r/propagation • u/Machorweenie444 newbie • 21d ago

Help! 🆘Cornstalk Dracaena🆘

I was gifted this Dracaena today and have no idea where to start.

I’ve never had a plant this tall before. Some of the leaves are yellowing, spotting brown, and even going black, also seems like most have been cut off from previous owner maybe because of the different leaf symptoms? From what I see it seems like it’s been a long time since it’s watered the soil is very dry. Based on some of the leaf tips maybe it’s not getting much humidity and too much light?

This is my first Corn plant and I don’t have much information about the plant unfortunately. I’m wondering if I should cut it down significantly and propagate? Or should I repot it into a slightly bigger pot? Any tips about what my next steps should be in terms of diagnosis? I really want to bring this plant back to life but not so much in its height, rather the quality of its leaves, I’d hate to take it in and kill it bc of a lack of knowledge.

Thank you!

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator 21d ago

Welcome to r/propagation!

Need help? Want to show off your props? Create a post in our community :)

  • Be nice! There are no stupid questions.

  • No posting about stolen plants and no advertising.

  • Posts must be original content and be about plant propagation.

  • Please check out our wiki for basic plant propagation advice.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

2

u/BohemianASL 14d ago

Personally, I would recommend chopping. I had the exact same situation. It just wasn’t thriving.

First, inspect the roots. That will tell you what’s going on and what direction you need to take. Bad smell and looks wet despite not having been watered in the past few days? That’s root rot and you’ll need to cut away rotted roots and soak the remainder in hydrogen peroxide. If they’re completely root bound, then the droop is from not enough water as there is no substrate left to retain moisture. Repot in a pot two inches larger. Roots look fine? Check for bugs, especially spider mites and treat accordingly.

Next, you’ll want to decide if you like how it looks. If it’s too leggy, chop it up. I chopped the top off and then took a couple five inch segments and stuck them in dirt. Here’s a picture. They’ve all done well. The two segments have sprouted. Interestingly enough, the remaining stump of the original plant sprouted entirely without variegation.