This dracaena was purchased about a year ago, and was heavily neglected then – before I took it and cared for it. It hadn't been in the sun and it's soil was super dry when I got it, the leaves were turning dark brown and I had to remove a completely dead stalk (is that what they're called?). Anyway, it's in medium-bright indirect light. I had someone take care of it when I went on a trip until July 20th, and it's soil was soaked. I haven't watered it since, and yet the soil is still pretty wet. It does have drainage holes. It still looks fairly healthy though, the stem is the same, not mushy or anything, and besides for 1 or 2 yellow leaves, they all seem healthy. Though not much grotlwth since getting it. Should I be concerned and repot it? Or wait and see if it shows signs of overwatering?
by Big_Potential8332
3 Comments
Soil doesn’t dry because the plant absorbs all water. The plant absorbs some water, and then the rest evaporates. If you leave a wet towel out, it will dry eventually because the water will evaporate
If the soil doesn’t dry it’s because it’s composed of water retaining material. That’s bad for dracenas, they want their soil to dry out in a week or so. Repot it now, don’t wait until it starts dying.
Are the rocks on top of soil or is it all rocks? Since it sounds like it’s too wet, you need to get the moisture out and the roots need some air down there to breathe. Loose the rocks, at least temporarily. The rocks are also slowly putting pressure on the soil, compacting it, making it harder for air to get to the roots. When was the last repotting? Maybe since it’s in a bit of a crisis this would be a good chance to dig it out and make sure the soil isn’t sludge and the roots are healthy. If you don’t want to go to that extreme, order some Chinese to go, ask for an extra pair of chopsticks, gently poke a bunch of holes deep into the soil, help the air get down there until it can dry, eat the Chinese food. Once it’s dry and you water it again the holes will slowly fill back in. Just remember, roots need air. It’s their job to breathe down there and sometimes drink water. They also do some microbiome stuff in the soil and none of that works well soaking wet.
I’d be checking in on the roots for answers and rot.