Question
I purchased a large dracanea back in Dec. of 2006. It has 4 seperate pieces, ranging from 18" to 6' The plant was very tipsy in the pot that it came in so I purchased another, larger, pot with what I thought was the best soil I could find. Since then, the plant had to moved outside, due to available room inside. I live near the beach in southern california and figured the moderate climate would be fine. It gets about 3-4 hours of direct sunlight a day. The plant looks wilted, a lot of brown, and a few of the leaves have split in half, and no matter what I try it doesn't seem to get any better. I've tried miracle-grow and I stay on top of watering.
Any suggestions what I may be able to do?

Answer
Hi Saralyn,

There is a common belief that more light is always better for plants. In fact, most houseplants come from shaded areas of the tropical rain forests and are better suited for reduced light. That is why they work well indoors, but fare poorly when moved outside to the very intense outside sunlight. It is the direct outdoor sun that is burning up the leaves on your Dracaena.

If you want to keep it outside, then it must be in the shade throughout the day. Otherwise, keep it close to a sunny window indoors.

The damaged leaves will not recover, but new leaves coming in should be okay as long as you reduce the light. Fertilizer is not medicine and will not help at all.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions. If you would like to e-mail me some photos, I may be able to provide some additional insights.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

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