Recently one of my Dracaenas got attacked by the sun. I put it outside in the shade to shower it and to give it a good drink but later that day it ended up in the sun for a couple of hours because I had gone out. All the leaves finally died on one of the stalks(this one has thick stalks and light green leaves) and then the whole stalk died. I now have 2 stalks left and one of them I cut back below the part of the stalk that became very soft. If it survives how long will it be before any leaves grow back.? I am only watering it every week and a half so it doesn't rot and should I add fertilizer, at what strength, IF at all?
I would not fertilize it now, fertilizer is best used on plants that are healthy and thriving. It's not cure for ailing plants. When you do feed it, use half, or less strength now and then, that would be plenty... How long it takes to recover depends on the extent of the damage and it's care, there is unfortunately, no set time.
If the stalk is soft, sounds like root rot to me, plus the sun wouldn't of helped the situation if the plant wasn't used to it. Does your pot have drainage holes? Ed
If the plant were mine I would cut the stem back to sound plant material and wait. When ever my Marginatas get to big I just cut off the top, stick it in a large, semi-see thru plastic bag with potting soil to create a little green house with moisture and the roots come. Also the stump usually produces 1,to 2 new starts. You can end up with many "pass-a-long" plants this way. Hope this helps. barb
