Dieffenbacia / Dracaena - Help!

5 years ago

I got this Dieffenbachia Camouflage and Dracaena Janet Craig at the same time last month and having problems with both. The dieffenbachia has yellowing leaves on the bottom, and random leaves that have dried out yellow spots. The janet craig has continuously had the bottom leaves dry out, turn black, and shrivel up. This is working it's way up the plant. (I do trim off the dead/yellowing leaves, I just left these for the sake of having pictures as examples.) This is my first dieffenbachia; I've had other dracaena species for years and had no problems before this one.

I believe I'm following their care by the book:

- they are both in their original nursery planters, so no changes to soil, other than some tropical plant soil sprinkled on top

- they both get distilled water: dieffenbachia 1 cup every week, the janet craig 1/2 - 1 cup every other week. They both get a light misting/humidifer a few times between waters

- only have south facing windows, but they are near a window and get ample, indirect sunlight for a few hours, daily

- no pests, that I can see

I have dozens of houseplants, none of which I've ever had problems with. Not sure what's going on with these two, but it seems I've tried everything! Any suggestions?!

Featured Answer

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

5 years ago

shipping damage on the exterior yellow leaf.. snip it off .. not uncommon for it to show up a month later.. if minor ...

stress from shipping from grower to seller to you ... take a couple months to settle down.. stress is not fixed by fert ...

the lowest leaves are always the oldest.. and its not uncommon for some to be shed .. usually in winter or come spring.. and can be increased by stress ... just remove them ..

and most importantly .. water a plant when it needs it .. not on some random schedule and amount .. insert finger and FIND OUT .. and teach your finger how to do it ... weight of pot is usually a good indicator ...

and finally .. chill ... in the last few months they have moved from cozy greenhouse.. to store.. to your house ... and imo ... everything you are seeing is related to such .. and only time and proper watering is needed ... and just remove a few of the ugly leaves ... and if i am right.. nothing else is broken.. so no need to stress it more by fixing that which isnt broken ....

ken

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Comments (7)

hc mcdole
5 years ago
Cut off the old yellowing leaves. You can trim off dead ends too or remove the entire leaf. They may require more water but only you can be the judge of that. Keep an eye open for insect and fungal outbreaks and treat accordingly. They will adapt to their new home since they were grown in a greenhouse (more than likely) and had a better environment. Now they have to adjust to their new living spaces.
petrushka (7b)
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
what are yr temps day/night? Provided that it’s warm enough they should get more water, especially if they warm up by the window. the pots are quite large, but plants are big too. You need to test with a chopstick how dry is the medium: water when bottom third is still moist.
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petrushka (7b)
5 years ago
Also humidity levels matter: if it’s too dry the leaves will loose too much water thru evaporation. The higher the temps the more evaporation.
petrushka (7b)
5 years ago
If it’s cool and mix remains damp for too long some root rot will set in and so the plant won’t be able to support as many leaves. And it will start dropping them.
petrushka (7b)
5 years ago
In my experience with dracaena and dieff they in general are not thirsty plants but the roots need to dry up so if you have problematic conditions it’s better to grow them root bound in smaller pots then the size of the plant. Keeping that in mind I think yr pots are 1 size too large.
User
5 years ago
I've grown them in larger pots and it's OK as long as you let them dry thoroughly between waterings (or use a coarser mix with more sand).

As you just got the plants, a bit of shock while they adjust is normal (you mentioned they were only about a month old). So I wouldn't panic at this point, particularly as it's late winter besides, not really a great time for any indoor plant.

For right now, I'd water properly (let them dry out between waterings), and not worry about it too much. If you feel you absolutely must feed, do it at half rate at the most.

The browning tips can be caused by salts in the water, so be sure to flush the pots occasionally. If you know you have hard or very highly fluoridated water, you may want to purchase the cheapest distilled water from the grocery store to water any susceptible plants with. Dieff can tip with fluoridated and chlorinated water (any salt, really), so it's certainly a known problem. And I can certainly attest to it happening with a Dracaena...
MaKenna Mae thanked User