Post a reply

Avatar for Proctw
Feb 13, 2023 1:53 AM CST
Thread OP

I was bought this plant by a friend so I'm not sure what species it is. I recently repotted it with fresh soil because the soil has dried out and wasn't holding any water. It's been fine for a few weeks then suddenly it's developed yellow and brown patches on some of the leaves over the last 5-7 days. I'm only watering it when the top cm of soil is dry. Any advice?! Thank you!
Thumb of 2023-02-13/Proctw/3613ef
Avatar for Proctw
Feb 13, 2023 1:54 AM CST
Thread OP

Here's some more photos...
Thumb of 2023-02-13/Proctw/04fd51
Avatar for Proctw
Feb 13, 2023 1:55 AM CST
Thread OP

Thumb of 2023-02-13/Proctw/c02636
Image
Feb 13, 2023 9:57 AM CST
Name: Tiffany purpleinopp
Opp, AL @--`--,----- 🌹 (Zone 8b)
Region: United States of America Houseplants Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Garden Sages Plant Identifier Garden Ideas: Level 2
Organic Gardener Composter Miniature Gardening Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Tender Perennials Butterflies
Hi & welcome! Compare to Dracaena 'Janet Craig.'
Dracaena (Dracaena fragrans 'Janet Craig')

If the soil has gotten that dry, you may need to soak it a few time over the course of an hour or two to get all of it moist again. A lot of water should flow out of the drain holes.

Dracaenas are also sensitive to fluoride. Over time, fluoridated water can make them ill. Is that a factor for your plant?
The golden rule: Do to others only that which you would have done to you.
👀😁😂 - SMILE! -☺😎☻☮👌✌∞☯
The only way to succeed is to try!
🐣🐦🐔🍯🐾🌺🌻🌸🌼🌹
The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The 2nd best time is now. (-Unknown)
👒🎄👣🏡🍃🍂🌾🌿🍁❦❧🍁🍂🌽❀☀ ☕👓🐝
Try to be more valuable than a bad example.
Avatar for Proctw
Feb 14, 2023 1:28 AM CST
Thread OP

Thanks so much @purpleinopp !

It does look like the photos in that link you shared. It says "Maximum recommended zone: Zone 11" - what do the zones mean?

The local water authority says they don't add fluoride to our water and naturally there is 0.13 ppm.

They also say the calcium carbonate level is moderately high (i.e. the water is quite hard), at 274 ppm. Could that have an impact?

Also I note the link you sent said the plant likes shade, could my leaves be getting burnt from the (albeit intermittent) British sun?

Thanks so much for your help Thank You!
Image
Feb 14, 2023 7:31 AM CST
Name: Tiffany purpleinopp
Opp, AL @--`--,----- 🌹 (Zone 8b)
Region: United States of America Houseplants Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Garden Sages Plant Identifier Garden Ideas: Level 2
Organic Gardener Composter Miniature Gardening Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Tender Perennials Butterflies
Happy to reply : )

Gardening zones indicate where a perennial plant can survive outside. I don't think any part of your country is warm enough. Dracaenas should be sheltered from freezing temps. More about Brit gardening zones here:
https://www.plantmaps.com/inte...

I don't think it is sunburn, which would occur only on the surfaces directly facing the window. At your latitude, the rays are weak and coming through a window reduces some of the strength. In zone 11, shade might be needed, but right by the window is appropriate for your location.

I don't have any info about calcium carbonate. If you are able to catch rain water sometimes, flushing the soil with that will help prevent stuff from the tap water from building up in the soil. Flushing being watering thoroughly but gently a few times so that a lot of water flows out of the drain holes. A little fluoride doesn't seem to cause much harm, I give my plants tap water over winter, and during summer when it doesn't rain often enough to fill my rain catching buckets as fast as I use that water.

It's normal for the oldest leaves to fall off as the trunk ages. Also normal for leaf loss to accelerate temporarily after a disturbance like repotting.
The golden rule: Do to others only that which you would have done to you.
👀😁😂 - SMILE! -☺😎☻☮👌✌∞☯
The only way to succeed is to try!
🐣🐦🐔🍯🐾🌺🌻🌸🌼🌹
The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The 2nd best time is now. (-Unknown)
👒🎄👣🏡🍃🍂🌾🌿🍁❦❧🍁🍂🌽❀☀ ☕👓🐝
Try to be more valuable than a bad example.
Avatar for CalPolygardener
Feb 14, 2023 7:57 AM CST
California (Zone 9b)
When you repotted with fresh soil did you remove the original soil or just move it up a size? If you removed the soil you damaged the roots a lot and it will take several months to regrow new ones. There will be many more yellow leaves in its future if this is the case. Sad
Image
Feb 14, 2023 8:15 AM CST
Name: Tiffany purpleinopp
Opp, AL @--`--,----- 🌹 (Zone 8b)
Region: United States of America Houseplants Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Garden Sages Plant Identifier Garden Ideas: Level 2
Organic Gardener Composter Miniature Gardening Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Tender Perennials Butterflies
Hundreds of years of root trimming in the bonsai realm indicate otherwise.
The golden rule: Do to others only that which you would have done to you.
👀😁😂 - SMILE! -☺😎☻☮👌✌∞☯
The only way to succeed is to try!
🐣🐦🐔🍯🐾🌺🌻🌸🌼🌹
The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The 2nd best time is now. (-Unknown)
👒🎄👣🏡🍃🍂🌾🌿🍁❦❧🍁🍂🌽❀☀ ☕👓🐝
Try to be more valuable than a bad example.
Image
Feb 14, 2023 11:58 AM CST
Name: Al F.
5b-6a mid-MI
Knowledge counters trepidation.
Japanese Maples Deer Tropicals Seed Starter Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Region: Michigan
Houseplants Foliage Fan Dog Lover Container Gardener Birds Wild Plant Hunter
I agree with Tiffany. Not just in the bonsai realm .... for plants that lend themselves to having rootwork performed on them (those with fibrous roots as opposed to plants that are better off when divided), root pruning has a significant rejuvenating effect.
Al
* Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for. ~ Socrates
* Change might not always bring growth, but there is no growth without change.
* Mother Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.
Image
Feb 14, 2023 1:49 PM CST
Name: tarev
San Joaquin County, CA (Zone 9b)
Give PEACE a chance!
Adeniums Cat Lover Garden Photography Region: California Houseplants Plays in the sandbox
Orchids Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Composter Cactus and Succulents Dragonflies Hummingbirder
Hello Proctw, looking at your plant, I would say it is still in acclimating mode. During transport to your place from your friend is a shock already to your plant.

Repotting in itself does cause some root disturbance, but if done with care and proper timing, should be alright and if you used correct media. We all have varying micro climates in our growing areas. What may seem already warmer to you may still actually feel cold for your plant, so be mindful of watering. It does not ever like sitting in too wet damp media when conditions are too cold to its liking, so test your soil. Use bamboo skewers, if it comes out wet, continue to delay watering. For me, ideally, I try to do my repotting in mid Spring not in winter. But since you have already done it, then just observe further and be very mindful of watering.

I cannot see very well your media, so hopefully you have added some more pumice or perlite to help in its drainage and airflow at the rootzone.

I know it feels confusing since it is a tropical plant, but true tropical conditions is different, they may like the rainfall and moist conditions there, but among main determining factor is ambient sustained temperature there which often is 70F to 90F (21C to 32C) and sustained humidity. Knowing that will help you understand its cultural growing needs.

In our indoor locations in winter, we can only sustain as much warmth, unless you do have a dedicated greenhouse. But it is doable to grow them properly indoors. Just be patient and learn to avoid overwatering your plant especially in winter. Keep providing as much bright light and warmth you can.

I still see good potential on your plant, just remove fully dried out leaves later. As long as you get new growth at the top part and there is no soggy part anywhere in the trunk then it is okay. Also with heaters running, air is drier, so it is common to see some brown tips.
Avatar for CalPolygardener
Feb 14, 2023 4:18 PM CST
California (Zone 9b)
Dracaena? As bonsai? In a home?
Avatar for Proctw
Feb 26, 2023 2:38 AM CST
Thread OP

Thanks everyone for all your advice. I've given it a good flush. The leaves haven't got any worse in the last few days. Seems like it's just had a bit of a shock with the reporting. Hopefully with warmer days coming and more time since repotting it'll heal well. Great tip re the bamboo skewers - I was using my fingers before and getting very dirty nails 😅.
Image
Feb 26, 2023 12:07 PM CST
Name: Al F.
5b-6a mid-MI
Knowledge counters trepidation.
Japanese Maples Deer Tropicals Seed Starter Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Region: Michigan
Houseplants Foliage Fan Dog Lover Container Gardener Birds Wild Plant Hunter
Did you repot or pot up? Potting up is an endeavor that partially relieves the limiting affects of root congestion, but unfortunately it ensures that the center root/soil mass remains congested and an ongoing limitation. The best time to repot your dracaena would be in June. Reason: Plants make their own food (sugar/glucose) during the process of photosynthesis, so their levels of stored energy grows as the summer solstice approaches (21 June) as does the plants current ability to make food (longest/brightest days of the year are immediately either side of the summer solstice.

Potting up consists of moving the plant to a larger pot and filling the void under and around the perimeter of the root mass with fresh soil, Some growers might remove some of the roots at the bottom or the root mass, or cut vertical slits in the root mass before potting up, but again, that leaves the center of the root/soil mass congested and a permanent limitation ..... at least until a pair of hands gets into the roots to relieve all congestion.

A full repot consists of removing as much of the soil surrounding roots as possible, followed by removal of mostly large roots that serve no purpose other than plumbing. This frees up room for fine roots, the roots that do all the plant's heavy lifting, to colonize the soil ......
Thumb of 2023-02-26/tapla/15885f
...... roots even finer than these ^^^.
While potting up can be done almost anytime, it will take houseplants longest to colonize the new soil in late winter and early spring when the plant's level of reserve energy are at low ebb. So, while potting up is not that big of a deal from the plant's perspective, it makes best sense to plant them for summer if you must pot up. A full repot, with it's bare rooting, root pruning, and change of grow medium is more involved and should be planned in advance. I have fully repotted over 5,000 plants, mostly in 4L to 40L pots, but some as large as 200L.
Most gardeners harbor a great deal of trepidation about messing with roots in any way, primarily because they don't have a sense about how tolerant roots are of being maintained so as to ensure the plants best opportunity at realizing as much of its genetic potential as possible.

It can be said that IF the grower is dedicated to providing the plant its best opportunity at thriving, it is essential that plants grown under conventional container culture are root-pruned regularly (or divided if appropriate), normally every 1-3 years, depending on the natural vigor of the plant and its age, and its % of dynamic [living] mass). Root congestion has already begun to take a toll as a limiting factor at the point in time where the root/soil mass can be separated from the pot, intact. From that point forward, root congestion takes an increasing toll on growth rate, vitality (health), yields where applicable, the plant's ability to defend itself, and eye appeal. A full repot has a serious rejuvenating effect whereas potting up simply allows the plant to grow a little closer to how it would normally grow if it weren't for the congestion.

There's no judgement in what I said - just laying it out there for your consideration.

Take care, and best luck.

BTW - your question about CaCO3 (calcium carbonate) ..... it's biggest threat is the upward creep in soil pH and the potential for high Ca levels to limit uptake of every essential nutrient (taken from the soil), particularly magnesium, except nitrogen, copper, and molybdenum. Irrigation water for your plant should be in the 5.0-5.5 range after having been allowed to sit for a day or two in an open container to allow CO2 to gas off, and the soil should be flushed regularly. CO2 + water = H2CO3 (carbonic acid) which gives an artificially high pH level from the tap until the CO2 gasses off.

Al
* Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for. ~ Socrates
* Change might not always bring growth, but there is no growth without change.
* Mother Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.
Only the members of the Members group may reply to this thread.
  • Started by: Proctw
  • Replies: 12, views: 261
Member Login:

( No account? Join now! )

Today's site banner is by adknative and is called "Baby Blue Eyes"

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.