Question
I read your answer about brown leaf tips on the Janet Craig.  However, I have a new Janet Craig "Limeaid" and our city water is not fluoridated.  I follow the same protocol I used successfully with my other Limeaid Janet Craig and that is to let the water sit overnight to let the chlorine dissipate before I water.  It's not working with my new plant and I'm getting brown leaf tips.  Cutting them just makes the brown part travel farther down the leaf.  I'm going to try bottled water instead of tap water.  I never let the soil get too dry.

Answer
Hi Linda,
  Most cities, even the small towns, in the USA have fluoride in the water whether you know it is there or not. Unless you are on well water you probably have fluoride in the water. However even without fluoride there are still plenty of other chemicals and mineral deposits in water that some Dracaena are sensitive to, especially Janet Craig and Warneckii Dracaena. Distilled water, NOT bottled water, is the best way to go. Most bottled water has chemicals and minerals added to it to make it taste better, so that puts you right back where you started. Fortunately distilled water is cheap. I have 100+ plants and I only go through 2-3 gallons of distilled water a month which cost me less than $3 a month.

It is important not to let a dracaena dry out completely, even once can be fatal, but if you don't let it dry out some you are overwatering which could be contributing to the problem.
As a general rule, allow the top 1-2 inches of soil to dry between watering then water just enough for a small amount of water to drain out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.


Cutting the brown tips off leaves is just a way to make the leaf last longer and the plant to look good but the leaf will never heal and will need to be removed eventually. The best way to trim off brown leaf tips is first to use a very, very sharp pair scissors or clippers. Unless the scissors or clippers are very sharp it will crush the leaf tip before it cuts through which will cause more browning. Also try to not cut into green leaf tissue, that can also cause more browning faster than cutting the leaf right at the line between the brown leaf tip and the green leaf tissue. The leaf will last a lot longer it you leave a barely noticeable ultra thin line of brown leaf tissue. I have made trimmed leaves last 6 months or more before having to be removed by doing it that way.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions or need additional information please don't hesitate to ask.
     Thanks
       Tracy