Question
I've had this Dracaena Fragrans for 2 years. It's a medium sized plant with a nice firm stem and solid-green leaves. Its main problem is leaf curl. It started a few months after I brought it home, and no matter what I try, it just won't budge. The leaves are curling in on themselves length-wise. At first I thought it wasn't getting enough light as it was positioned in a dark warm corner with little natural or artificial lighting. The reasoning behind this was that my room tends to get a bit chilly in the winter, and I don't spend enough time at home to justify leaving the heating on. When the weather turned warmer this spring I moved the plant close to the window in my room, where it's now getting medium indirect light. That hasn't helped. Since the problem started I've also tried to adjust the level of watering it got. I've tried watering it more frequently for a few months, then less frequently, neither of which made any difference. I inspected the roots a few months back, and discovered that there is very little root development, which would probably account for its lack of growth (since I got it, only two new shoots emerged, about 1/2 an inch each, which have not continued to grow). The plant itself has remained at the height of about 2 feet. It's still in its original pot, 5 inches tall and 4 inches in diameter, which seems adequate for its size. The soil is quite heavy, and there's quite a bit of mould in the surface, which I remove regularly. What can I do to promote healthy growth and get rid of the leaf curl and mould? Thanks!

Answer
Lana,

Your symptoms indicate overwatering. This plant should never sit with any water in it's drain tray. If the soil is very heavy I suggest that you get some fresh potting soil and an extra bag of perlite. Perlite is availabe whereever you get potting soil. Mix equal parts of potting soil and perlite. Carefully remove the plant from the pot, pitch the old soil, clean the pot, put some new soil in the pot the put the plant back in and put new soil around it packing it in firmly.

Then water the plant and an hour later empty the drain tray under the plant so the plant is not sitting with water in the drain tray. THEN DO NOT WATER THE PLANT AGAIN UNTIL IT IS VERY DRY. INSERT A BAMBOO SKEWER LIKE YOU WOULD USE FOR SHISH KABOBS INTO THE SOIL AND DO NOT WATER IT UNTIL THE SKEWER COMES OUT DRY. This plant needs to dry out well between waterings even if it means you are only watering it every 2-4 weeks. The lack of roots is due to the overwatering. It needs dryer soil to develop roots in. As it gets healthier the leaf curl will go away. Good luck.

Darlene