yellowing and root bound dracaena marginata

8 years ago

I got this dracaena marginata from home depot about a month ago and recently I found 3 or 4 yellow leaves on the very bottom of the plant. I removed them and they have been fine for two days. I pulled out the plant and noticed the roots seem really condensed.

1. What should I do with the plant at this point? Repot?

2. I water by spraying the top of the soil once a week when the soil is very dry. Should I change the watering routine?

3. Does it like humidity? I live in Southern California and I put it next to my humidifier.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

MrBlubs
8 years ago
Yes, he also needs a much needed repot. No plant likes to be root bound.

Ditch the spraying method for all your plants. Giving them a good thorough drink is always the best and ensure all parts of the root mass get hydrated.

Also instead if watering your plants in a schedule, water based on the soil conditions. As each plant likes it's soil a certain way. Soil dryness/wetness can vary between a whole bunch of factors.

Soil will stay damper on days where it's been overcast and rainy outside and will quickly dry out on a full week of hot weather. So some weeks you might be overwatering, others underwatering and so on.

So, with certain plants they like to be watered when the soil is dry down to an inch, others 2 inches and some the soil must stay moist. I've never owned Dracaena marginata, so I'm unsure on its needs, but it shoukd be kept on the drier side.
Gracie thanked MrBlubs
bunnygurl
8 years ago
I agree with Mr.Blubs on all above.

My two cents here as I have two marginatas, one regular (8ish years old) and one tri-color (6ish years old) both in 8in pots (but moving to 10in very soon). Both grow like no ones business. I do believe they like to be on the drier side. I watch the leaves on mine. When they go from nice and perky and plush to hanging just a little bit limper I water thoroughly until water is significantly coming out the drainage holes. If the leaves get to the point where they are so limp it looks like they're hugging the stem it's gotten too dry. It's happened to me a few times and it hasn't ever killed them but I'm sure it's a bit stressful. My mix drains quit well and I don't water very often at all, usually only every couple of weeks.

Lower leaves yellow and fall off naturally but I've noticed that more are lost if it's allowed to dry out too much or too often.
Gracie thanked bunnygurl
Related Discussions
Dracaena Marginata
Q
Comments (28)
Hello Rekless. Hey, congrats on your new oranges. Rekless, there are several different varieties. Some have small fruit, some medium, others large. Taste differs, too..sour or sweet. Once oranges are deep in color, feel ripe, they're ready to eat. However, beware..some sour oranges are much to bitter--your lips will pucker, lol. For instance, Calamondin has golf ball size fruit. These fruit are often used to make jelly/jam/marmalades. Mandarin orange is medium size. Some people consider the fruit sweet, others say they're bitter. Navel oranges are large. Most navels I've eaten are sweet or sweet if completely ripe. And very tasty. Do you have a pic of your orange tree? I'm glad you have access to a yard. Setting plants outdoors in summer is their vacation. Lots of sun, fresh air, humidity, etc. I love citrus scent..flowers and fruit. Some leaves emit fragrace, especially lemons. If you have any questions, or need help, ask away.. Hello Gravy...Toni
...See More
Beginner with dying dracaena marginata
Q
Comments (24)
Thanks purpleinopp for providing your link "here" to Garden Web Houseplants section on soils et al.... Lots of things I could use to think about what I'm doing and improve upon it. I always thought the soil that came with the plants was the "right" soil and reluctantly repotting when the plant became root bound i.e. seeing roots come out of holes or blocking holes at bottom or lack of new green growth have all been signs I've use to determine when to repot the plant (with bare to roots new soil and cutting off encirling roots at bottom). If these are not the methods I see you recommending let me know. I have other dracaena species (not always identified correctly--- newest one came with label in soil so its a Warneckii Dracaena)... so I read these posting with interest and responded here, hope it was right place. I also used something called "Black Magic" that was sold in 80s I guess, I have a bag left for knowing what it is in case I ever find something like it..... lots of my plants have it still in them unless I needed to repot them for various reasons and lost the soil then... I just always thought the light and airy soil was best so now I see the downsides to that as your link showed me about perched water and too wet at the bottom what it does to plants.... The only one I can think is suffering is my tall braided weeping Ficus tree, but unfortunately its reached the size where I need someone else to help me repot it (other sites say and agree you don't need to go to a larger size pot they are happy root bound, but soil is old), so there it stands (I tried scooping out some soil out of the pot and replacing it with more soil does that help when the pot is too big and plant too tall (over 6 feet) to repot easily?) Lots of little quesitons here, if not clear let me know and I'll repost it, just wanted to respond while the topic was being viewed and current. Thanks! Forest_of_Houseplants
...See More
Little dracaena marginata with browning lower leaves
Q
Comments (12)
I just noticed Planto left comments. Planto, sorry if I repeated anything you said. Blabberboca. Your Dracaena looks a lot taller on your link. Are roots growing out of drainage holes? If so, your marginata definately needs a larger container. Before, I forget. You said you watered straight from the tap. Is it possible to fill a container w/water and let it sit overnight before watering?? Is soil crumbly after you water?? How often do you water, and do you water thoroughly so rootball is saturated? Sips don't do the job. Ah, you have a garden window..Lucky you! :) Yes, I'm certain a south, 'semi-enclosed area' gets hot in summer. Is it possible to move your marginata in the background, or another room? During winter, your garden window would be a great place to for your marginata and other plants. Don't fear repotting. :) Select a larger container, (5-6")add a little soil on the bottom of new pot. Remove plant carefully from old pot, center in new pot, then add fresh soil around the rootball and top.. Once you repot, you'll soon be an expert...lol.
...See More
Dracaena Marginata Dying
Q
Comments (6)
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
...See More
Gracie
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks! I just watered the plant thoroughly. I thought them being dry meant not to over water so I was so afraid to water them too frequently but now I get it!
bunnygurl
8 years ago
Being on the drier side does mean to not over water but there's a difference between a thorough water where water comes out the drainage holes and only repeated when necessary and watering thoroughly too often where the soil is not allowed time to dry thereby suffocating the roots and causing rot. I love my marginatas. They're one of my most 'talkative' plants when it comes to watering. Watch and listen to it and you will do great.

Oh and I forgot to mention mine really don't seem to care about humidity. It's quite dry where I am and they don't say a peep about it.
Gracie thanked bunnygurl
Gracie
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks! I'll move my humidifier to my English Ivy then.

yellowing and root bound dracaena marginata

Comments (5)

MrBlubs

bunnygurl

Related Discussions

Gracie
Original Author

bunnygurl

Gracie
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

yellowing and root bound dracaena marginata

Comments (5)

MrBlubs

bunnygurl

Related Discussions

GracieOriginal Author

bunnygurl

GracieOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Gracie
Original Author

Gracie
Original Author