13-02-2004, 05:33 PM
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Dragon Tree - root rot symptoms?
(TanQ10) wrote in message . com...
Hello--
How do i tell if my Dragon Tree has root rot?
Background: This is my first house tree - i've had it 9 months, the
top 3 shoots (4 ft originally) have grown about 8 inches each, it has
been in a sunny room, in a corner farthest from the porch doors about
10 ft away) so i would say it gets diffused bright light - we live in
Hawaii, so it's moderately humid and i water on average every 10 days,
after checking the top 1" of soil. The plant is in it's original
potted soil, in a pot about 10" in diameter, 14" deep.
A few weeks ago, the smalllest/newest 2 shoots lost all their leaves,
then started sprouting new baby leaves at the top. I noticed the 2
stems, the top 3 inches, had a healthy looking bright green, with
bright green baby leaves. Now these two stems are very soft to the
touch, and the outer 'bark' is very papery and thin - I could almost
slide it off like a glove?? The baby leaves, which got to about an
inch long only, turned yellow/brown and fell off. What is going on?? I
checked the leaves on the other healthy shoots and noticed no spider
mites or anything bad in the soil. Did i overwater somehow? Is the pot
not draining? Do i need to change the soil and put the plant in
brighter light?
Thanks in advance for your replies
-T
Can't be lighting because Hawaii gets approx. 12 hours of day light
all year long; you would have seen problems long before now. However,
this is the coldest time of year for Hawaii. Cooler temps. equal
slower respiration in indoor plants thus less frequent watering is
needed. One inch of growth per month is good; the roots grew too, so
check to see if the plant is rootbound - if it is repot into larger
pot and use a well draining media mixture.
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