Hi - I inherited a few Dracaena Marginata plants... then proceeded to do as I always do... which is water them too much. (DOH!) Anyhow - these plants were sweet looking before... but my over watering caused them to lose all of their leaves. They have been reduced to wooden stalks that are about 3 feet high. No greenery ... only weird shaped stalk that looks really really dry. In fact, the outer skin on those stalks appears to be cracking and very brittle. The question is - will anything new ever grow out of these wooden stalks? They are pretty sizable, so I imagine that they would look quite good if they ever regrew leaves. I hesitate to dispose of these tree like remnants for that very reason. But they look kinda lame in my front room at the moment - massive plant pots holding a leafless tree-like stalk. Any thoughts?
Not familiar with growing dracaenas but I would leave it be and water it sparingly in the next 2-3 weeks. Cut off any dead growth and branches. I've hacked through 3 braided trunks of a pachira down before leaving nothing but tree stumps. In 2 weeks, new green sprouts appeared all along the sides of the remaining trunk. My trunk was very healthy though. Not sure what condition yours is in as it doesn't sound very positive. Posting photographs might help others in the forum assess the damage further.
You can try taking 7" stem cuttings and rooting them in a small pot as long as you can see some kind of life, some green inside the stems you'll be using, that is, if all else fails. Dracaena marginata likes to dry out pretty much between waterings, ck the soil through the drainage holes to be sure, then give it a good soaking letting the water drain out in the sink, or get spilled out of the saucer. They also do well in bright indirect light with very diluted fertilzer, but only if it's healthy and growing well, not sick or dying.
