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How can I fix my leaning dracaena tree (dragon tree)?

Sheryl Kantrowitz

10 months ago

I've had this plant for over 10 years, and just 6 or so months ago, it started leaning and has continued to do so. I wonder if it needs to be repotted as the roots may be leaning as well and can be straightened. It hasn't changed location, lighting, watering, etc. Any thoughts? I've shared photos of the entire plant, its healthy offshoots, and the roots.

Comments (4)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 months ago
it is leaning most likely.. due to lack of properly intense light ... its called etoliation ...

imo.. your best bet is to propagate .. root.. the longest pieces ... and start a new more vigorous version of your old plant ...

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

and it is easiest to root small pieces.. not 4 foot long stalks ... just to be clear ...

i doubt repotting is going to do much of anything for you .. as it is now.. BUT.. once you cut off most of the plant for propagation... what is left should resprout.. and eventually a repotting might be good.. media does wear out over time... so replacing it never really hurts... i might do it at the same time as the haircut.. so by the time it gets over all the stress and starts to reprout.. you wont stress it again...

and to think.. you will be getting back 6 or 8 square feet of floor space in the bargain...

ken
Sheryl Kantrowitz thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
Sheryl Kantrowitz
Original Author
10 months ago
@ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 I have propagated this plant a few times already. I just haven't given the momma a haircut...yet.
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Yea i didn't water it for that long because the dirt was still moist from the store cause the moist reader was reading in the middle for days. And yea the pot is a bit big for it.. so what i did before i water it about 15min ago is put it in another smaller pot than i gave it water till it drain out of the bottom than i put it were there is more light. couldn't find a smaller pot before when i needed it but today i found one in the corner lol Here's a pic in the smaller pot than i have a ball thing on the side to make it stay were its at cause its a bit top heavy even tho i have it in the dirt a good bit down. I guess its wait and see if it makes it... How long will it stay wet with this new dirt which is prevent over and under watering, And i also have perlite in it 50/50 could be 40/50 but its close. Are those moister monitors accurate? Like when it goes down to dry is it time to water it again? These dragon trees are really picky about water than my other plants they usely suck the water up in a few days and then the dirt is dry. Hopefully the dirt drys out good with this dirt and perlite. I do notice as soon as i dump water in the dirt it went right down instead of siting on the top for a few secs. So i guess it has good drainage.
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I can relate to that. Please know that any resource that prescribes a schedule to water your plant is not worth taking seriously because it's impossible to predict how often a plant will need water. A Dracaena marginata can be a tiny thing that is just a few inches tall, or a much older entity that is taller than a person. The bigger plant will use a lot more water. Throughout the year, the usage could vary. Plants don't take a drink periodically like humans, the roots are constantly at work to obtain moisture and deliver it to foliage, so some moisture must be present at all times. Factors like temperature, humidity, air movement, amount of light, size of plant, size of root mass, size of pot, type of soil, type of pot, and vigorousness of a particular plants' metabolism all play a role in the speed at which the plant is using moisture, and the speed at which the soil is drying. "Overwatering" is under a hyped-up emphasis lately. This occurs when moist soil has insufficient oxygen in it. Roots need moisture and oxygen at the same time to function, and to not suffocate and rot. There are ways to ameliorate the risk to virtually none. Because I have so many pots, I can't give specialized care to each one or check them before adding more water. I just water all often enough so that there is never a moment when the soil has no moisture. I haven't had a plant die of rotting roots ("overwatering") since I quit using potting soil with peat in it, and many plants have been moved from plastic pots to clay pots. Clay pots allow oxygen to penetrate the entire surface of the soil, not just the top, so plants can enjoy consistently moist soil without having the roots rot. At this time of year, all of my pots are outside, where it's 95°, so they need water about every-other day. If I waited 2 weeks, most of the plants would be dead. But when they are inside over winter in cooler temps and a lot less sun, some plants only need more water after about a month. In addition, when repotting, don't pack the soil and water gently the first few times until the particles lock in place so the soil doesn't compact. The little air spaces will further eliminate the risk of rotting roots.
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Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
10 months ago
You could rotate the pot and lean it against the wall. If a pot is never rotated, the plant will lean toward the window. Aside from the lean, it's a great looking tree!
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
10 months ago
The plant is leaning because it doesn't get enough light. Plants allocate their energy in a strict order. Energy is first allocated to respiratory function, i.e. to maintenance of living tissues, then, to production of fine roots, followed by flower and seed/fruit production, then primary growth (extension of both roots and shoots), then secondary growth (thickening), and finally, the synthesis of defensive chemicals. You can see that the thickening that makes the stems strong is of low priority and only occurs when the plant is able to create more food/energy than it can use. When plants have excess energy the need a place to store it, and just like humans who take in more calories than they burn, plants roots/ branches/ stems get fatter as they create new cells to store the energy.

Now is the best time of the year to do heavy work on the plant. If it was mine, I'd cut the laid-over stems back to somewhere inside of an imaginary line straight up from the rim of the pot. Your plant will then back-bud behind (closer to the roots) the pruning cut and you will have fixed the laying over of the offending stems. There is very close to a 100% chance all will go well if you choose this route. The only thing you will need to be careful of is over-watering. With the main foliage mass separated from the roots, the plant will use water from the soil much more slowly. If you like, you can treat the tops as cuttings and root them to make new plants. If you need some guidance in making that happen, just ask, as you have options that will affect what type of plant you'll end up with (from the cuttings), and the cuttings will require some preparation to maximize chances of success.

Al

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