I have one (now 2) that I keep indoors in the Winter, Last year it was 2 , 7-8 foot Stalks, Last Spring I cut one of the Stalks back to around 3 feet & left the Other in hopes the the one I cut would Re-sprout, & then I could cut back the other a few weeks later ( I left one stalk cause it had leaves , & the one I cut did not, Anyway after a few months late July(est) it still had not sprouted on the 3 foot piece so a week or two later I just cut it off at the bottom.

The plant grew taller ,then in Sept, I noticed a new stalk coming form the base of the plant ,that is now about 10 inches tall, & the other tall stalk is touching the 12-13 foot part of our Ceiling (when I brought it in in Oct, It did not touch the ceiling ,So it grew a little over the Winter.

Also I was able to save the top that I cut off last year & it's doing pretty well, would have been better but I was in the Garage and a Real Cold Snap Stressed it a-lot, so it lost about 5-6 leaves, but it's recovered well.

In a few weeks ill put it Out side then cut back the 12 foot stem to around 2-3 feet & see what happens.

Last year it took a few months for roots to come out of the stalk that I rooted, I dipped the stem in some R-ting Hormone & put it in a Pretty shady place under a Birch tree in an old 1 liter Returnable Coke bottle.

This year ill try to put the top in the Vermiculite mix instead.

This plant is near 11 years old & got it when it was only 10 inches tall.

Davers

Davers, you have so much more to say about your tree over here than in house plant forum. Sounds like you're having fun with it!

What happens when your giant dracaena's ROOTs are now busting out of it's already giant pot? What can I do? It's a terra cotta look-alike pot and it starting to split at the sides. Too big to re-pot, is it time for this 30 year old beauty to die?

How is it too big to repot--too heavy to lift? Too tall to move?

Whack off sections of trunk and root them, as in postings above. Leave a foot or so on the rootball.

Cut the pot off the rootball, trim the roots back severely, then repot.

Photos attached - just too big and heavy for me to handle anymore. But I had wondered about cutting the roots. Just wasn't sure if it would withstand such an assault, being that it's so big.

Another vote for what Steiconi said. It's gorgeous! That's how my trees look in my imagination! If you just don't want to mess with it, a nursing home, botanical garden, or university would probably love to have it.

OK wow - I never realized how nice it is, except that when I googled dracaenas yesterday, I didn't see one curly stemmed plant in the photo offering. I shall certainly try pruning the roots come Fall. The branches were curly when I took possession of it from my in-laws about 23 years ago, and I think they bought it curly in the first place. But all my new shoots grow straight. I do turn the pot to encourage different directions as the older branches continue to grow, but I'm stumped as to why the new ones grow straight. Any ideas on that?

Sounds like your in-laws kept it in much less light, &/or farther from a window, where it was leaning toward the light. Yes, it's fantastic!

emjay496 Pruning the Roots Sounds like the way to go., I was told to do this on a Schefflera plant in a similar size Pot by a Local Master Gardner . It is in a Tray made from an old large trashcan. & when I moved it out in the Spring I could see that the Roots had Circled the tray 4-6 times. Will cut them in the Fall...Your tree def, has a Cool look , Likely from low Sun, like said.

An Update on my Dracaena ,Since March.

I moved it Out Side in Spring & after a Couple Weeks I cut the 12 foot stalk down to about 3 feet,.

It Still has a 2-3 foot stalk that is growing from the base from last year & a smaller 9" came up over the winter.

After cutting it at 3' ,I was amazed that in a little over a month it Started 3 new growth stalks near the top where I cut it, (worried all 3 wont have room to grow well, as they are all the same height. I shall see. Also managed to save the top 3+, of the part I cut off ,just took it out of the water a couple weeks ago & put it in the Vermiculite mixture & it seems to be doing well as it the Top from last year that is in an est 6-8 inch pot, will likely transplant it in the Fall or next Spring.

Sorry I don't check my e-mail but 1-2'twice a month but I will check back W/ pic's if I ever try to learn How. LOL

God Bless All.

Tiffany

I would love a few of my plants to go the Botanical Garden or Similar Route esp, This 10 year old Sago Palm that Will not survive the Winter in the Ground here in N Georgia.

Gave one of my Large Schefflera Plants to a Church last Fall , it looked kinda Yellow when I drove by in May ..... OCD I worry 2 Much.

If you know an easy way to donate such plants ,Please E-Mail Me or I will check here . if not that's OK

Good Day

Davers71

Can someone tell me if it will harm a small plant in a larger size pot?

thank you!

Julie

Dave, if plants won't fit in your vehicle, that would add an added degree of difficulty in donating. Prob have to find someone with a truck or van willing to help get it moved. I never check email either unless I have a reason - so much spam. The new growths sound exciting!

Vermiculite can be helpful for sprouting seeds, and new cuttings, but collapses when wet, over time. As an addition to potting soil, it's a poor one. Perlite is much more suitable to help us not overwater plants, help keep the soil more airy & un-compacted.

Julie, not sure I understand your question? But, Hi & welcome!!

sorry - I have a smaller size plant that I was planning on putting in a large pot but wasn't sure if the pot size made a difference with this type of plant. Thanks!

The pot should be able to accommodate the roots with some extra room to grow. Whenever roots fill the pot, the foliage can start to suffer.

Thank you Tiffany!

Thanks Tiffany, I rarely Check My-Emails like you.

Appreciate your time.

Dave71

Julie..I have really never had any trouble putting small 3-8" (pot size) plants into larger 12-18 inch pots. BUT Some plants might not like it. Good Luck. D71

I have a dracaena warnekii that is from my husband's grandmother's funeral five+ years ago. It has grown from about 10" when we got it to almost 10', and only has foliage on about the top 3'. My husband is very attached to this plant (as am I,) but it's reached our ceiling and its long stalk doesn't seem very stable. I'd really like to cut it and root the top; however, I'm wondering can I make three plants out of it by using the original plant, the top section, and also rooting a mid-section of stalk? Also, is there anyway to keep it from getting so tall again or is it necessary to repeat the process every few years?

Kathy , I'm no plant expert at all , I just live & learn.

Please forgive my spelling , writing style etc. Or else ill be typing all day..lol

Is the Dracaena warneki More of a Purple Color & Or is it lighter Green Etc.

Suppose it really does not matter.
I would assume you could easily Root the Top after cutting it ( there are many ways to do it) choose the best method for you. I really no nothing about rooting the bare Stalk (worth a try). but IMO If you root the top ,the plant should start growing at the cut you made be it 2" from the base or 1', also do you keep the plant indoors all year if so it must get good light to grow so much in 5 or so years. Don't really know how to keep it short other than limiting the light it gets but that would have unwanted side effects ie, leaf loss. Also since I put my plants outside in Spring & Summer I choose to prune & root a week or 2 after I put them outside. I guess with ample light it can be done indoors about anytime. I would seek more advice on this if you like but wish you the best Outcome Possible.

D

Thanks for the quick response!! I do keep it indoors all year. It's a lemon lime variety, I believe. Not purple. It gets a lot of light. I closed the blinds some for the picture.

well, I thought I added pictures.

Sorry the pics didn't work out. I'd love to see that plant!

This discussion might have some inspirational pics & relevant info:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/2856506/can-this-dracaena-be-saved?n=20

Thanks for the link! Great info!! Do you have any pointers for adding my pictures?

Kathy when you click the camera icon below your dialogue box, a window should open up, from which you can choose your photo. If it doesn't work, some sites require images to be only up to a certain size, in which case, just resize and re-upload.

Happy to share, Kathy. Wish I could help with the phone/pic thing, but I'm totally clueless about that.

Mobile uploading is a pain - it's much easier on the computer.

So am I just to cut where I want plant to be and put in water that I change every couple of days? Also what do I do with the branch that is cut will it reproduce soon I would like to put in smaller pot so it won't get to big, I actually like the staight shoots

I cut one of my 2 and made 6 new plants. Kept them in water in my kitchen window until the roots were nice and big. I also soaked a paper towel in water and wrapped the top (where it was cut off) and zip tied a baggy around the paper towel, left for about a month and had new sprouts at the top. I'm getting ready to do the same thing to the other one that is touching the ceiling.

I couldn't get myself to cut down my dracanea for so many years. It hit the ceiling and was still growing and flowering every year. Finally, I did it today. But finding no photos or videos on the web of anyone operating on a dracaena in this condition, I had to improvise. Can anybody say if this is a lousy job or at least half-decent? I also don't know what to do with the main trunk. Should I remove all those old leaves and leave the trunk bare? Any opinions?

Looks good to me, I don't know about removing the leaves on the trunk, they do look sad, maybe trim them up a bit like you did with the cuttings...... not sure tho.....

It's a personal choice. The new shoot on the old trunk will be off the side and the new leaves will be a bit smaller to start of with. It'll visually be a bit 'unbalanced'. The old leaves, while still green, will continue to provide food for the plant (photosynthesis). It's going to take time for it readjust itself and grow out.

Hope it all works out megrix, looks like your plant is a bit different than my dracaena. , the cuttings look good tho , let us know how the stalk turns out.

i'm here once a year or so , will try to check back sooner.

For those interested .

My Dracaena plants '3' Now are all doing well , the tallest is about 4'' feet + the others are around 3 feet. No rooting this year 'thank Goodness'

In water it took a few months for the cuttings to Root, so patience is a Virtue as they say.

A-lot of worry went into these plants but all that was for NOT as they have turned out well.

I know pictures would help , Ill talk to the Wife.

Thanks Davers 71

Good Job.

metric how are they looking? I need to cut mine but I am so nervous.

Mine did fine after the cutting. In fact, I had to change houses, they suffered a lot, the new offshoots got broken, we were back to almost square one. Yet, they still survived and produced new offshoots. I would say there is no need to be nervous.

That said, your looks gorgeous and it is a pity to cut it. Did it bloom at all? Mine had reached about that size before, and was flowering every spring before I had to cut it. The flowering is quite special when it happens.

Indoor temp is pretty stable in my home, so it doesn't really get subjected to any real cold. I would be more concerned about the A/C - if it causes much temp fluctuation from day-to-day, or hour-to-hour, or if there is air flow affecting the leaves directly etc. Some plants do seem to be very sensitive to environmental changes.

It's often misunderstood about their flowering requirements. Normally they flower during the dry season which is the season with cooler nights. But if it's too cold they won't flower anyway. It's often commented on in forums, even people from Cape Coral FL, growing them outside they won't flower.

Hi my mom has this plant and we never knew the name until today! I’m so happy I found this forum! She was gifted it back in 2006. We live in Vancouver bc Canada. It has never flowered and I didnt even know it could. It’s 12ft tall now! I think I am overwatering it. It has yellow narrow mushrooma growing in the soil. I’m afraid I’m killing it, please help!

DA STREETZ, Glad you know what you got , my "Dracs " are some of my favorite plants .

looking at your pic's I think "my opinion" that you are over watering. tho my Drac's handle it well tho as long as your soil has decent drainage . Your plant looks like a couple of mine & lighting is an issue for me cause of the plants height .

I had the 'to tall ' issue before with this plant & it's clones .

I usually trim off the top few +++ feet from the tall plants then 'root' the tops .

This has worked pretty well but a-lot of these plants need a good new home .

Hi all. Glad I found this forum. I have two plants that are appx. 4-5' tall. I think they are both fairly healthy and I don't really do anything to them except repot them every few years. They seem to be outgrowing the current pots but I don't think I'll be able to manage them in anything larger. The roots are coiling. Does anyone know if it's ok to cut the roots and if so, when and how much? Otherwise, I'll have to donate them. All suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Thanks!

Beautiful, Nancy! Yes, you can trim the roots. What I do is chop off the "pancake" of coiling roots at the bottom, as much of the old soil as possible, then back into the same pot if I've made the same decision as you - this is the biggest pot I want to tackle.

You can also cut or snap the stems to keep them short. New growth almost always emerges from the cut point on the stump, so choose your cut location accordingly. You can stick the removed tops back into the pot or start a new pot.

This pot started with a single tree with 1 trunk, a few decades ago. Now there is a whole family - and some friends.

HI Tiffany! You're plants are lovely. Wow so I can cut them down, too huh? Good to know. Thank you very much!

My pleasure! You can even braid them. A fun plant to have around.

I did see this post which is so old. I live in zone 9 in Houston. I have your particular plant outside in my garden in the ground. We had a horrible freeze last year & the year before 12 degrees last winter. This particular drac always comes back from the roots. Came back this year & the year before. I don't know about constant really low temps, but, knowing me, I would try, especially not liking houseplants. You could try this with a cutting.

Also the areca palm was planted next to my house and withstood many freezing winters. Information out is that this palm needs to be in the house.

I realize it was planted right next to the house. We finally had to dig it out since it continued to grow sideways creating more and more growth.

Also cordylines/ti plants always come back just like the drac.

Tropical growers need to know this experience.

Happy growing. Carol

I have a plethora of dracaenas! I keep chopping these guys constantly, but because I don't have the willpower to throw anything away, I place the cut off portion in water and it roots. The base will send out new leaves and shoots, so now you'll have multiple plants. Once rooted, pot up and repeat the entire process. To the original poster, it's fine to cut it. Take the cut portion, remove some of the lower leaves and place it in water up to the first set of remaining leaves. It will root with no problems.

My older dracaena fragrans blooms every year and fill the entire house with perfume. i love it.