Dracaena marginata troubleshooting

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

One of the draceana marginata stalks is soggy. the top is soggier than the bottom. (Halfway down it feel like the stem is smaller than the bark…like the stem is withering ) the rest of the plant (i.e stalks) is fine.

Im going to cut the top half of the stalk off. can i keep it in the same pot as the rest of the stalks?

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Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 years ago
the name marginata... implies.. that it has a margin.. i dont see any margin ... which means it is not marginata.. or it is not getting proper light.. to margin properly ... and lack of light and improper watering can lead to all kinds of problems ... but you would have to tell us all about all that if you want help in that regard..

watch some of the propagation vids at the link ... and do whatever. .in a separate pot ... it will have significantly different watering needs than the rest of the plant...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=dracaena+marginata+propagation&t=ffab&iax=videos&ia=videos

im not sure what the deal is with the media you have in there.. it looks very heavy with perlite.. is that some kind of home brew mix.. and did your problems start after you repotted it into it??? [see what i did there.. perlite is not heavy.. lol.. its lighter than pop corn.. ]

welcome to the forums....

ken
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Is it near a window? It's definitely D. marginata.
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
3 years ago
It is marginata and the margins are inconspicuous due to low light. The sudden change in stem diameters is an indication (likely) of the change from high light to low light. Low light causes elongation of cells (promotes a reduction in diameter) and reduces the necessity of the plant to make more cells to store excess photosynthate (sugars/starches), which also contributes to limiting of the diameter of stems/branches.

You CAN propagate by cuttings, but success would be much more likely if you waited until June/early July (if you live in the Northern Hemisphere) because the plant should be in a higher state of vitality (more reserve energy) and days are longer/brighter, which means the (then) current ability to make food (plants make their own food during the process of photosynthesis) will be at peak levels; or, you could air layer the top off starting the layer at your leisure. Success is pretty much assured if you layer instead of propagate by cuttings. The already rooted stems will then back-bud and grow new branches. That response, back-budding, will also be more enthusiastic of you separate the layer in June/early July.

The plant definitely wants more light. What have you been doing insofar as fertilizing?

Al