I was just given this plant which looks like it has been taken care of very poorly and/or is diseased. Can someone help me identify it and give me some pointers on how to get it back to health? The leaves have waxy brown spots all over, the roots and the beginning of the leaves are healthy as can be but the spots start at the tip and are working their way to the base of the leaves. I have cut off the extremely bad leaves but I just don't know what to do next. Thank you!
These plants are hard to get here yet I've seen heaps on this forum, it's definitely D. 'Lemon Lime'. By the looks it might have rust, I am going off the spotted look and the way the leaves appear to be dying off from the outer edges. Any chance of a close up of the underside of one of those nasty leaves?
Thanks for the identification! I googled the Lemon Lime and that sure looks like what it is. I took a photo of the underside but it's funny, the spots look exactly the same on either side. The only real difference is that some leaves have a solid brown color and some are more spotted. Here is the photo anyway. I would really love to save this guy.
It might be cold damage. Has the plant been outdoors(or unheated building) in subfreezing weather? HTH Chris
I honestly don't know. It was actually given to me by a friend that got it from another friends funeral so it was literally just delivered from the flower shop last week. Is there anything you can do if it is weather damage? Do I just remove the dead leaves and hope what grows back will be healthy? And if so, that will be pretty much all of the leaves so do I cut the stems back at all so that it may eventually fill in? I really am clueless... Thank you again!
I'd let the leaves wither and die completely before removing them. They are still able to feed the plant as long as any portion remains green. Of course this will be a long ugly recovery. You may feed it as soon as you see new growth. HTH Chris
the normal growth pattern for draceana's is that new leaves appear at the top and the older leaves, at the bottom, eventually die and fall off. so, you could trim back the damaged leaves and just deal with the look for a while until the leaves reach the end of their life cycle. it could be cold damage - if it was left at the house of the deceased and the heat was turned very low due to no one being in the house or if the heat went off completely due to power outage. they're fairly easy-care. water well and then let the soil dry out a bit (about 2 inches down from top) and then water again. keep warm (nothing under 55) and keep in a spot where it gets bright light - not directly on it though, unless it's morning light (eastern exposure). it should be in soil that is very well draining...i use a mix of cactus soild or orchid mix and a bit of regular potting soil.
Thank you so much Chris. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. I searched and searched for some answers on the internet, to no avail. It is pretty ugly already but I just cannot see letting anything living die without a fair shot! :) Thank you again!
You will kill the plant with kindness if you keep the plant wet or even moist. Most canes must be almost bone dry between watering... and they do not like forced heating vents nearby their foliage. I sometimes wait two months before a small amount of water is given to my Dracaena. If it is indeed and infestation try Jungle juice available at nurseries or on line.
There's no real signs of rust on the underside. I can't say I've dealt with cold damage on these before but the others seem to be able to varify that far better than I. I'd say they are on the right track as the extremes of the plant is where the damage is hinting at exposure to elements.
Thank you, to all of you, for your insight. After looking at photos on the internet, I can see how you explained that these grow, Joclyn. I guess I will just deal with the brown until they actually dry out and fall off completley. I will repot it in a better soil and container until then. I have had it since Friday of last week, I have not watered it and it is still moist. So, it looks like it has been overwatered on top of the possibility of weather damage. It's great to know that there are such helpful people out there!
