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Posted 1M ago by @StandupJicaro

Hi, why does my dragon tree start to lose all the leaves ...

#Dracaena
3ft to light, indirect
4” pot without drainage
Last watered 1 month ago
@StandupJicaro According to its plant tag it looks like it could possibly be due to over watering. It says it's in a pot without drainage? Dracaena like to somewhat dry out a bit in between waterings. Repot it in a pot with drainage holes in some Succulent Soil and let the top 1/4 of the pot to dry out before watering again. Roots need oxygen to breathe and if they are surrounded by water on a constant basis it could cause root rot. When you repot take a look at the roots and make sure that there are no yellow, mushy or smelly roots. If there are trim them off with a pair of sterilized scissors. Even if the app says it's time to water always check the plant first to make sure that it's ready because there are many different factors in how quickly or slowly the soil dries out.
Hi Matias πŸ‘‹ they can be stubborn can't they?!

There are a few things that can cause it... And number one is (as you might expect!) overwatering... And in winter it's especially tricky NOT to overwater! I'm finding all of mine are staying damp for much longer since the weather turned! UNDERwatering can do it but in all honesty they can probably go a month or more at this time of year without suffering as you want the soil to REALLY dry well before you water (most house plants - not all! - like 1/3-1/2 dryness between waterings and dracaena will stand pretty arid conditions! So too little water is better than too much).

The second & third most likely causes would be temperature swings & lack of humidity. Is he in a draft at all? They're really hardy but they are tropical so blasts of cold air particularly might upset him! And equally they like a year round humidity of 40-60% (mid range), if it falls to low that can cause leaf drop. Lighting is also important, but it looks as though he's in a window? If it's north facing I would try and move him to slightly better light, but he should be ok as long as he's getting a fair bit (as it will improve once spring arrives anyway, we expect them to go a wee bit dormant at this time of year!)

The GOOD NEWS is... You can totally bring him back to full health! πŸ’š

When I rescued this Marginata (Draco)from a guy who stays near me, this was the best side and he just TWO leaves left on the ither stem!! And even these were loose and looking sickly. I thought he was a goner tbh, but a year later he's definitely happy again! He's always going to be a bit leggy and spindly looking, but I love him πŸ’š

I did a full repot, clipped off a wee bit of root rot, cleaned him up and put him in fresh soil and put him under a good grow light, surrounded by other plants to maintain heat and humidity and just went very easy with the water. He started to bounce back right away.

You CAN (if all the leaves drop) chop the crown off completely, leave about six inches of trunk and the root ball and just really try and keep him warm and in good light and next year he MIGHT shoot again and recover (I've done that once too, but it takes a long time!). But definitely look at his roots first, you need to find the cause of the issue asap!

Best of luck! I'm sure you'll be fine 😊 x
@StandupJicaro hello, for me, I found this tree to be more like a cactus. In that it needs less watering than other plants. So I would wonder if your pot has drainage if you are not overwatering it. The next question would be the location. They like indirect sunlight. I have mine at a north facing window but no direct sunlight shines on it from my covered porch. Hopefully this information helps you. πŸ€— welcome to Greg!!
@StandupJicaro the genius’ have spoken @princesspitstop @JenniB81 @CourtlyKingfern the plant whisperers have gathered & left you with their expert advice 🀩✨🌱 another #GreggersSupportingGreggers iconic moment for the books!! 🀩 best of luck! I hope it’s a quick fix and all thriving from there 🌱πŸ₯³
@Prentyce You're so silly πŸ€— You're pretty genius yourself Ms.Thing! I've seen the leaderboard!!! πŸ‘€πŸ’šπŸ’šπŸͺ΄πŸ˜Š
@princesspitstop hahaha I’m speaking the truth!!πŸ€©πŸ™‚β€β†•οΈ all I have learned from the genius’!!! Bahahah :) thank you so much πŸ₯Ή eeek! Just excited to be on here! I know how lonely and hard and stressful it is when your plant isn’t thriving. No one to turn to… that’s why I #loveGreg 🀩πŸ₯³ so thank YOU!!πŸ‘
@Prentyce Well you're doing a great job sweet girl πŸ‘‹πŸ˜Š