Question
Hi,

I have a Madagascar dragon plant that is around 18 inches tall. I have bought it in home depot four weeks back and is in a 6 inch pot with lot of little rocks (pebbles). I am not sure if there is soil underneath. I water it once in four days. The problem I have noticed is that it is accumulating some white fluffy stuff at the nodes from where the leaves have grown. What could that white stuff be and how could I take care of the plant better? Do I need to transfer it to a bigger pot? How often do I need to water and fertilize it?

Answer
Srinu,

I am assuming the pebbles that you are talking about are glued together, that is for shipping and you need to remove them. There is soil underneath. You need to gently pry at them with a screw driver to break them up. If they are too stubborn you can soak them in a bowl of water so the water is over the surface of the stones.  Once you remove the stones you will de able to tell if the plant is dry and you should water it whenever it is dry but not until it is dry.

Yes, you need to repot the plant but not until March or April, then you should move it to an 8 inch pot, no larger.

The white fluffy stuff at the nodes are insects called mealy bugs and their egg sacs. You need to immediately take rubbing alcohol and dip q-tips in it and use those to remove all the insects and egg sacks. If there are too many you can put the rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and spray them daily for 2 weeks to kill the insects and any eggs that hatch. If you have other plants you might want to check them for mealy bugs also and spry them if you see signs of the insects.

Fertilize it once a month, water it whenever it is dry. Good luck.

Darlene