i suspect the media in the pot is so old.. its basically useless.. leading to watering issues ...

if it were mine.. first.. i would put it in full shade .. since i have watering issues ..

then i would slip it out of the pot.. and probably verify that there is no real media to hold water in there. .. and then i would snap a pic or 3.. to post here.. and then i would slip it back in that pot for now ..

after some discussion here.. i would buy a new slightly larger pot. and some good media.. and repot it ... meanwhile keeping it in full bright shade.. until it settles into the new pot in a few months ..

and then o would spend a few months pruning out all the bad parts the plant aborts ... but sooner or later.. the new growth will show you that the plant is on the way to recovering and thriving..

but do understand.. after doing all the above.. you have done all you can ... and that at that point.. you have to stop loving it ... just water properly with the new media... and give it months to recover.. do not keep fixing it over.. and over.. and over...

all that. and to me.. it doesnt matter what it is.. there are no special rules for whatever it is ... its a corn plant.. the real name of which is escaping me ... maybe dracenia.. spelled somehow or another.. lol ...

ken

Old media in established plantings is seldom a problem because the plant's roots become a part of the soil structure. As the hydrocarbon chains break down and the carbon gasses off as CO2, the soil volume grows steadily smaller, leaving large pores between roots. Root congestion (being rootbound) in established plantings is a much more serious issue. The plant appears to be suffering from nutritional deficiencies and perhaps over-watering. It would be difficult NOT to over-water if the pothos is in the same pot as the dracaena.

If it was my plant, I would repot it immediately (not pot up - repot). The primary delineation between the two is that repotting includes bare-rooting, root pruning, a change of grow medium, and a complete elimination of the stress associated with rootbound conditions. Potting up is no more than moving the plant to the next larger size pot and filling in around the perimeter of the root ball with fresh soil, a half-measure that only partially relieves a fraction of the stress and ensures that the limitations imposed by root congestion will be perpetual, or at least as long as it takes for a pair of human hands gets into the root mass to correct the congestion.

I would also start a program of nutritional supplementation (fertilizing) on a regular basis. I suggest using Foliage-pro 9-3-6, as it's a complete nutritional supplementation program from a single source.

Watering correctly is also a key. Water too infrequently and the plant suffers drought stress. ..... too frequently and you begin a cycle that starts with the death of fine roots. This effectively stops the plant's above ground parts from growing until enough roots regenerate to support new top growth. Root growth always comes first. Then, about the time the amount of air in the grow medium will support normal root function, you'll be watering again. You can monitor moisture levels deep in the pot by using a homemade wooden 'tell'. More on that below.

I'm thinking this short piece I wrote about Good Growing Practices should be useful, and can help you avoid the pitfalls that waylay most growers at some point or another along their growing journey.

If you have any other questions you think I might be able to answer, don't hesitate ..... .

Using a 'tell'

Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need plenty of air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support the kind of root health most growers would like to see; and, a healthy root system is a prerequisite to a healthy plant.

Watering in small sips leads to avoid over-watering leads to a residual build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil from tapwater and fertilizer solutions, which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor.

In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water.

Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'.

One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue.

Al

That yucca elephantipes looks exactly like mine, which is rootbound and is getting repotted today, as a matter of fact. I would check the roots on yours to see if it is the same issue as mine.