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Dying Dracaena Marginata, please help!

6 years ago

I bought a Dracaena Marginata about 1.5 weeks ago from Ikea. In Ikea, all the leaves were sticking up, and the plant looked healthy.

I brought it home on the bus, and to get to the bus I had to walk outside where it was very cold, about 5F/ -15C. When I was about to get off the bus, I realized that 4-5 of the LOWER leaves had bent, kind of creased, and were now looking wilted.

I then walked home from the bus stop, in the same very cold weather, to my apartment, about a 20 minute walk, holding the plant.

When I got home, I watered it. Enough so that some drips came out of the holes on the bottom of the pot, but not tooo much.

I then noticed that even more leaves, again the bottom ones, were bending over and becoming creased. It is about 64F/18C in my apartment. It sits on the windowsill, where it gets light and occasional direct sunlight.

Now today, I looked at it again. Nearly all of the leaves are folded over and bent, and of the lower ones fell off. It has also lost a lot of its color, the leaves feel soft and less bristly then they did in the store, and even the top leaves, which are still standing, look sick.

What am I doing wrong? Did the cold walk home kill it? Did I water it too much? Is it too cold in my apartment for it? Is there anyway to save it?

Thanks in advance!

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Comments (3)

Gisele Blaker
6 years ago
Just went through the same deal with my philo. Cold damage! Chicago weather. Just wait and see if new leaves come...I cut the damaged leaves on mine. We’re terirbke looking. More experienced people here might give you in debt suggestions. Good luck.
tropicbreezent
6 years ago
It's a waiting game now. Leaves are thin so the cold would have gone right through them. It might have also penetrated the stems in that time. For a tropical plant a constant 18C isn't really warm, it's more of a cold temperature. Well wrapped in paper it would have stood a better chance during that trip.

That said, soil is a good insulator as well. Chances are the stem of the plant and roots below ground level may have been protected enough so the plant will regrow, you should only lose what's above the soil. Don't over water, that will rot whatever's left of it. Good luck with it.
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Hello fellow house plant freaks Sorry to hear about your Dracaena declining. My Dracaena thrives on ignorance. What was once one of my favourite house plants is now a plant that tends to be pushed out of the way every now and then. it sits underneath a fluorescent light all day and gets watered when it is dry. It has spent most of its life sitting on the floor being pushed out of the way when i needed the room and is mostly an annoyance rather than a prized specimen for me. Despite what seems like a lack of care for it, it still continues to push out new growth from the top. when the leaves crack, i give it a haircut with scissors. i can't remeber the last time i fetilized it (i dont think i have yet months after buying it at Wal-Mart in a not so good condition for 3 bucks) Sometimes i think the best thing you can do for a plant that is declining is to just ignore it and let it do it's thing. Here is a picture of it on my messy desk. It shares it's home with junk laying on my desk and some chemical containers laying around. - Pete, 19
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Sorry that happened. All you can do at this point is let it dry well, don't sunburn it. Impossible to say from looking at that if it's going to live or not. Hope so, sending good vibes! It doesn't look very good, the top leaves should be pointing straight up. One thing that should help, when it is dry enough to need water again, would be to give it collected rain water, or distilled water. Dracaenas are known to be sensitive to the chemicals in tap water, like fluoride, that can't evaporate from letting water sit. Condensate from A/C or dehumidifier are also sources of water with no chemicals added.
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Your trees look normal. The older leaves are supposed to point down. That looks like a nice spot for it next to the window. The top leaves are starting to lean toward the window. Rotating it halfway around every a couple weeks should keep it even. Does this pot have a hole in the bottom? 6-8 cups of water should be enough for some to run out of the hole. If it has one, maybe something is blocking it.
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Hannah, your plant does look like Dracaena marginata. You can take tip cuttings and root them in water if you're not experienced in propagation. After taking tip cuttings you can cut the tall stems about 4 inches above the soil line, the base plant will produce new growth. I would toss the pieces of left-over cane. On the tip cuttings, cut about 6 or 8 inches from the top, cut or strip off the bottom leaves to basically make a stick with a bunch of leaves at the top. If you don't want more plants, keep the tip cuttings only as insurance until you see new growth from the base. Or, once you have successfully rooted and potted the tip cuttings, toss the old base plant.
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mcsooey
6 years ago
Give it some time and hold off watering until the top of the pot is dry. If it's in shock there is nothing else you can do but wait. My experience comes from having many Dracaena over the years. Your plant may not look good for a while but I'll bet that it will perk up and keep on growing. These pants can take some cold but they do not do well in freezing temps. If individual leaves fall off that is fine, but if clumps get limp and soggy at the stem, that could be an indication of a total loss. However, even if every leaf drops off, give it more time. They have been known to regenerate when you think nothing is left. Do your best and love your plant. On the upside, IKEA is only a bus ride and a 20-minute walk away...but wait for a day that is at least 45*F. Good luck.

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