A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 I need help identifying a plant & what to do with it!

We have a plant in our office that looks to me like a small palm tree -- it is getting taller and wanting to lean over. Where it is leaning over, it is starting to bend back toward the natural light that comes through our front window (which faces the East). Can anyone tell me what the plant is and what we should do with it? Also, there seems to be a new shoot coming up through the soil at the base of the plant, something it has not done in the 2 1/2 years I have been caring for it. I cannot figure out how to attach a picture of the plant, but I do have one that I took with my digital camera. Thanks!

Nana824,
If you go to one of these sites, *and there is other's too, just can't remember the names*....

WebShots
PhotoBucket
Imagestation

It's FREE to download your pictures too....
Then you can attach the URL from the place you choose, copy and paste the URL, then click on the IMAGE botton, and insert the URL into there.
*there will be a highlighted blue http:/ thing there, either delete it or click your backspace button to get rid of it

I hope this helps..

I personally like Photobucket myself, very user
friendly and we all can view it here with out being a memeber...

P/S There's some other gardener's that do use pictures alot and maybe able to help you alot better than I did, Afgreyparrot/Cindy, Loz, Meg, Jiffy, G~mom, plants~n~Pots, Carly....tons of them know how and can give you a hand if you need it....

P/S/S....Welcome to The Garden Helper's Forum by
the way!!!

Probably some dracaena.

Rotate the plant so that it leans the other way. Once it is upright again, rotate it regularly or it will begin to lean toward the light again.

Here's Nana's Reply.....
nana824
Gardener
Member # 7141 posted October 27, 2005 10:44 PM
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Hi weezie13 - thanks for the information on how to upload pictures to this site. Here are 2 pictures (I hope) of the plant I was referring to the other night. Also, the 3rd picture is what we think might be a rubber tree. This is a most interesting plant. My boss has had it about 8 years; about 18 months ago, it grew some little flower like blooms, that kind of looked like minature bananas and it really perfumes the office to the point I have a headache at the end of the day. It has since done this again within the last few months. My boss indicated that the first time it bloomed about 18 months ago was the first time it had EVER bloomed. Maybe you can tell us also what this is and what I should be doing for it other than watering it on a regular basis. Thanks!

The first is a dracaena marginata hybrid. I have one just like it. Just rotate it so that it grows evenly.

The other is a dracaena fragrans. The tips look a little brown. That could be from watering with tap water. Bottled or filtered water is absent of the minerals which cause that.

Thanks everyone for all the help with this; I seem to have a brown thumb and keep inheriting plants to care for, so now I know where I can turn for help.

Really appreciate it and I even learned about a new resource -- PhotoBucket! Thanks again and everyone have a great weekend!

I could not make out the plant

But I do have a good excuse, my pc is acting up and the colors are not right.
Steph

Those are BOTH Dracaenas? There sure is a world of difference in their appearance!
Do I have the same plant as those in Nana's first photos?
plants/Dracaena.jpg" alt="[Linked Image]" class="post-image" style="height:auto!important;max-width:100%!important;"/>
The leaves on mine keep turning yellow & dropping off, but it doesn't seem to be going bare. It's been doing this for about 6 months & sometimes I wonder if it's trying to die, but it keeps hanging on!

When I first got it 18 months ago (came from a local flower shop), it was in a pot that was clearly, WAY too small, so I repotted it. I'm wondering now if maybe it's 1 of those plants that likes to be pot-bound. (?)

My daughter told me a couple months ago to let it dry out pretty well before watering, & then not to water it too heavy. I've been doing that, but am still picking up dead leaves. Am I UNDER watering? I'd hate to lose it, but I don't think it's very happy!

patty, you are doing everything right. they mimic palms in that they drop the lower leaves and grow "trunks" that are ringged where the leaves drop. when they get too tall to suit you, you can cut the top off, about 4-6" below the lowest leaf, and plop it in the pot with the "mother" plant, and the bare trunk will sprout "babies" out the sides! right now, i have a bare trunk with 7 babies on it! and the top is growing just fine.

yes, you have a dracaena marginata, but not a hybrid. I have 1 about the size you have. I water twice a month.

Jiffymouse, so THAT'S where those rings come from!! LOL, here all this time I thought it was sick, but it's growing, huh? How absolutely Cool!

But CUT IT OFF? Good gravy, you're brave! OMG... I can just hear Hubby now! )

Finally, Re: So, what does that mean, "not a hybrid"? And, is that a good thing, or a bad thing? (Being new at this stuff, I have to ask dumb questions, cuz that's the only way I know of, to get dumb answers! .........kidding, of course!)

hybrids are genetically created offspring of a plant.

The dracaena marginata 'madagascar dragon tree' has red margins. The hybrid in the 1st pic, which I also have, is a hybrid with white & pink margins.

Patty, you just made my day! now, i am going to try to answer all your questions.

yes, cut it off
yes, and no it won't look goofy. there is one at one of our local restaurants that has about 4 or 5 "generations" looks pretty cool as long as you let them get tall enough to give it some reference
yes. the reason for putting it in the pot with the mother is that way you can make sure you aren't watering one or the other too much. nope. it will send out roots. you may lose a couple of bottom leaves, but usually not more than 4 or 5
neither. waht that means is that you have one that has it's color determined by natural selection rather than cross breeding.

now, have i made your head swim? hope this helps!

Now I have more questions. There are three dracaena marginata trunks in the container and all are too tall and leaning over. ALSO, a new green shoot has sprouted up through the soil among the base of the three trunks.

Can I prop one or more of these trunks, or should I cut one or more of these trunks, and PLOP them in the soil?

If I do PROP, how do you suggest I do that? I have a wooden dowel I thought I could use and then use Velcro or some cloth strips to hold the trunks up alongside the wooden dowel??

I really would appreciate any suggestions. This plant is really taking off. It has been sitting on a counter in our office, and I am thinking it may have to sit on the floor, it is getting so tall that it is starting to come up against the ceiling where it is sitting.

you can prop them up, old panty hose/knee highs work great, aren't binding and wont hurt the plant. but, i cut and plop. and when i think the pot is too full, i cut and plop into another pot, then give it away. got one that i have had about 5 years, it gets the cut and plop treatment regularly!

hi,
I am new with plants but I am confused because I thought the 3rd picture Weezie posted was a dracaena jannet craig, this one looks alot like the one in our office same brown leaves except ours look more stalky alot of the leaves have dropped off. We also have the dracaena fragrans ( corn plant?) Can you cut and plop all the Dracaenas?

Rugby...I always thought that "marginata" referred to to the variegation. Not so?

yes, there are "red margins" hence "marginata"

i realized i said the leaves were brown they are not completely brown but have brown spots on them. is that from using tap water or something else? Just trying to nurse them back to health after a year of neglect. Any suggestions would be great