Question
I have a daracaena marginata plant that I've had for about three years now that was thriving until I accidentally left it outside during a frost, (I live in southeast Texas- so its usually warm) and the plant's tops seem to have gotten frostbitten. I brought the plant(which I water once a week) inside but the long slender leaves continued to wilt. I pulled all the leaves off and realized that even the new growth had been affected. The entire top, including the top 3 inches or so of the stem seems to have rotted. Trying to save the plant, I decided to cut off the tops- stem and all where it is rotten. The problem is, I didn't cut all of the wilted stem off because I don't know whether or not I should cut into the live stem or if so how far down into the live part I should cut. Also, what is the correct type of cut I should make next time?(I made a flush cut straight across where I did cut,but the wilting seems to be spreading down the stem towards the root. The plant's stem is about 2 feet tall.)Please respond soon because I'm afraid I'm losing my plant!

Answer
Hi Auri,

I'm sorry your Marginata got frozen. This is a tropical plant that has trouble surviving freezing temps even for a short time.

There is no way to tell for sure at this point just how extensive the damage was. The leaves are the most vulnerable to cold, followed by the upper stems and then the roots. If the roots got frozen through the insulating soil, then there will be no recovery.

Prune off upper sections of the stem until you get to healthy stem tissue that shows no sign of rot inside. If the stem is mushy all the way to the soil line, then it is unlikely to recover.

The angle of the pruning cut doesn't really matter. although a diagonal cut is more traditional.

Good luck and please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

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