Give the soil a good soak, spritz the leaves to boost humidity, and place the dracaena’s pot away from any source of indoor heat that could cause the soil to dry out too rapidly in the range of 60F to 83F to revive a dracaena with drooping leaves caused by drought stress (15C to 28C).
- Every seven days, give dracaenas with drooping leaves a generous soak. Always give dracaenas a good watering so that any extra water drips out the bottom of the pot. By doing this, you can make sure that the soil is consistently moist, allowing the dracaena’s roots to get the moisture they need.
- Every day, mist the falling leaves. It is possible to mimic the humid conditions of the dracaena’s natural environment by misting the leaves. This aids in fending off the dry air that dehydrates dracaena leaves, causing them to droop.
- Avoid rapid temperature changes and keep the dracaena in a temperature range of 60F to 83F (15C and 28C). The temperature may quickly change and the leaves may droop due to drafty regions of the house caused by open doors or windows, air currents from forced air conditioning, indoor heating, or air conditioning.
- Find the dracaena in a place with more light (but avoid direct sunlight which can scorch the leaves). The dracaena should have enough energy and resources from bright, indirect sunlight to grow and rejuvenate its wilting leaves.
- Don’t overwater dracaenas, check that the soil drains adequately, and make sure the pot has drainage holes at the bottom. A dracaena typically benefits from weekly watering, however this should be done in conjunction with the proper drainage setup.
- After watering, remove any extra water from saucers, trays, and decorative outer pots to ensure strong roots. After a week, if the potting soil still feels damp, I advise replacing it or supplementing it with a mixture of 2/3 potting soil and 1/3 horticultural grit or orchid potting mix to improve the soil’s structure and drainage. The conditions for root rot are encouraged if the soil is still wet or saturated one week after watering (instead of equally moist) (which causes the leaves to droop, turn yellow and drop off).
A dracaena with drooping leaves typically recovers within a few days of the conditions being changed for the better, especially if the cause of the drooping leaves is dry soil and drought stress.
Key Takeaways:
- Overwatering and inadequate drainage are frequently to blame for dracaenas that die. Dracaena plants like well-drained soil and cannot endure constantly wet or bog conditions. Due to root rot, dracaena leaves will turn yellow and appear to be dying if the soil is too wet.
- Due to excessive exposure to direct sunlight, dry soil, and low humidity, dracaena leaves turn brown. Tropical plants like dracaena prefer to flourish in direct, bright sunshine with weekly watering and frequent sprinkling to improve humidity. The leaves droop and get brown if the soil entirely dries out.
- Low humidity caused by air conditioning or indoor heating causes the browning of dracaena leaf tips. Tropical plants like dracaena demand regular spraying to maintain a humidity level of about 40%. Fluoride in tap water makes dracaenas extremely sensitive, and it also makes their leaf tips dark.
- Dry soil, low humidity, and high temperatures are frequently to blame for dracaena leaves drooping. Once a week, give dracaenas a good bath to ensure that the soil is evenly hydrated. Low humidity robs the leaves of moisture, while high temperatures can dry out the soil too soon, causing the leaves to droop.
- A dying dracaena can be brought back to life by simulating the conditions of its natural habitat, which includes spraying it frequently to increase humidity, watering it once a week, and placing it in a location with strong indirect light. Any brown leaves should be cut down to encourage fresh development. To prevent root rot from causing the leaves to turn yellow and droop down, make sure there is excellent drainage.
How can a Dracena plant be revived?
You must first identify the source of your Dracaena’s stress before you can address it. Next, consider what it needs and what may be absent from its existing care plan.
Some dracaena varieties need direct, bright light to grow. To keep them healthy, let the soil totally dry out in between waterings.
These plants demand well-draining soil, ideally a gritty mixture that is suitable for desert plants. Not a lot of fertilizer is required.
The greatest time to apply liquid fertilizer is in the middle of summer when the soil is at its most fruitful.
A Dracaena’s brown leaves will never turn green again, so keep that in mind. Any harm done is permanent.
A severely damaged leaf that has turned more brown than green can be safely removed. Remove the brown leaf from the stem with a sharp knife.
I generally don’t bother with vegetation that is mostly green. But let’s say the dracaena’s leaves are colored.
In that instance, they can be employed for photosynthesis, which turns air and water into energetic carbohydrates with the help of sunshine. For a sick plant, this energy can make all the difference in the world.
How to Save a Dracaena That Has Been Overwatered or Has Root Rot
Repotting is the first step in saving a Dracaena from overwatering. Your Dracaena can be examined for decay or other damage by being taken out of its current location.
Selecting a new pot and getting fresh soil ready are the initial steps. Make sure your new pot has at least two drainage holes because more are better.
It is best to use a coarse, free-draining cactus or succulent mix. (Click here to view Amazon’s price list.)
If infected or rotten roots need to be cut out, clean scissors or shears should also be available.
Inspect the roots for indications of rot after removing the ill Dracaena from its pot and thoroughly rinsing the old media with fresh water.
On your Dracaena, you want pale, fibrous roots. If they’re soft and mushy, or if they’re becoming brown or black, they’re rotting. To cut them off, you’ll need clean shears or scissors.
The Dracaena can then be simply moved to a new pot and placed back in its original spot.
No matter what kind of Dracaena you have, you must let it totally dry out in between waterings.
In the winter, when growth slows, you might find that watering once every two weeks—or even longer—is sufficient.
Even Dracaenas only require a couple thorough soaks per month if you live in the South.
For individuals who can’t bring themselves to leave their plants alone for extended periods of time, a moisture meter is a necessary tool.
With this useful tool, you can monitor the moisture content of the root mass, which might give you a sense of security. (Click here to view Amazon’s price list.)
Reviving A Dracaena That Hasn’t Had Enough Water
The best way to hydrate a dry plant is from below. Where it is most needed, the root mass, it delivers moisture directly.
For this method, a basin or tub is needed to contain the Dracaena’s thirsty plant. You will also require clean water, preferably rainfall, distilled water, or water that has been through filtration.
To the water below:
- Remove the Draceana from its saucer or drip tray.
- Put the plant in the basin after it has been filled with water.
- Water should be poured into the basin until it is halfway up the side of the pot.
- Give the Dracaena at least 30 minutes to soak in the water.
- As needed, replenish the water level.
- Before putting your Dracaena back in its container, give it at least 15 minutes to drain.
No matter the kind, dracaena must be entirely dry before being watered once more.
Over time, dry growth conditions usually develop a hydrophobic surface. They are unable to hold water as a result and instead reject it.
Take your time while watering a dried-out mix from above. I just add about a quarter cup at a time, distributing it evenly across the soil’s surface and letting it gently percolate into the mixture.
Before the soil is ready for soaking, it may take a dozen of these tiny dosages in large pots. Just wait till you see tiny drops coming out of the drainage holes.
Then, add enough water to properly soak the mixture. As soon as it drains, the dracaena should resurface in its original spot. Before watering it once more, let it totally dry.
Saving a Dying Dracaena from the Top Down
It is advisable to completely remove your plant if the crown is severely damaged or dead. Whatever the reason, a dead crown stops the Dracaena from growing new leaves, which ultimately results in the plant’s death.
Thankfully, Dracaena are hardy and can create new growth points after the old, dead one has passed away.
Simply use clean shears to completely cut off the point a few inches below the dead crown, removing the old, dead crown.
You just need to wait at this point. Assume that the medium is properly irrigated and that the light levels are sufficient.
In that situation, you ought to see the plant’s top sprouting new buds. The same trimmed Dracaena has given me up to three new shoots every spring.
How to Save a Soft-Stem Corn Plant
To save a Dracaena or corn plant with a weakening stalk, similar extreme procedures are needed. Most likely, the roots there are dormant or decaying.
By spreading the healthy portion, you can still save the growing crown of your plant. But after that, it’s time to remove the head and begin over.
It is necessary to have clean, powerful shears that can cut through the stalk. You might need to use a saw instead if working with larger specimens.
Additionally, you’ll require a clean water container big enough to accommodate the plant’s stem and crown. For little specimens, a jar or bottle will frequently do, but for larger ones, a bucket would be necessary.
To save your corn plant, take the following actions:
- Cut a few inches above the stalk’s highest point of tenderness.
- You’ll then need to immerse the entire object in water.
- Place the vessel in a room with good lighting that is not in the sun.
- You ought to see roots forming within a few weeks. When many roots are at least three to four inches long, you can plant it in the ground.
Before the roots have a chance to develop, some individuals pot their cut-off Dracaena right away.
I favor applying water to a sick plant. Water propagation actively discourages the spread of disease from the soil, and also allows you to monitor how the roots are doing.
You also have a lot less risk of passing the illness to the next plant when employing water propagation.
Dracaena grows slowly but contentedly in water. In actuality, plants in this genus, such as Lucky Bamboo, are frequently never planted in soil.
There is no need to transfer your water-propagated plant to the soil if you like it just the way it is.
This type of propagation can also help dracaena that have almost entirely lost their lower leaves as a result of underwatering. This shedding could make you look ‘leggy’ and too tall.
A base without a crown will just send out new shoots and resume growth; cutting off the crown and water propagating it can yield two new plants.
For good cause, dracaena are frequently referred to as “unkillable plants.” A plant will heal and grow better than ever with quick treatment, even if it is severely ill or wounded.
What does a dracaena that is overwatered look like?
- The dracaena’s leaves become pallid and lose its green hue.
- They start to feel soft and limp and lose their clear, rather stiff bearing.
- They drop down and droop towards the floor instead of rising for the sky.
- At the center and borders of leaves that wither and dry out, yellow-brown patches appear.
- Compared to older, lower leaves, the highest, younger dracaena leaves are less impacted.
- The roots are swollen, transparent, and mushy or squishy to the touch when you remove the plant out of its pot. This is the beginning of root rot.
- Even the stems of the dracaenas begin to become floppy and pliable if nothing is done.
These alarming symptoms typically appear over the course of a few weeks to a month.
Be aware that plant necrosis caused by fluoride and salts in water is another issue unrelated to overwatering that may be causing the browning of the tips of dracaena leaves.
Why are my dracaena’s leaves dying?
Underwatering or letting your Dracaena lie dry for an extended period of time is the most frequent cause of browning leaf tips in Dracaena plants. When the top 75 percent of the soil in the pot is dry, water your Dracaena. Never let the soil become drenched or moist. In the winter, you can let your plant dry out between waterings more, but be sure to increase humidity by spraying your plant frequently, using a humidifier, or using a pebble tray.
Make sure to water your Dracaena thoroughly enough for the water to drain into the saucer through the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot. It’s crucial to empty the saucer of any extra water and to avoid letting your plant stay in any standing water. Wet feet are not good for your dracaena since they will cause the roots to rot and eventually kill the plant.
The dracaena’s leaves may be turning brown due to the quality of your water. The majority of tap water contains compounds that are toxic to dracaena plants. Before watering, use filtered water or let your tap water hang out overnight without cover so that contaminants like chlorine can vaporize.
Dry soil and low humidity make leaves droop and brown on the edges, which is followed by overall yellowing and browning and leaf drop. The humidity will rise if you often mist the leaves of your Dracaena. For a sustained increase in humidity, you might also use a humidifier or a pebble tray.
Dracaenas are more vulnerable to pest infestations when they are stressed or feeble. Spider mites and other sap-sucking insects can dehydrate your plant. Leaflets and fronds quickly start to yellow as a result of this issue. In an interior environment, scale, mealybugs, and spider mites are usually present. These tiny pests multiply and travel into nooks and crannies along frond portions if they are not eliminated at an early stage. The insects’ piercing jaws fatigue your plant and hasten yellowing, particularly if your Dracaena is already unwell due to inadequate lighting, nutrient inadequacy, or insufficient soil moisture.
Is your Dracaena showing signs of fresh growth? This discoloration is normal if there is new growth on your plant and older, especially towards the bottom of the plant, browning and yellowing leaves. Old leaves on your plant are shed, and new growth is energized.