Hello! I have this tree which has been identified here as being the following: Dracaena fragrans (Deremensis Group) 'Lemon Lime' When it was given to me approx.10 days ago, its leaves were perfect if slightly dried at the tips. I have since repotted it, using mycorrhiza for trees and shrubs, in a well drained soil suitable for tropical plants, putting rocks at the bottom of a clay pot for maximum drainage. I water it with Brita filtered water, and I wonder if maybe this is the problem? I find so many contradicting theories about filtered water on the web. The leaves are yellowing more and more each day at the tips. Even the new growth is showing signs of dryness at its tips so something is definitely going on. See pictures. I don't want to lose this tree. I had an avocado tree that I received with it and it has already died. I did the same thing with it, repotted it, using mycorrhiza, but unfortunately during the repotting process the remnants of the avocado pit it sprouted from fell apart and had to be removed, probably resulting in some sort of sudden loss of nutrients. Please help me salvage this amazing tropical tree! Thanks, M.
Hey... sorry for bumping this thread... does anyone have any idea? I've become scared of watering my tree, the browning is getting worse and worse and I have no idea what to do. It isn't in any direct sunlight but it gets a fair amount of bright indirect light. Thank you so much...
It's both complex and common. It's a question of a frequently asked and answered sort, but the cause is possibly several things. The browning tips on the youngest leaves probably, only probably, indicate a lack of humidity. Very common with indoor plants. Not necessarily a lack of watering, though. Misting often or keeping in a higher humidity area, or placing on a tray of pebbles with a bit of water in it might help. Doesn't look like disease process really. The older leaf with the bit browned could be, but that could also be due to transplant shock or change in environment. Tiny bits on the very tips of new leaves is probably not something to worry about once you've improved the humidity around the plant. Did you cut that cane? Where the new growth is shows a white top, indicating a recent topping off of the cane. What was the reason? That does not cause as much of a shock to the plant overall as transplant shock, but could factor in. It would definitely be more important if it was cut off because of disease or injury rather than just pruning or propagation. Last, I don't think Brita filtered water is your problem. It may not be necessary, and could eventually be a problem for some few plants by changing the concentrations of micronutrients and salts and whatever is in your local water. Water is water: it's whatever else is in it that can make a difference. Brita water will not be clear of chlorine, fluoride, or chloramines however. I dont' know about Brita, but some filtering systems use some salts that could minutely affect the water and subsequently concentrate in the soil. For recently potted plants, probably not the cause of tip browning. For that I'd suspect the chlorine family before traces of dissolved salts.
Hello, and thank you so much for your very detailed answer! I wanted to give the frequent misting a few days to see if it would do anything before replying, and it seems to be working although it's only been two days. I have been misting it many times a day and somehow the yellow area has become completely brown but hasn't spread any farther. Would you recommend trimming the end of the leaves? To answer everything you said, yes this plant has suffered both a change in environment and a transplant in the same day, so this might be the cause of the browning in the older leaves. I do not know why the tree was cut - it was given to me in this state. Although I doubt the very conscientious person who gave me this plant (and many others) would have given it to me after a disease without warning me. As for the water, I have decided to stop filtering it and simply letting it sit anywhere between an hour and a day. We'll see how that goes. I have heard this also that Brita may add salts to the water. Thank you so much for all this info, hopefully all will be well for this beautiful tropical tree!
