Question
I bought a dracena marginata at the store but it is not doing well since bringing it home. Originally, there were three stalks, but one got very soft and mushy near the top and all the leaves fell off. Now, the leaves on the other two are drooping, though they are still deep green in color.  All three stalks did have leaves near the bottom that turned yellow and fell off. Am I killing this plant? It is situated near a window that gets early morning light and the air vent near by has a cover to keep the air from blowing directly on the plant. I have left it in the original 12" plastic pot and put a waterglobe in to provided consistent water. Thanks for your timeand help.

Answer
Hi Janet,

The problem is the consistency of the water globe. Those devices keep soil consistently moist and that is not good for many plants, including your Dracaena marginata. The symptoms you have reported are consistent with root rot caused by soil that is not allowed to dry out sufficiently between waterings.

Once the foliage and stems start to deteriorate on a Marginata, it is usually too late to save it. If you want to try, remove the water globe and allow the soil to dry one-third of the way deep into the pot before adding a small quantity of water. If either of the remaining stems are soft, then cut it off and discard it. Remove any dead or discolored leaves as they will not recover. Provide as much light and warmth as possible. If there are any healthy roots remaining after the soil has dried out, then you may get a very slow recovery. Do not repot or replace the soil or fertilize as they will only aggravate the problem.

I have written an article on watering potted plants that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who emails a request to me at [email protected].

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

Visit my website at: A link to PlantCareExperts.com