QA

Quick Answer: Why Are My Dracaena Leaves Turning Brown

The most common cause of browning leaf tips among Dracaena plants is under-watering, or allowing your Dracaena to sit dry for extended periods of time. In the winter, you can allow your plant to dry out more between waterings, but be sure to boost humidity with regular misting, a humidifier, or pebble tray.

Should I cut the brown tips off my Dracaena?

Trim off brown leaf tips or spots with clean shears. Cut off only the damaged tips or spots leaving a tiny margin of brown so not to damage the remaining healthy foliage on the plant. If the entire leaf has turned brown, remove individual leaves at their base. Pull the leaf gently; it may come off on its own.

How often do you water a Dracaena plant?

PRO TIP: When it doubt, let it drought! The most common mistake made with these plants is overwatering. Dracaena trees prefer the soil to dry between waterings, but not completely through the pot. Typically, watering every 10-14 days will keep the soil with a nice even level of moisture.

What does an overwatered Dracaena look like?

The most obvious signs of overwatering are soft brown leaves or a soft looking trunk. If you notice this happening, leave your dracaena to dry out fully and then reduce watering going forward. Although some varieties of Dracena are used to very dry air, marginata and fragrans prefer slightly more humid conditions.

Why are my Dracaena leaves turning yellow and brown?

The most common cause of yellowing leaves among Dracaena plants is improper soil moisture–in particular, overwatering. Your plant doesn’t like “wet feet,” which will cause the roots to rot and lead to the eventual death of the plant. Yellow and browning leaves are the first sign that root rot may be occurring.

Does dracaena need sunlight?

Growing conditions: Dracaena prefers bright, indirect light; it tolerates dimmer light, but growth slows as a result. The plant grows well with standard indoor potting soil and average house temps and humidity.

What can I do with Brown dracaena leaves?

Humidity level Low humidity and dry soil cause leaves to droop and brown on their edges, later followed by entire yellowing, browning, and leaf drop. Misting the leaves of your Dracaena often will increase the humidity. You could also use a pebble tray for a long-term increase in humidity, or use a humidifier.

How do you save an overwatered Dracaena?

How to Save an Underwatered Dracaena Marginata Plant. Luckily, a neglected plant is much easier to save than an overwatered one. Do not overwater the plant. Instead, bring a dracaena marginata plant back to life by giving it small amounts of water over time until it starts to bounce back.

What does it mean when the tips of plants turn brown?

Plants naturally use and lose water through their tissues each day. Leaf tips turn brown when that lost water can’t be replaced for some reason. This includes providing the plant with too much water, too little water or too much fertilizer. Root damage or distress also prevents roots from doing their job.

Can you water dracaena with tap water?

Choosing the Proper Water One of the worst things you can give any houseplant is tap water. Municipal water supplies have numerous added chemicals that can be harmful to your plants. These include bromine, chlorine, and fluoride. Instead, the best water you can give your Dracaena is fresh rainwater.

How do I know if my dracaena needs water?

Water your Dracaena well and allow the top 50-75% of the soil to dry before watering again. Brown tips on the leaves can indicate over watering while numerous yellow leaves mean the plant needs more water. Your Dracaena will do well in average humidity environments, but will appreciate regular misting.

How do you know when a dracaena is dying?

To double check whether your plant is getting too much water, pop off the pot and look at the roots. If the roots seem to be rotting and the soil is soggy, you’ve found the reason for leaves falling off dracaena.

How do you save a dying dracaena?

An easy fix is to move the plant away from the window exposing the leaves to direct sunlight, or filter sunlight by using a curtain or UV filtering window film. A related symptom of overexposure to direct sunlight is the leaves of the corn plant growing inward.

Why is my dracaena curling?

Why Dracaena Leaves Curl? The leaves can curl from too little or too much water. In your case they are curling because you are over watering the plant. When you re-potted the plant into a larger pot, you should have watered less often than you did before because there was more soil and it would take longer to dry out.

How do you care for a dracaena fragrans?

These plants benefit from a little “drying time” between waterings. So water well and then wait for the top inch of the soil to dry out before watering again. If your Corn Plant is placed in a good spot with reasonable light and warm temperatures, (excluding Winter) you can keep the soil moist at all times.

Can I put my Dracaena outside in summer?

Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’ makes a better houseplant than an outdoor plant. If you want a Dracaena you can take outdoors during the summer months and indoors the rest of the year, grow Dracaena draco (dragon tree). It will grow in higher temperatures and some direct sunshine while outdoors.

What do you feed Dracaena?

Dracaenas should be fertilized with a water-soluble commercial houseplant fertilizer. Look for a fertilizer with a nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium ratio of 3:1:2 plus traces of zinc, sodium, manganese, copper and iron.