn ... ken

I still think it would be happier in a warmer climate, but it did do better this year over previous years. Concidently it was a MUCH hotter year than normal. Can't say that was the reason why, but something to watch over the coming years. It added almost 1" in caliper this year (almost 3/4" last year). I put my observations and photos on the net, so that others can find information that is coming from someone trying to sell you something. Plus, because when I was looking for info on several of our trees, there wasn't much beyond the standard spiel, and even that often contradicted. According to the website of the patenter, this maple is not being propagated by Greenleaf, therefore availability should improve over the next couple of years. Just same, if you REALLY want one now, check out the link below. They appear to get them on an as ordered basis. They are located near on of Greenleaf's main production facilities, so I suspect they acquire them from there as needed. Arktrees Here is a link that might be useful: Fire Dragon

Well you can kill it by ringbarking it: Take a axe or tommahawk and cut all around the trunk and take out, say, and inch of bark down to the hardwood. That'll prevent the transfer of neutrients up and down the tree and it'll die. If you leave the dead tree in the termites (white ants) are more than likely to infest it and most other timber near by. For that reason alone, I'd dug it out. The succers you'll still have to take care of as they come up.