Question
Hello, I have a dragon tree that I have had for several years, Today I noticed leaves, mostly one one stem, that has lots of little yellow spots and the leaves are sort of reddish. It looks a lot like spider mite damage but I have not been able to find any sign of spider mites. I have even been checking them carefully with a magnifing glass ( a strong one ) but no sign of them, not even any webbing. I do have a Majesty Palm in the same room but on the other side of the room by itself that had/has a spider mite infestation but like I said, I can find no sign of them on the dragon tree. In general the dragon tree has been doing well, has not even had a lot of brown tips. I have not fertilized it for a while, I let the soil dry before watering and I mist it about every to every other day. Could this be something other than spider mites ?

Answer
Hi Melina,

Thanks to your Majesty palm, you know what spider mites look like. If you have not seen them on your Dracaena marginata, then I don't think that is the cause.

This is a finicky plant that can deteriorate rather rapidly and unexpectedly for no apparent reason. It is usually a root-related problem, most commonly root rot.

Can you e-mail a photo of the plant to me at the address below? Otherwise, tell me if it is all of the leaves or lower or upper leave that are affected. Also, tell me how you determine when the soil is dry enough to water. How often is that usually? When was it last repotted?

I look forward to your reply.

Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

You can E-mail me directly at: [email protected]