i rescue poor unwanted houseplants from the clearance tables at the local lowes and garden centers to try and give them a chance. I just took this dracaena home. I have never seen this ?disease before. The growth shoot is dry and hard to touch. I see 2 or 3 tiny growth shoots coming from a few inches below the dried up crown. should I attempt to slice above the new shoots and remove the top?? There is also what appears to look like rust spots and also heavy water spots which are hard to wipe off with wet cloth..please advise... thank you
You might want to cut off the dry brown at the top, but unless it gets wet and moldy, you don't have to. Your new shoots are going to take over. Sometimes old damage like this brown top can inhibit the new growth by forming a tight bandage over it, but the new shoots you see are already past that problem. The hard water spots are not damaging to the plant. If you want to try and remove them, use water with a tiny bit of mild soap in it, then rinse by wiping with plain water. The soap would just be a wetting agent, one that might cling to and dissolve the spots.
hi thanrose, ok, so in your opinion it's an old injury (maybe dropped?) and not a disease?? I am holding off any surgery as you instructed. Thank you
Yeah, it's not disease. It could be insect damage, but somewhat unlikely given where you got it. Possibly took a dive, possibly something dropped on it. If you can remove the brown stuff without tearing into any of the green, that would be okay. It's just easy to nick new growth and then you might have an even longer recuperation. --Former Jersey tamadah, AC area.
