Identification: A Miracle? Indoor Potted Tree-Indentification & HELP!

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by LA Woman, Mar 31, 2008.

  1. LA Woman

    LA Woman Member

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    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    HELP! I inherited this tree from a friend who passed away about 8 years ago. His mother asked me to look after the tree. It's been doing okay with once a month waterings and some daily direct sunlight from the south & west - however I always felt it could do better.

    Can anyone help me NAME this plant/tree and offer advice as to:
    • How much to water
    • How much light needed
    • How to deal with browning tips of leaves
    • Should I re-pot it? If so, should I keep the rock like soil going? (never been re-potted)
    • When/where/if to trim or cut off existing branches to promote growth
    • how to get rid of the tiny white powdery mites
    • What to do with a dead trunk/branch (see picture)
    • and most importantly -


    HOW THE MIRACLE OF THE BLOOMS IN THE PICTURES OCCURRED THIS WEEK (SEE LAST 2 PICTURES) AFTER 10 YEARS WITHOUT ANY - EVER????!!!!!!! What I did indeed do differently this last 2 weeks was water more just guessing it might help and focused my attention on the plant as a living breathing organism rather than just a "thing" in my house.
     

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    Last edited: Mar 31, 2008
  2. edleigh7

    edleigh7 Well-Known Member

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    Location:
    Brisbane Queensland Australia
    That plant is a Dracaena. More than likely Janet Craig, though the flowers look a bit like D. fragrans. Are the flowers fragrant?

    I'd water when soil is nearly dry.Some one might have better advice because all my Dracaenas are outside
    That light seems fine, but if you have a spot with a bit more light would be OK too
    Browning of leaves seems to be a natural occurance in this case
    Seems to be doing fine in that pot. What do you mean by "rock like soil"
    I don't think you need to promote growth, its going well, but you can take cutting where the stem is not green and turned brown
    I'm not sure how to get mites I've never had them (touchwood)
    Dead tunk, just cut it off and you might get new growth off it.
    The flowers, I'd say, had nothing to do with what you did in the last 2 weeks, its just a natural occurance. A lot of my Dracaenas flowered this year for the first time.
    Hope I helped

    Ed
     
  3. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    Location:
    philly, pa, usa 6b
    that is one darn healthy draceana!! ed's right, if the flowers are particulary fragrant, then it's d. frangans. if not, then it's janet craig.

    when kept inside in pots, they usually don't bloom until they're quite old. so, you did nothing other than patiently care for it all these years. what a nice reward to have it flower!!


    although it's done quite well for the past 8 years, it is WAY overdue for a repotting!!! that should be done at the most, every 4 years. maybe not into a new/bigger pot - at the least the soil should be replaced.

    the best soil is something that is very well-draining - i use a mix of cactus soil and regular potting soil for my dracs. i also keep them in pots with drain holes - usually unglazed clay. if not, then the usual plastic things and i insert them into a nicely painted ceramic pot.

    i think it's time to put these guys/gals into a larger pot - looks pretty cramped there and i'm sure you'll find it's completely root-bound once you unpot it. go a couple/three inches wider and about the same deeper and that will give the roots plenty of room to stretch out.

    as you know, the normal pattern is for new growth to appear at the top and the stuff at the bottom eventually dies off. so, brown tips on bottom leaves really isn't anything to be concerned with - especially if you have new leaves at the top.

    when leaf tips are browning up all over, then that could be because of too much chlorine in the water. it's best to let tap water sit overnight so the excess can dissipate. browning tips all over can also mean that the roots aren't absorbing the water properly or aren't getting enough of it and/or the soil is shot. in that's the case, replenishing the soil and/or repotting completely is what is needed.

    you can prune it back pretty much where ever you choose to. AND you can put the top piece into soil and it'll root and create a new plant, too! the main stalk that you've cut will start producing new growth just below where you cut it.

    you can also cut a stem into multiple pieces (with at least 4 nodes on each) and place them, sideways, on soil and they will root and then grow into new plants.

    when you repot, you can remove that dead trunk. if it really is dead, that is! you may be surprised to find some new growth budding out of it...these plants are pretty darn hardy.

    do the white bugs look like little bits of cotton fluff?? if so, they're mealy bugs and very easy to treat. use q-tips dipped in rubbing alcohol and just touch them with it. also rub the stems/branches with the r-a, too (the eggs are very hard to see). then, treat again in another 10 days or so and again 10 days after that. by then, all the eggs should have hatched and you'll have gotten them all. check any other plants you have too...mealy bugs will travel and like quite as few different types of houseplants. oh, you can also use a spray bottle - that would be quicker going since your tree is so big.

    basics for watering are: water thoroughly enough so that the soil is soaked and the excess runs out the bottom - remove any excess from the drip tray. let the soil dry out before watering again (stick your finger in and it should be dry down at least 3 inches for a large container like that). the larger the container, the longer it takes to dry out - so, your monthly waterings will probably remain the same when you repot it.

    the lighting sounds okay.
     
  4. LA Woman

    LA Woman Member

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    I just can't thank you both enough for your replies! Such wonderful information. Oh boy, re-potting it - I can't even lift the thing myself to take it outside. Will have to call on the ex-boyfriend or something!

    Sounds like the tree is doing better than I thought. Will have a spray down with rubbing alcohol for the little mites (QUESTION-can I rinse the plant with a hose after the alcohol has been on there a while? I hate to put something so harsh and foreign all over it). Will look into re-potting it too.

    THANK YOU BOTH!
     
  5. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    that's the beauty of the rubbing alcohol - it dissipates after a couple of minutes! so, you really don't need to spray it down with water at all - you can if you want to, or if you really spray a lot of it on. make sure to cover the soil with some plastic bags to catch any drips. sorry, forgot to mention that before!

    oh, and for household help...borrow a neighbors' husband for an hour or so. i do that ALL the time!! ROFL
     

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