A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2003 draceana question

one of my draceanas has two problems.

problem one is that the bark got scraped off of one side of it. (it is rather leggy at the moment)

problem 2 is that it didn't make it in the house last night and the temp got down to around 30. So it is looking pretty sad, but isn't totally brown/mushy. another of my draceanas made it just fine.

I am thinking that maybe the bark scrape is why it didn't weather the low temp well.

Can I try to air layer it at the place where it got scraped? that would solve the leggy problem and turn the scrape into a good thing.

What do ya'll think?

Go for it!!!!!!!! I think it will work. If it doesn't, just cut it and make another plant out of it. They are pretty easy to propogate.

cool! Thanks for the encouragement.

Jiffy, you could try using the lanky stems to make "log cuttings" to propagate more plants, IMO it's much easier than air-layering. Remove stem from parent plant, and cut into 3-4" pieces. Lay these pieces on a bed of moist planting medium, and bury about 1/2 of the stems depth. Enclose in clear plastic bag to retain moisture, place in a bright area (out of direct sun). In a couple of weeks, you'll notice "bumps" appearing on the logs. Soon after, these bumps will become the leaves of a new little plantlet. Remove plastic when first sprouts are an inch or 2 tall, place in a sunny location or under lights. Some of the logs will have more than 1 sprout, when the sprouts are 4-6" tall, you can cut the log on either side of the new plant, and carefully (there will be roots on the underside) move it to it's own pot. Here's a pic of some I'm currently growing, these are Dracena fragrans (corn plant) but this method works just as well on other varieties of Dracena.




You can also easily take the top of your plant and root it. Leave 4-6" of stem below the leaves, dip in rooting hormone, and plant in moist rooting medium. Cover pot with clear plastic bag, check occasionally to see if soil is dry, (plastic bag will keep most of moisture in), remove plastic bag when you see signs of new growth at the top of the plant. Here is a pic of the "top" that was left after I made my log cuttings, I used this method, and it's now growing happily. I have 2 more like this in the greenhouse, my parent plant had "arms", the parent plant is also in the greenhouse, looking much better, and growing with it's oringal main stem.





Give it a try, it's nearly foolproof!!


Nikkal

awesome. I think I will. I don't think the air layering will work and since this is a "fool proof" method, and I am definitely the fool sometimes, I might be better off doing it like this. Thanks again!!

What is air layering?

Hi Cris
Here's some good info on air layering:

air layering


Nikkal

Cris,

Air-layering is a method of propagating woody stem cuttings that are difficult to root in water or soil. It is a technique that allows the roots to develop on the cuttings before they are completely severed. Here is how to do it:

1.Pick the place that you want to cut the stem back to. At this point, take a sharp knife and cut a V-shaped notch one third of the way through the stem. This is where the new roots will develop and grow. Alternatively, remove the bark and outer layer of the stem in a one-inch band around the stem.

2.If you have rooting hormone, put it into the notch or on the exposed area. If you don't have it, don't worry about it.

3.Wrap a handful of damp sphagnum moss in a ball completely covering and surrounding the wound. The roots will grow into this moist sphagnum moss.

4.Place clear plastic wrap around the wad of moss covering the wound. Seal the plastic wrap tightly with tape or rubber bands. This must be airtight so the moss cannot dry out.

5.Wait patiently for roots to develop and grow into the moss. This usually takes a month or more. If you can't see anything after a month or so, carefully remove the plastic wrap and check for roots and to make sure the moss has not dried out.

6.When you have a healthy batch of roots growing in the moss, completely sever the stem just below the developing roots. Remove the plastic and pot your rooted cutting into a small pot.

The above is an excerpt from my article on indoor plant propagation, available to anyone who sends me a request.