Can you repot a dragon tree in the summer?

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

I have recently bought 2 dragon trees, and noticed that they are severely root bound. I normally repot plants in spring and try to avoid doing it this late in the year.

Is it alright to?

Thanks.

PS. Also, since I have brought them home (whether they were like this before I bought them I didn't notice) the leaves seem to be turning brown at the tips and a few of the leaves seem to be (the best way to describe it) losing the green pigment and going see through and bright red instead of green.

What could be wrong, besides needing repotting? The humidity and temperature are fine, as far as I can tell.

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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

8 years ago

The best time to repot dracaena is during the part of the growth cycle in which they exhibit the most robust growth, so between Fathers Day and July 4th. If you live in the southern half of the continental US, you have a larger window of opportunity, that being from Memorial Day - mid-July. Spring is actually NOT a good time because they have little in the way of energy reserves after a winter of repressed growth and won't tolerate the root work well.

There IS a big difference between repotting and potting up. One ensures the plant much greater opportunity to grow to it's genetic potential (repotting), while potting up ensures perpetual limitations unless undertaken before the root/soil mass reaches the point it can be lifted from the pot intact.

The two issues (other than root congestion) that most commonly causing problems for dracaena owners are too much water and not enough air in the root zone due to watering habits and an unsuitable soil, and a high level of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil solution. Fluoride content is accumulative in the plant and fluoride toxicity is common, but it's still a secondary issue to a high TDS count. The right soil and appropriate watering habits goes a long way toward correcting issues with spoiled foliage.

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Comments (9)

laticauda
8 years ago
It sounds like you are not waiting long enough between watering or it is being left in its drain water. (It does have drainage holes, right?)

P.s. TDS stands for total dissolved solids. It's mostly used when talking about how "hard" water is.
Paul Jenkins thanked laticauda
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That's a very nice looking tree, at least the part showing. When I open the pic in a new window, it's upright. Not your fault, this happens with some pics on here, nobody knows why. Would you be able to add a pic of the whole thing? It's hard to get a sense of its' health from this one shot, though I don't see anything wrong. If the new growth is lighter and not perky-looking, probably needs more light. Even the healthiest Drac tree must lose the oldest leaves at some point. It's part of the process of growing taller and creating a woody trunk, very similar to how a palm tree grows. There's no such thing as a really tall D. marginata with leaves all the way to the soil level, so finding a leaf going yellow periodically is not cause for alarm. From what you said, this is concerning, "a similar mix of Black Gold soil and sand." The pic shows what I would expect this to look like, kind of muddy and all tiny particles. The tiny particles fit so closely together that there's no air spaces between them. Roots need oxygen and moisture at the same time to function. A soil mix that's much more chunky, porous, airy, would be much better for your tree, or any plant in a pot. I think I see a drip saucer under the pot? Pot looks really heavy. I would probably not want to move it to water each time. If you don't either, a turkey baster can help remove excess water from the drip tray. Leaving it there can cause the roots to rot. At this point, I would let it dry thoroughly before adding more water. Are you able to put your finger in the drain hole if you tilt the pot? If so, as long as it feels moist in there, I'd not add more water.
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
8 years ago
In a horticultural discussion, TDS refers to the sum of solubles that contribute to hardness + soluble nutrients + anything else that might find its way into the soil solution and impact the osmotic process. It's also often paired with another measure that is directly related to ion density, EC, aka electrical conductivity (of the soil solution).

Al
Paul Jenkins thanked tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
8 years ago
The see-through leaves, is it whole leaves, or spots? Are you able to add a pic to the discussion?
Paul Jenkins
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
A few of the leaves are beginning to get weird white/yellow stripes on them, it kind of looks as though the leaves have been bent at that point and formed a crease, some of them are diagonal and some go straight down, but they all seem to start at the edge of the leaf and slowly extend outwards. And it only seems to be the tips of the leaves that are going see through and has also started getting brown tips and arbitrary dots on a few leaves now.

I will try and take a decent picture as soon as I can.

I have another question, how often do I need to water dragon trees? Thanks, it's just because I've read that they're susceptible to water logging and don't want to water them too much. It took me a while to get used to how much to water my peace lilies.

Thanks.
Paul Jenkins
Original Author
8 years ago
At first glance, it doesn't look bad...

But look a little closer...

This is my second one, and other than the leaves being a lot paler, there doesn't seem to be much wrong with it (yet).

The dot on the leaf has only appeared since I have brought it home.

Now, I don't know whether there is anything wrong with the, per se, but it just makes me a little worried as I obviously do not want them to die.
laticauda
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Well, peace lilies are very water hungry but dracaenas on the other hand prefer to dry a significant amount more than the lilies would ever tolerate. If you are keeping their watering habits similarly, you should take the root ball out of the pot and let it dry out a bit if it's waterlogged.

This is to avoid root rot which can take time to show up and may explain the reddening, clear tips.
Paul Jenkins thanked laticauda
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
8 years ago
LOVE your rocks! You have the plain species D. marginata & a 'Tricolor' cultivar. The brown tips are classic for plants that would benefit from repotting. The spot in the last pic looks like some sort of surface pathogen. If so, keeping leaves dry (not misting) can help prevent further incidents. An occasional gentle shower (outside in shade, or inside) can be appreciated though. I would remove that leaf.

I can't tell from the pics if the other blemishes are from some minor mechanical damages, or something pest-related. (Spider mites, thrips, or something that stopped by but is long gone.) Pests usually hide on the bottoms of leaves, if you want to inspect closely.

To avoid chemical-related toxicity issues with Dracaena plants, whenever possible give them rain water, distilled, or condensate from a dehumidifier or A/C. Take to sink to water thoroughly, then put back on drip tray, not letting water sit in drip tray, or giving just small sips of water.

Neither plant looks anywhere near dying, quite the opposite.
Paul Jenkins thanked Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
8 years ago
The keys to growing this plant well:

A) It wants to be in a soil you can water copiously, so you're flushing the soil when you water, w/o need for concern that the soil will remain soggy too long. The right soil eliminates most of the common issues, like a high level of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil solution, root rot, root function impairment, and fertility issues due to skewed nutrient ratios in the soil solution.

B) It wants all the light you can give it w/o over-heating foliage.

C) It is intolerant of high fertility and fluoride. A soil you can water correctly w/o issue allows you to maintain fertility at the lowest level possible w/o deficiencies (as long as you're using a fertilizer with an appropriate NPK ratio) and as Tiffany mentioned, watering with some sort of deionized water is very helpful. Rain water, snow melt, or condensate from dehumidifiers and air conditioners, and water from reverse osmosis water filtration systems all are great choices.

D) If you plan on maintaining a plant mated on it's original roots, regular systematic repotting will eliminate the limitations associated with root congestion and soil collapse.

Al
Paul Jenkins thanked tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

Can you repot a dragon tree in the summer?

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

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laticauda

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Can you repot a dragon tree in the summer?

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

Comments (9)

laticauda

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