awantedhero
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Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2012 6:16 pm

Plant Help

Hey guys! I'm having a little problem...

My 16 year old plant is starting to die! Everything was fine until...

I believe a month or two ago we trimmed the plant because parts of it (a couple leaves turning half brown) was dying due to the lack of water (We were on vacation).

Now my plants look like this! The leaves are sagging and look unhealthy. I am watering the plant too.
[url]https://imgur.com/a/BhmzY#0[/url]

This was the location of the plant's old area. Not much sunlight but the plant did live for 5+ years there... until we trimmed it. Then it started to die.
[img]https://I.imgur.com/snj3F.jpg[/img]

This is the location for now. This is where I placed my plant to try to get it more sunlight.
[img]https://I.imgur.com/3O8kK.jpg[/img]
This is a location I was thinking of but wasn't sure. What do you guys think?
[img]https://I.imgur.com/jMXeV.jpg[/img][/url]

Please help me! Any tips/tricks would be awesome!

Thank you for taking your time in reading this thread. Much appreciated!

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nedwina
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Posts: 118
Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 12:28 pm
Location: CT River Valley

Collapse like that can be due to sudden freezing-any chance of that?

Has it been repotted...ever? Potting soil breaks down over time and turns to glop, suffocating/drowning the plant. Browning tips can indicate too much water-

It's a tough call. I'd repot in fresh and good quality potting soil with no fertilizer. (Always best to control that yourself.) Pop it out of the pot and give the root ball a good shake. Check out the roots- do they look healthy or brown & rotted? Snip off the mushy & rotted. And gently repot in damp potting medium. Water it just enough to settle the soil and don't water it again until the soil feels dry an inch down. And don't water too much when you do, keep it light until it's really growing again. Since they're already trashed I'd pinch off the leaves.

Some plants will fry in direct sunlight. I'd move it back to where it was happy before. Especially since it is now stressed out. And if you repot & pinch off the leaves, it'll need a mellow place to recover. If it's going to make it, it will form new leaf buds in a few weeks.

If it doesn't do anything for 2 weeks or so, scrape a tiny bit of the bark away at the bottom of the trunk. Green will mean it's still alive.

I can't be 100% sure, but that looks like a Dracaena Massangeana, or Dracena Corn Plant. Do a bit of searching around for its care~

Good luck. That's a nice plant. Hopefully it's not too far gone. I think you have a 50/50 chance of bringing it back, since it's so big. But it's hard to give better odds than that.

awantedhero
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Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2012 6:16 pm

nedwina wrote:Collapse like that can be due to sudden freezing-any chance of that?

Has it been repotted...ever? Potting soil breaks down over time and turns to glop, suffocating/drowning the plant. Browning tips can indicate too much water-

It's a tough call. I'd repot in fresh and good quality potting soil with no fertilizer. (Always best to control that yourself.) Pop it out of the pot and give the root ball a good shake. Check out the roots- do they look healthy or brown & rotted? Snip off the mushy & rotted. And gently repot in damp potting medium. Water it just enough to settle the soil and don't water it again until the soil feels dry an inch down. And don't water too much when you do, keep it light until it's really growing again. Since they're already trashed I'd pinch off the leaves.

Some plants will fry in direct sunlight. I'd move it back to where it was happy before. Especially since it is now stressed out. And if you repot & pinch off the leaves, it'll need a mellow place to recover. If it's going to make it, it will form new leaf buds in a few weeks.

If it doesn't do anything for 2 weeks or so, scrape a tiny bit of the bark away at the bottom of the trunk. Green will mean it's still alive.

I can't be 100% sure, but that looks like a Dracaena Massangeana, or Dracena Corn Plant. Do a bit of searching around for its care~

Good luck. That's a nice plant. Hopefully it's not too far gone. I think you have a 50/50 chance of bringing it back, since it's so big. But it's hard to give better odds than that.
That plant has been in an average of 50 degree Fahrenheit every day. Does that matter? Thanks!

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nedwina
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Posts: 118
Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 12:28 pm
Location: CT River Valley

awantedhero wrote:That plant has been in an average of 50 degree Fahrenheit every day. Does that matter? Thanks!
Temp definitely matters. I originally thought that 50 degrees wouldn't be too bad with your particular plant there, but after reading this I stand corrected:

https://plantsarethestrangestpeople.blogspot.com/2008/02/damsel-in-distress-dracaena-fragrans.html

Other good info there too. And pictures- is that your plant, BTW?

awantedhero
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2012 6:16 pm

nedwina wrote:
awantedhero wrote:That plant has been in an average of 50 degree Fahrenheit every day. Does that matter? Thanks!
Temp definitely matters. I originally thought that 50 degrees wouldn't be too bad with your particular plant there, but after reading this I stand corrected:

https://plantsarethestrangestpeople.blogspot.com/2008/02/damsel-in-distress-dracaena-fragrans.html

Other good info there too. And pictures- is that your plant, BTW?
In the pictures in the link you gave me? I believe so. Thanks!



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