Question
Someone recently gave me a rather nice house plant, a Dracaena fragrans...but
the soil it is potted in has a horrible earthy, composty smell...I thought the smell
would go away but it seems to be getting worse...is there a way to get rid of the
smell without repotting the plant?
Many thanks, Peter

Answer
Peter,

Probably the plant has been overwatered and the peat moss has soured and is rotting. You really need to repot the plant but this is a poor time of year to do that, it should be some in the spring.  For now you may be able to get by with getting some agricultural lime at a garden center and work a couple of handfuls into the top few inches of potting soil. It will sweeten the soil and should stop the rotten smell. The keep the plant on the dry side. Do not water it until it feels very dry. That should stop the soil and the plant roots from rotting. But I would plan on repotting it between April 15th and June 15th. When you repot use 2 parts of potting soil mixed with one part of perlite, (white pellets) that will give your soil better drainage and you should get that stagnant odor. It is healthier to use this mix for all house plants. Good luck.

Darlene