Dracaena marginata troubleshooting

2 months ago

last modified: 2 months ago

One of the draceana marginata stalks is soggy. the top is soggier than the bottom. (Halfway down it feel like the stem is smaller than the bark…like the stem is withering ) the rest of the plant (i.e stalks) is fine.

Im going to cut the top half of the stalk off. can i keep it in the same pot as the rest of the stalks?

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Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 months ago
the name marginata... implies.. that it has a margin.. i dont see any margin ... which means it is not marginata.. or it is not getting proper light.. to margin properly ... and lack of light and improper watering can lead to all kinds of problems ... but you would have to tell us all about all that if you want help in that regard..

watch some of the propagation vids at the link ... and do whatever. .in a separate pot ... it will have significantly different watering needs than the rest of the plant...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=dracaena+marginata+propagation&t=ffab&iax=videos&ia=videos

im not sure what the deal is with the media you have in there.. it looks very heavy with perlite.. is that some kind of home brew mix.. and did your problems start after you repotted it into it??? [see what i did there.. perlite is not heavy.. lol.. its lighter than pop corn.. ]

welcome to the forums....

ken
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
2 months ago
last modified: 2 months ago
Is it near a window? It's definitely D. marginata.
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Thanks to all for the replies. I apologize for being MIA - I've had a busy few weeks and haven't been able to devote time to a decent reply. Thank you for your patience :) "Look at the trunk down near the soil. It is discolored dark right out of the soil, then there looks like almost a waterline where it gets whitish, and then looks a bit wrinkled, above that. Does that section feel firm and normal?" The whole trunk feels firm and normal, "waterline" discoloration included. The "waterline" line has been there since about the 1st year. "Does the pot have holes for draining and allowing salts to be leached out of the soil. Years of watering a big plant with nowhere for water to ever run out is lethal sooner or later." The pot does not have holes for draining. I plan to pick up a new pot this weekend - hopefully the local Home Depot or Lowes sells clay pots with holes in the bottom, as I do like the look :) - I'm assuming I should shake out as much of the soil as possible and replace it. But with what? Just a generic potting mix? When I first got it I potted it in this container with Miracle Gro (which I now know is bad!) and it has never been re-potted. Shortly after writing my original post I moved the plant into the den/2nd bedroom. It's the only room in the apartment that gets direct sunlight - it gets several hours of afternoon sun. All yellow leaves have since dropped but I am left with several that are dry at the ends. I haven't watered it since the day I wrote my original post and the soil still does not yet feel excessively dry.
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Cutting back to "nubs" is essentially how this plant is handled for propagation as well as regenerating plants that grow too tall or too lanky. The top growth is likely to rot completely - just not at all frost tolerant - but the roots may have survived. And if they have, cutting back to a nub will allow the plant to reestablish itself. But it will take time. Don't feel alone :-) I too have left summer vacationing houseplants outside too late and have had them nipped by frost. And just a moderately light frost...not into the 20's!! They were all toast, including a huge Christmas cactus more than 30 years old I inherited from my mom :-( I still have to bring mine in for the winter - that is on today's to-do list!! Been meaning to do so for the last couple of weeks but the rains have hit and I've been busy with work stuff. It ls chilly here at night - in the 40's - but nowhere near frost temps.
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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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Here is the 2nd Dracaena Marginata plant. I took off a tiny bit of the stem to look at the color and there is a green ring, so I'm hoping it's not too far gone. Thank you!
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
2 months ago
It is marginata and the margins are inconspicuous due to low light. The sudden change in stem diameters is an indication (likely) of the change from high light to low light. Low light causes elongation of cells (promotes a reduction in diameter) and reduces the necessity of the plant to make more cells to store excess photosynthate (sugars/starches), which also contributes to limiting of the diameter of stems/branches.

You CAN propagate by cuttings, but success would be much more likely if you waited until June/early July (if you live in the Northern Hemisphere) because the plant should be in a higher state of vitality (more reserve energy) and days are longer/brighter, which means the (then) current ability to make food (plants make their own food during the process of photosynthesis) will be at peak levels; or, you could air layer the top off starting the layer at your leisure. Success is pretty much assured if you layer instead of propagate by cuttings. The already rooted stems will then back-bud and grow new branches. That response, back-budding, will also be more enthusiastic of you separate the layer in June/early July.

The plant definitely wants more light. What have you been doing insofar as fertilizing?

Al

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Dracaena marginata troubleshooting

Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL

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

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