Why My Dracaena Fragrans is Dying: Reasons & Fix (Part 2)

Dracaena plant is a succulent shrub that has been popular as a houseplant due to its exclusive appearance. It belongs to the Asparagaceae family and is highly appreciated for its growing flexibility.

Quick Tip: A soft mushy stem accompanied by brown/ yellow soft leaves means you have overwatered your dracaena. Also underwatering, scorching sun, and cold wind can also turn your plant down.

Can your cut brown leaves of dracaena? Yes, you can trim off old and dead leaves and leaves that are turning brown. This can help your plant save energy and focus on growth.

Save your dracaena from root rot: check for signs take your plant out, rinse and check for spoiled roots, and trim off dead roots.

Prune unwanted leaves, repot in a clean planter with fresh potting mix, do watering and aftercare. Avoid direct sunlight to prevent transplant shock.

You can grow a dracaena plant in any corner of your house, as it is compatible with low to bright light as well as warm to moderate temperatures.

Despite its flexible nature, some constant mishandling, especially in their rooting system could provide severe decay issues unavoidably.

Root rot in a growing dracaena plant is very common and curable too with proper remedies. Let’s learn about this matter more deeply to treat root rot in a dracaena plant skillfully-

Table of Contents

Signs of Dying Dracaena Fragrans (Root Rot):

Replantation or repotting in a whole new set is the most important step in curing root rot in a dracaena plant. However, to go for this final stage, you must be certain that your plant has root rot and not any other unhealthy issue at all, right? Well, you can affirm that by recognizing some popular symptoms of root rot.

The most typical signs of root rot in a dracaena plant, are-

Brown edges or brown corners of foliage
Mushy and swollen stems
Wilting leaves
Ugly patches on the leaves
The roots seem brown or black
The root will turn spongy a bit
Increasing fungal or bacterial infestation on the plant
And bad odor coming from roots

Why Your Dracaena Plant is Dying? How Does Root Rot Start?

The roots of this plant are prone to rot when they lose the ability to absorb essential components from the soil. On the other hand, when you keep the roots of your dracaena plant in a suffocating atmosphere for a long, they will start rotting either. To get rid of root rot from your growing plant entirely, you must find the hidden cause behind this issue and eliminate it permanently. Some probable reasons for root rot in a dracaena plant are, as follows-

Improper Watering:

Improper watering issues can occur when you make these mistakes-

Root rot
Keeping your plant underwatered or dehydrated
Using bad or unfiltered water for watering your plant

Poor Draining System:

Your dracaena plant can suffer from poor drainage problems when you-

Use clay-based potting soil with poor draining quality
If you don’t balance the potting mix with well-draining components
You pick a planter with an improper draining system

Wrong Planter

You must choose the planter wisely to keep the roots healthy. What common mistakes people can make here, are,-

Picking a planter that is too big from the root ball of the plant
Choosing a pot that is small or tight comparing the root ball size
And picking a pot that doesn’t have properly working drainage holes

Temperature Fluctuation:

The root of a growing dracaena could get hampered when you keep it in a room with an unsteady temperature rate-

If the temperature of the room stays extremely low for the utmost time
The temperature frequently fluctuates based on the wind or outside weather
Moving the planter from one place to another more often

Related: Reasons and fix for broken leaves of snake plant leaves

Unsuitable Climate:

An unpreferable climate means, that a dracaena plant couldn’t get its proper growing condition naturally. This may happen, when-

You are inattentive to the humidity level of the room
When you keep the planter under full sun exposure for long
Or if you keep the pot in a full shady spot for long

Bad Air Circulation:

Root couldn’t stay healthy in a suffocating atmosphere. Sometimes, you let them suffocate in such an atmosphere by these common mistakes-

If you keep the soil soggy or water-logged for long
When your potting soil is suffering from a lack of light source
If your potting mix couldn’t allow air flow adequately

Unattended – letting the infestations spread

A gardener must be observant of the infestation of fungal or bacterial diseases. Sometimes, you may let such disease contaminate unknowingly, by these mistakes-

If you use any unsterilized garden tool during the plantation
When you use contaminated potting soil
If you bring an already infected plant from the nursery

Following Unhealthy Regimen:

Above all, you must be aware of following any caring regimen that is unsuitable to your dracaena plant. Such as-

Watering your plant during dormancy
Feeding your plant during winter days
Keeping your plant unprotective under open drafts

Related Read: How to save pothos from root rot

How Do You Save a Dying Dracaena Fragrans Due to Root Rot?

Dracaena plants with severe root rots can be saved anyhow. However, this situation can be reversible, if you detect the root decay issue at its preliminary stage and apply the exact curing methods accordingly. Here are some most effective remedy tricks you must chase to bring back the vigorous form of your dracaena plant effortlessly-

Take the Plant Out:

Take your plant immediately out of its current planter, once you suspect root rot
Clean the soil properly and cut off the infected root parts as well as unhealthy stems instantly

Apply Chemical Fungicide Spray:

Once you clean the root balls properly, apply a spray of fungicide liquid to them
You can avoid the commercial spray if you want and apply a homemade mixture of cinnamon and chamomile oil here

Report Immediately:

Once you do the above-mentioned tasks accurately, let the roots dry for a couple of hours
Now bring a whole new planter with a new potting mix, and repot the dracaena plant accordingly

Water Properly:

Once you repot the dracaena properly, water it through
After that, do not water your repotted plant more than once a week, and let the soil dry between watering

Provide Best Growing Climate:

Keep the planter in a room with a consistently warm temperature above 65° F
Do not let the humidity level fall less than 40% ever and check for the air circulation of the room either

Look For Diseases:

Keep an eye on your plant and check for the mildest signs of fungal or bacterial infestation
Never encourage any kind of disease infestation on your plant in any circumstance

Propagate In Time:

Never let your plant turn over bushy and trim off the over-leggy stems regularly
Also, try to propagate your plant once a while after the replantation to let it breathe nicely

Rotate The Plant Often:

Rotate your plant once a month to provide the sun ray to any corner of your plant
This process discourages the infestation of any fungal or bacterial contamination naturally.

How to Avoid and Prevent Root Decay in A Dracaena Plant:

To avoid the tiniest possibilities of root decay in your dracaena plant, follow these smart tips attentively-

Water Accurately, water only when your plant seems thirsty, and that too, using distilled water only
Allow Good Drainage, and you can do so by picking a potting mix with well-drained quality
Pick a Suitable Planter, that never causes root bound to your dracaena plant and can drain excess water well
Provide Adequate Sunlight, and you can do this by placing your plant in an east- or south-facing window
Keep The Climate Perfect, by providing adequate warm temperature, ideal humidity, and enough sunlight every day
Let The Plant Stay Uninfected, to do so, always use sterilized garden tools, fresh potting mix, a cleaned planter, and an uninfected plant, courteously
Maintain Ideal Ventilation for the soil, and you can do this by choosing a potting mix with proper mixing of a well-drained component, such as vermiculite, sand, perlite, etc.
Stay Updated about your plant, and give your plant a close look every 7-10 days to find any misconceptions about its health at its primary stage.

FAQ: Can A Dying Dracaena Fragrans Recover from Root Rot Completely?

A root rot issue in a dracaena can be curable entirely if you recognize the cause perfectly and apply the remedial method in time.

Root Rot or Stem Rot: What is More Severe In a Dracaena Plant?

Both are dangerous, however, root rot is considered more severe than stem root in dracaena plants, because stem rot mostly grasps one or two single stems, while root decay can kill your plant entirely.