Question
QUESTION: Hi Will,
I bought a Dracaena Marginata from a store a couple of months ago. It had 3 stalks shooting up from the soil and each stalk had further 3 mini stalks at the end of which were the leaves. I observed roots shooting out of the drainage holes and poking out of the soil on top, so I repotted it from a 6" pot to a 10" pot. A couple of weeks later i noticed mold growing on top of the soil. I scraped that off. When the mold came back, I cut back on the water and repotted the plant in a different soil - but in the same 10" pot. That seemed to work for a while, new shoots came out et al. Last week, while watering the plant (I have since begun giving it about 3/4 cup water per week), I noticed the largest stem seemed a bit puffy. As in the outer skin of the stem is hard and stiff to touch, then your fingers feel like an air pocket and then you can feel the inner portion of the stem. This is extending upwards from the root. The point where the leaves shoot out seems firm. Simultaneously the leaves from that stem only started wilting, turning yellow, drooping and falling off - in hordes. I keep the plant in my hallway - it does get some indirect light from the stained glass door near it. No drafts or vents near it. Cant seem to see any insects on the pot too. In the past 2 months, once every month, I have used fertilizer sticks.
Have I killed my DM? Is there any way to save it? should plants be taken away from me and put into "care". Please help.

ANSWER: Hi Farah,

No need to blame or punish yourself. You are laboring under some very common misunderstandings that are causing you to struggle with your plants. Once your basic understandings have improved, so will your success with plants.

The puffiness you describe is definitely a sign that the roots are rotting. The reason the roots are rotting are two-fold: the pot is too big and the soil is staying too moist and your Marginata is not getting enough light.

Let's start with the light because if you cannot provide enough, nothing else matters. Marginatas must be located in front of a sunny window that has clear glass and is uncovered throughout the day.

The most common mistake that people make in plant care is unnecessary repotting. (I have written an article on repotting that I will email for free to anyone who emails me a request.) Even if your plant needed repotting, you should have moved it into an 8-inch pot. All the extra soil you added to fill up the larger pot is like a sponge that absorbs and retains moisture for too long. That is what caused the roots to rot. In addition, the soil that you used apparently was contaminated with mold spores that produced the mushrooms, which are actually harmless to the plant.

Fertilizer is not medicine and is intended only for plants that are healthy and growing vigorously and have not had fresh soil added in a year or more. So remove the fertilizer sticks.

I am not sure if your Marginata can be saved at this point. Certainly the stem that has swollen cannot be saved so it should be cut down. The healthy top portion can be propagated, but not easily.

Try to undo your repotting by removing all the extra soil you added to the original rootball. Put the original, rootball back into a 6-inch pot. Water it only when the top 1-2 inches of soil feels dry.

If the roots have not been too badly damaged, the smaller pot, proper watering and better light will help it recover very slowly, so you will also need a lot of patience.

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

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and nomination for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.

Need more information? Visit my website at www.HorticulturalHelp.com
or email me at [email protected]
or call me at 917-887-8601 (EDT)
 
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Will,

Thanks for your help. Last night I repotted the DM. Turns out the 3 stems had 3 separate root systems. 2 of them were mushy. So they had to go. The smallest stem seemed fine - so I've repotted it in a 6" pot. I dont know if its going to survive. But fingers crossed.
I've read that a cutting from an existing stem for a DM - when planted in soil and covered with a plastic bag might help propogate it further. I've done just that. I'm also told it needed to be dipped in a rooting mix before being planted. I didnt have that. So it just went into the soil.
You think it has a fighting chance? If yes, how long should I leave it undisturbed?

Thanks

Farah

Answer
Hi Farah,

Propagating Dracaena marginata cuttings is tricky because they often drop all their leaves before they develop roots viable enough to absorb water. Tip cuttings work best with about 2-3 inches of bare stem below the lowest leaves on the cutting. Use a sterile, porous potting mix of equal parts of peat moss and perlite. Make the potting mix nice and damp, not wet, and insert the cutting in the center. Rooting powders are over-rated and not nearly as important as the right potting mix and moisture level.

Then, place the pot and cutting inside a clear plastic bag that you blow up with your own carbon dioxide supply and then seal it tight. This will create a mini-greenhouse in which the moisture cannot escape from the leaves or soil. That is why having the potting mix at a nice level of dampness is very important. If it is wet, the stem will rot. If it is dry, the roots will never form.

Place this plastic tented contraption in a location that is warm and gets lots of bright but indirect sunlight. Any direct sunlight will cause the inside of the plastic to heat up and the cutting will cook.

If you notice large droplets of water forming on the inside of the plastic, then there is too much water inside. Open the plastic and let some fresh air in for a couple of hours before resealing it. Some light mist on the inside of the plastic is fine.

Your cutting will need at least a month and maybe two to get viable roots. Newly emerging growth is often an indication that roots have formed, but it's better to err on the side of caution and wait a bit longer if you are not sure. When you are ready, gradually open the plastic a little bit longer each day so the rooted cutting can gradually adapt to the lowered humidity levels. You will then have to start monitoring the soil moisture as it will start to evaporate once the plastic bag is opened. After a week, you can remove the plastic entirely and move the rooted cutting to a sunnier location.

Do not be in a big hurry to move it to a larger pot. It will grow best only after it is moderately potbound and it will not need a larger pot until it is so potbound that it requires a thorough watering every couple of days.

Start fertilizing at half strength monthly after the plastic has been removed.

Unfortunately, even if you follow all of these instructions, there is no guarantee of success. Not all cuttings root. But give it a try and learn from the experience regardless of the outcome.

I have written an article on propagation techniques, including this one and air-layering that I will email for free to anyone who sends a request to me at my address below.

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

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and nomination for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.

Need more information? Visit my website at www.HorticulturalHelp.com
or email me at [email protected]
or call me at 917-887-8601 (EDT)
 
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC