Dracaena plants dying? - Ask Extension
I’m having trouble with my two dracaena plants. The first, the taller Dracaena marginata, abruptly dropped leaves on the lower left branch earlier t...
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Dracaena plants dying? #643385
Asked May 30, 2020, 11:55 AM EDT
I’m having trouble with my two dracaena plants. The first, the taller Dracaena marginata, abruptly dropped leaves on the lower left branch earlier this week, then this morning I saw the top branch was yellowing and falling off too. The tips have been yellowing for months; I’ve tried pulling back on watering in case I was overwatering it, but didn’t notice much of a difference. Also, I didn’t follow up on moving it out of the nursery pot into the larger ceramic pot so maybe it’s rootbound? I’m not sure what to do! And I saw these dead worms in saucer a few weeks after I brought it home but haven’t seen any new ones since. (I know it's gross, sorry!)
The Dracaena deremensis werneckei lemon lime plant has had brown tips for months too. Again, varying my watering schedule hasn’t seemed to make much of a difference. I had it in the sunny corner of our sunroom over the winter, but noticed that the lower leaves turned completely brown. I pulled those off and moved it inside to a less sunny location in January/February in case it was sunburn/exposure, and that seems to have helped somewhat (the new leaves stay green longer) but the tips still eventually turn brown.
These two plants were my first real forays into tropical houseplants (I'm more confident with landscape plants and summer containers). I’m clearly not taking care of them the right way but I’m not sure what I should do to save them! Any advice would be much appreciated.
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
The "worms" under the Dracaena marginata pot may have been millipedes. We cannot see them clearly in the photo, but they are more common in potting soil than earthworms would be. If so, they are largely harmless to the plant itself, but can indicate conditions that are too wet and the presence of rotting roots. Root-bound conditions for many houseplants are usually not problematic - at least, not acutely - but the old potting soil that comes along with such conditions can be. Aged potting soil can acquire a buildup of minerals from tap water and fertilizer salts that can reach levels damaging to plant roots over time. Replacing as much old soil as you can when repotting helps to mitigate this. When repotting a root-bound plant, you can go up one size of container (a 10" pot to a 12" pot, for instance) to give the roots more space.
Yellowing foliage is often an indicator of moisture issues - either too much or too little in the root zone. The symptoms for both are similar because when kept too wet, the roots cannot get enough oxygen and start to die back. This damage makes them unable to absorb enough moisture to keep the foliage hydrated, so the plant sheds some of its oldest leaves (the lower ones) to conserve resources. There are no chemical treatments practical for such root rots, but repotting into fresh soil and monitoring watering needs going forward can help. If the "mother" plant has too many rotten roots to recover, you could try taking stem cuttings (about 6" long per section) and root them to start the plant over. Alternately, you could opt to prune off the lanky tops on the mother plant entirely, as Dracaena re-sprouts well from such pruning. Choose different heights at which to prune the different stems, so they will not crowd each other when regrown.
Yellowing and shedding lower foliage can also indicate an adjustment by the plant to a change in growing conditions - usually light levels. Leaves cannot adjust well to a marked increase in light and must be re-grown adapted to those conditions. When this happens, often older leaves are shed. Leaves can adjust to lower light, typically by darkening with more chlorophyll, but excess leaves may be shed as the plant cannot support the same amount of foliage with reduced photosynthesis. The light levels received by the plants in their location in the photo may be too little; the prior location in the sunroom windows may have been better, though a little bit more distance between them and the sunny window might be best if they were showing signs of sunburn (bleached, dry patches).
Brown foliage tips on any houseplant can be due to low humidity, accumulation of minerals in the soil, or sensitivity to municipal water additives (like chlorine, chloramine, and fluoride). Dracaenas are one houseplant known to have sensitivities to fluoride. If the house water supply uses a water softener, the additives from this can also damage plant roots over time when allowed to build up. Repotting would similarly be the solution here, as well as considering use of an alternative water source. (If you collect rain water or use bottled water, they would work.)
A humidifier used in the room with the Dracaenas would help with the tip browning, especially in winter when home humidity is naturally lower. Make sure that the saucers underneath the pots do not collect water after the pots are soaked. Instead, either drip-dry the pots in a sink before putting them back on the saucer, or use a spare turkey baster to help remove the drained water. When the soil in their pots becomes dry a few inches deep, then the pots can be watered well. Enough water should be used so that the excess rains out of the pot's drain holes. Then, allow the soil to dry enough again before watering. A moist-dry cycle tends to be better for root health than constantly damp conditions.
Lastly, if you want the plants to get a "summer vacation," you can put them outside for the summer. Many houseplants thrive when allowed to bask in the high ambient humidity of our mid-Atlantic summers, though none want to be in bright sunlight outdoors. Even those used to sunny windows will receive too much light unless put in total or partial shade while outside. Our eyes adjust so well that it seems counter-intuitive, but sites out of direct sun outdoors tend to be brighter than direct sun coming through a window. Therefore, the plants will also enjoy brighter light, but will be protected from damage from direct sun. Come autumn (around mid-October or so) they can come back inside for the winter.
Miri
Yellowing foliage is often an indicator of moisture issues - either too much or too little in the root zone. The symptoms for both are similar because when kept too wet, the roots cannot get enough oxygen and start to die back. This damage makes them unable to absorb enough moisture to keep the foliage hydrated, so the plant sheds some of its oldest leaves (the lower ones) to conserve resources. There are no chemical treatments practical for such root rots, but repotting into fresh soil and monitoring watering needs going forward can help. If the "mother" plant has too many rotten roots to recover, you could try taking stem cuttings (about 6" long per section) and root them to start the plant over. Alternately, you could opt to prune off the lanky tops on the mother plant entirely, as Dracaena re-sprouts well from such pruning. Choose different heights at which to prune the different stems, so they will not crowd each other when regrown.
Yellowing and shedding lower foliage can also indicate an adjustment by the plant to a change in growing conditions - usually light levels. Leaves cannot adjust well to a marked increase in light and must be re-grown adapted to those conditions. When this happens, often older leaves are shed. Leaves can adjust to lower light, typically by darkening with more chlorophyll, but excess leaves may be shed as the plant cannot support the same amount of foliage with reduced photosynthesis. The light levels received by the plants in their location in the photo may be too little; the prior location in the sunroom windows may have been better, though a little bit more distance between them and the sunny window might be best if they were showing signs of sunburn (bleached, dry patches).
Brown foliage tips on any houseplant can be due to low humidity, accumulation of minerals in the soil, or sensitivity to municipal water additives (like chlorine, chloramine, and fluoride). Dracaenas are one houseplant known to have sensitivities to fluoride. If the house water supply uses a water softener, the additives from this can also damage plant roots over time when allowed to build up. Repotting would similarly be the solution here, as well as considering use of an alternative water source. (If you collect rain water or use bottled water, they would work.)
A humidifier used in the room with the Dracaenas would help with the tip browning, especially in winter when home humidity is naturally lower. Make sure that the saucers underneath the pots do not collect water after the pots are soaked. Instead, either drip-dry the pots in a sink before putting them back on the saucer, or use a spare turkey baster to help remove the drained water. When the soil in their pots becomes dry a few inches deep, then the pots can be watered well. Enough water should be used so that the excess rains out of the pot's drain holes. Then, allow the soil to dry enough again before watering. A moist-dry cycle tends to be better for root health than constantly damp conditions.
Lastly, if you want the plants to get a "summer vacation," you can put them outside for the summer. Many houseplants thrive when allowed to bask in the high ambient humidity of our mid-Atlantic summers, though none want to be in bright sunlight outdoors. Even those used to sunny windows will receive too much light unless put in total or partial shade while outside. Our eyes adjust so well that it seems counter-intuitive, but sites out of direct sun outdoors tend to be brighter than direct sun coming through a window. Therefore, the plants will also enjoy brighter light, but will be protected from damage from direct sun. Come autumn (around mid-October or so) they can come back inside for the winter.
Miri
