You don't have to chop it all off by any means. That was just my personal opinion 'cause I'm lazy, which is why I don't buy almost dead plants either. But if you do decide to cut, leave about 4 or so inches of stem from the soil surface. It'll backbud making each stem branch 2-4 branches. It wouldn't take that long to grow back (and it would) and it would be fuller and brighter. And those leaves that you cut really short, if they are adult leaves, chances are good that they'll be short for ever more. Now, if the plant seems pretty happy right now, you can just leave it as is, and keep a close eye on it. For all I know it could bounce right back. Some plants can have a crazy will to live. Whichever you choose, I wish you the best of luck with this plant. Perhaps your thumb is greener than anyone knows.

Hello, I have a Janet Craig Dracenea also, which has some problems with tipping at the edges. This type of plant is prone to that, however - due to its broad, strappy leaves with pointed egdes. While the cane of my plant has not had any issues like yours, I will try to help the best I can! If the cane is appearing to shrivel, I find with many plants, esp. of the cane type (Warneckii dracenea, Lucky bamboo etc.) this means they are in need of water! Some cacti also 'wrinkle' up, as a signal saying, 'I need water!' I did experience this with a few of my plants before. Upon watering my Lucky Bamboo, the canes were no longer shriveled on the surface. Think of the plant's skin like our own skin - whenever it gets wrinkled or dry, we have to drink some water to replenish lost moisture. Do you keep your JC very moist? I find my plant needs quite a bit of water even though its planted in a fast draining medium! In short, try watering your plant. My JC droops a bit whenever I forget to water it for a little while. It sits on top of the TV in my living room, so that whenever I can't see the screen very well anymore, I know its time to water! I hope this helps!

Plumeria is pretty much immune to most pests and diseases, with the exception of rust. Your problem doesn't sound like rust from what I can find. Below is what I would do if the tree were mine and I was unable to find the culprit. Before you cut the problem area out of the tree, I would take a picture of it as it is now, its location or several locations on the tree. Then remove the problem areas. Wrap the section/sections in paper toweling and place in a cardboard box. Take these sections to your Universities Horticultural Sciences branch. They then could study the pest/virus/fungus thats causing the shriveling. The pest/disease/fungus may be a common problem to other trees/plants but not normally found in the Plumeria. This pest/disease/fungus may have mutated in such a way that it now infects the Plumeria. When we push the zones, we bring the Plumeria and other tropical plants into an area where there are different pests/diseases/fungi not indigenous to them. We may have opened up a whole new category of pests/diseases/fungi for the Plumeria and other tropicals. Since we able to order the plants online from many other countries we may also be bringing in other commonly safe(to their location)pathogens that may mutate in the locations we now place them in. I think I will stop now before I confuse myself. I hope my attempt to write what I am trying to say makes sense. The more I write, the less it does. If you don't have a University with a Horticultural Sciences school, your local Agricultural Extension may be able to help you. Andi

No mush is good. If the cache pot doesn't have a drainage hole you can line the pot with perlite then set the other pot on top of it, this will catch any run off and it will also raise the humidity. You can also pack sphagnum moss around the plastic pot. Ideally I like to see plants in clay pots but now is not the best time to be playing with roots. I would also give the soil a good flush. Put the pot in the shower and give it a good soak. Let the water run out the holes and drain then flush it again. Once no more water comes out tip the pot to release the perched water then put it back. You can also cut off the brown tips to make the plant look better. Good luck!