Question
hi will, i'm not a plant person but thought i'd buy a few from morrisons to brighten up bedroom, a week ago i bought a dragon tree and within a few days a fur like thing (the only way i can describe?) started appearin on top of soil, its positioned on my desk near window with no direct sunlight and i've watered it twice and i'll b feedin it on 12/11/05, because its new i've not repotted it, i've bought another 1 and thats doin the same thing? please advise thanx.

Answer
Hi there,

I'm tempted to write that maybe the fur-like thing is a dragon, but of course it is not! LOL!

The only things I could imagine that it could be are a caterpillar or some kind of mold (fungus). But without a better description, I cannot be sure. Can you email a photo to me at [email protected]?

Otherwise, let me know if this thing moves? What are its dimensions? Is there more than one? If you remove it, does it grow back? What color is it?

Dracaena marginata does best right in front of a window. It is good that you did not repot it. Water it only when the top quarter of the soil feels dry to the touch and then water it thoroughly so that the entire rootball is saturated. Do not feed it at all until next spring. If your tap water is on the hard side, use filtered or distilled instead.

Will Creed