Answer to Wanna Be Gardener

[crafty1]

Once again I'm getting the "Invalid Session" message when trying to answer a post. So we'll see if this works!

You don't give the size of your plant, but from the photo it appears rather small. Could it be a Draecena? They can get quite large, but maybe if you've kept yours in a small pot, it kept it from growing to full size. I did a web seardh for draecena, & this is the first picture it brought up. Notice the similairity in color, although it is obviously much larger than yours.
You may have to copy & paste the address into yopur browser.

:evil: Sure wish I could get this thing to work right! Sorry if you tried to follow the link that was here, it just led back to 'post a reply'. I will try again to give a link to a picture of a Draecena.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...68009907pMufch

Perhaps if you do a web search for Draecena, or 'spike plant', you may find more pictures, I just didn't have time to look at all the hits. Good luck in identiying your plant! Don't you hate it when stores just use some off the wall common name instead of the 'real' name?

[Wanna Be Gardener]

My mouth dropped when I saw that picture - that has to be it, or at least a cousin!!

No wonder the poor thing got pot-bound so quickly. All this time I thought it was a plant, and it's really a tree!

I'll use your suggestion and poke around some more. And yes, it is frustrating not knowing the true identity. I'll never again throw away those little plastic cards with the latin name of the plant...

Thanks so much for your detective work! :D

[pruninggal]

Hmm, it briefly occured to me that that's what you had- check out this link and see if you see any other similiar ones.... http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...na&sa=N&tab=wi

Lots of them do well as house plants.

[crafty1]

:) Wanna Be Gardener, glad I was able to help. I've never seen a Draecena as large as that picture showed, around here they are usually grown as housplants, and the tallest I've ever seen were about 3 or 4 ft tall. Perhaps you can get a little closer to an exact ID by checking the site pruninggal posted. It does seem as though yours needs a bigger pot, though, doesn't it? Whatever it turns out to be, enjoy it!

[Wanna Be Gardener]

I searched Google the other night until I just about went blind. Imagine my pleasant surprise tonight when I saw Google offered "image" search results. (Jeez - talk about not paying attention for about 2 years!)

Anywho, I've had no luck identifying the exact plant, even from the helpful link provided by pruninggal. The leaf and stem structure do suggest that this is most definitely a dracaena. The care and propagation techniques for all varieties seem to be similar, so things should turn out well. I did enjoy learning about these plants. I found it interesting that their origins are so varied!

I'm such a reluctant gardener, because I'm terrified I'll kill anything in a pot. I enjoy plants, but since I've begun this little hobby, my brown-thumb routine goes something like this: 1. Buy a plant because it's asthetically pleasing; 2) Cruise along OK until I almost kill it; 3) Feel terrible about almost killing it, and then go on a rampage trying to find out how to save it; 4) Plant either dies or recovers, and then the cycle begins again with a new victim ....

I suppose all flora and fauna should be relieved I'm relegated to pot gardening for now. Just wait until I move into my own home, and I have a WHOLE YARD to wreak havoc on! :twisted: heh heh heh ....

Well, since you've all been so friendly, perhaps you'll help me with step 2 of this dracaena process: repotting it. Here's what I was told by a friend - I'm going to put the plant in a large planter (about 3 to 4 times bigger than the pot it's in now). When I remove the plant, I'm going to slash the root ball in fourths, in order to allow the roots to spread. I'll fill the new pot about 1/4 new potting soil [or however much is needed to bring the stem to its original height], then put in the root ball, and cover it with more potting soil. I'm then going to lightly water it in the new planter, and not touch it for a week - I'll then resume normal watering / fertilizing.

Here are some of my questions: should I fertilize it when I first repot it, or maybe sprinkle some root hormone on the areas I cut? Is it ok to repot it during this time of year? (I figure since the plant is in my apt, and the temp. stays stable, the season shouldn't matter). Should I stick with a clay pot for this type of plant? And lastly, is regular potting soil OK for this variety, or would a cactus / succulent mix be better?

Wow, this is a long post. Thanks again, everyone!

[crafty1]

I'm certainly no expert, but if I were in your shoes, I would follow your friend's instructions on repotting. Slashing the root ball sounds drastic, but it really does help the roots to spread out in their new home! Or you can just take a fork and rake down the sides & across the bottom of the root ball to loosen them up real good. I wouldn't slash all the way through the ball, though, just cut into it enough so that they can loosen up & spread out. Personally, I prefer clay pots for most plants because they allow the roots to 'breathe', and there is less danger of overwatering. As to soil, any all-purpose mix should do well. My own preference is Miracle-Gro potting soil. It comes with a timed release fert. in it, and as I am bad about not remembering to fertilize, that is a good thing for me. I also like to use a transplant starter to water plants in when I plant or repot. There are at least 2 brands on the market that I know of, both are good, one is made by Schultz, the other by Miracle-Gro. They eliminte transplant shock, and seem to help the roots take hold. I definitely do NOT mean to sound like a commercial, just trying to pass on info about what I have found that works well. Good luck with your plant, keep us informed on how it is doing. Maybe the next time you find a plant that you really like, you could search the 'net for care info when you first bring it home! :lol:

[Newt]

Hi Wanna Be Gardener.

I took a look at your plant picture and it does appear to be a draceana. I'm thinking it's a dracaena sanderiana. If that is your plant, they are now sold as lucky bamboo, but they aren't bamboo at all and will eventually rot if grown in just water.

When repotting I generally go with the standard rules of a pot that is 2" larger than the one it's in unless the plant is too tall for it. Then go with one that is one third the height. Take a look at these sites for plant id and houseplant care and repotting.

http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...22&sa=N&tab=wi
http://www.ourgardengang.com/houseplants.htm
http://www.neoflora.com/cgi-bin/plan...lant_sid=36700

Oh, dracaenas lose their lower leaves as they grow and develop a woody stem.

Newt