Question
Hi Will,

This is the first time I'm asking about a plant.  I never thought I would...lol   I have a question about my spike plant.   It's in a 12 inch pot and I have it in the far corner (18ft) of the living room facing the northern window in my apartment.

This plant came from my parents who had it outside in full sun and was flourishing.  I thought it would be better this winter here than it was last year in my parents basement with no light but watered every week.  It looked rough but it was repotted in spring and bounced back quickly. There was another potted spike with it but it didn't make the winter.  This is the reason I said I would bring this one here.

Now it's been 2 weeks, watered once a week and the leaves turn solid yellow then brown.  I snip them off as I've read.  Now I've read all the articles about them needing light but this plant was in a dark basement for several months and yes some of the lower leaves turned yellow and brown but not at the rate they are in my place.  The corner has mirrors on each side.  I have several mirrors since the apartment has a northern view and I wanted to have more light here.

The only thing I'm thinking is when I got the plant here I saw the roots were sticking out so I snipped them flush to the bottom of pot so it would sit straight.  I checked for bugs and none.  I watered the plant.  I read at times it can be too much water.  I did check the bottom and yes it was still wet after 5 days but the roots were not mushy.  I've since then put stones on the tray it sits on.  I also for humidity added water to cover stones halfway.

I was thinking all sorts of possibilities. Did I shock the plant by cutting the roots, is there something in the water (I use water from the sink but I let the water sit before I use it and put some on counter for plants), was it too much water or lastly could it be me putting coffee grounds in the soil and watering with water with a cup of coffee in it.  You see I've done that for all the other houseplants this summer and I get comments Im starting to grow a jungle.  Maybe the spike plant is coffee sensitive.  With winter approaching Im going back to giving all my plants water.  Would be curious to your opinion on the coffee.  I will say the coffee has done wonders for all my other plants


There were 2 new shoots when I brought it here and I removed them and put them in small containers.  We will see if they survive.

Thanks again for all your great assistance for us who want a green thumb.  As far as other plants; I have a peace lily, rubber tree plant, spider plant and those plants with heartshaped leaves that are green and /or marble green which never die.  This plant when I trim it I stick the leaves in soil and water and they grow.  I have 3 plants of those.  I'm getting to the point I want to give everything a chance and not throw any clippings away.lol

Answer
Hi Darrell,

"Dracaena Spike" is a common name that can be applied to many different plant species. It is most commonly used as a nickname for Cordyline australis, which is not actually a Dracaena. So much for common  plant names! I will assume that is what you have. If not, let me know.

I am afraid you are a victim of too much information, most of which is extraneous or irrelevant. The basic problem here is inadequate light. Eighteen feet from any window is well below the minimum needed and a north window light is already a bit on the low side. The fact that it was in direct outdoor sun until recently means you have reduced the light by a factor of at least 1,000, a shocking decrease. Outdoor light is many times more intense than direct sun indoors. I cannot explain how your plant survived last winter in a dark basement, but I suspect that there is more to it than the information you provided. At best, you were very lucky last year and there is no way any Cordyline will survive in the environment you now have yours in.

Because it has been in this sub-survival light for only two weeks, there is a good chance it can still be salvaged if you follow my advice. Place the plant right in from to your sunniest window. There is no substitute for light, so if you don't get this right, nothing else you do will matter. In reduced indoor light, plants must be allowed to dry deeper into the pot. In this case, the soil should dry about 2-3 inches deep into the pot in between through waterings.

Stop using coffee! That is misguided advice from organic gardeners who do not understand indoor plant care. Coffee in any form will gradually lower the soil pH and increase the acidity. When the pH becomes too low the essential mineral nutrients will be become insoluble and unavailable to the plant. Coffee grounds are fine in compost used outdoors, but should never be used indoors.

All the rest is pretty much irrelevant. Cordyline does just fine in low humidity, although the pebble tray does no harm. The mirrors will not help because the plant is still too far from the light source. Cutting roots that poke out of drainage holes will not harm the plant. BY the time roots become mushy, it is already too late. That is not a reliable way to determine if your watering is proper. Letting water sit in an open container is a waste of time. That may some chlorine to dissipate out, but normal tap water does not have a enough chlorine to cause a problem in the first place. However if your tap water is hard, then you should use only filtered or distilled water.

In general for all of your plants, concentrate on providing proper light for each species and learn how dry they need to get between waterings with water that is not hard. Be very careful not to repot unnecessarily (plants do best when potbound). Fertilizing and humidity are largely irrelevant and can be ignored. I realize this contradicts much of the information you have found, but my information is based in over 30 years of professional hands-on experience caring for plants in homes and offices, not greenhouses and nurseries where environments are carefully controlled.

I have written an article on many of these topics that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who sends a request to me at [email protected].

Please let me know if any of this is unclear, if I have missed anything 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 HorticulturalHelp.com