It looks like a Dracaena Janet Craig....from what I know this plant enjoys bright light with part shade but not direct sun if outdoors..moist soil but not too wet feet, some humidity. Sometimes it starts going brown maybe due to overwatering/underwatering and being cold. Suggest keep her warm and indoors but near a window where she can get bright light. You mentioned you have put it in a jar of water? I would remove it from that set-up and stick it in a container with soil instead. Dracaena's hate being cold.

I appreciate everyone's help. This poor piece of some kind of plant was in the trash and I j7ust had to get it out of this place, untangled from tape ribbons, and other stuff, and then hope it survived the many hours of waiting until I got home. The first ting I did was put it in water, then later after it looked like it was starting to generate a slight root system, I decided it may have a better chance if I used rooting powder and put it into soil. I've been spraying the leaves with water and sometimes some poapy water using; Basic H, which is a Shaklee product.

Does anyone have any idea of the name of this plant?

More of my plant friends are in the photo.

I think you might have cross=posted with Tarev - she has named your plant on the post above yours.

I think this is exactly what happened. So I guessed right in that I at least posted for help in the correct forum.

Now I can start to properly care for this plant as best as I possibly am able to do so.

It has been in soil for about 1.5 to two weeks. I'm not certain that loping off the top is a good idea, perhaps. I'll give this some thought and see if I can get a feel for the best possible cure. Considering that I found this pice of the plant in the trash and that it is still alive, I'm sure it has a strong will to live.

My house temperature is about 62 which is normal for me and the rest of my house friends. My birds, cats, and plants as far as I can tell are doing ok. I do have what looks like a succulent which I've either over or under watered which I have to identify and figure out it's problem. I'll post about this in the cacti and succulent forum tomorrow.

It is truely nice and wonderful to be here with all of you.

Oh, I almost forgot to ask; how old is the red mule and how long has he/she been on this planet? I used to have horses and for a long time have wanted to have a mule. Alsa, I have no place to keep a mule now. so I will just admire and enjoy them through pictures and knowing people who have mules.

For Dracena's lopping off the top is a very good idea. Then you will get 2 or 3 new branches coming out, maybe even more, with nice fresh green leaves that are not all brown and scruffy. Just make sure after you do this, you put it in the brightest window you have where it gets lots of bright light, perhaps even some morning sun. Also pull off all that brown shabby stuff on the trunk. That will make it look much nicer. I have done this with three of my plants to get bushier plants. Here are pictures of my Dracena. It is a variegated Dracena. There are three plants in this pot. All three plants have been lopped so they start bushing out more, and growing new limbs.


In the picture above you can see where they cut the Dracena and lopped it off. See how three new branches grew out where they lopped it off.


In this picture, you can see where two of the Dracena's are lopped off.


Here is a picture of the three planted together in the pot. All three have been lopped off so more branches would come out.

This will not hurt your plant, just be sure and give it plenty of bright light and sunshine to encourage growth. I also rotate my plant so that all sides of the plant are getting the brightest light at the window. I turn this plant once per week, about a third of a turn.

Now that's dedication! I have some severely leaning Amaryllis, Alan.... when you get a moment...

Um, armaryllis I'm not good at. I have one I planted that comes up every year, but has never bloomed. I probably should just take it out and throw it out...but I keep hoping!! By the way...the camera does not do these plant justice..it has turned out to be so beautiful.

Many thanks Alan and everyone for your help and support. My concerns for this plant are:
It may not have established roots; is this a problem?
The bugs may still be an issue; I've been spraying the plant with Basic H each day
the temperature may be part of the issues because my normal house temperature is 62 degrees.

Should I wait to lop off the top and if so for how long?
What should I do with the top I lopped off so that it roots well?
And, are there any other issues I should address before loping off the top of this plant?

My guess is that these plants are reasonably tough considering this plant was just a piece of a plant I found in the trash. I've had it for almost 2 months now and am glad it is still alive after being in water for almost a month, then potted, the having the bug issue.

I'm ready to take the next step. Please let me know anything I should do and be aware of so that this operation can be as successful as possible.

Oh, after loping off the top should I thoroughly wash the plant to be certain it has nomore bugs or any other problems?

I should think it has roots, since it has growth. What makes you think it does not have roots? Did it have roots when you found it in the trash?

you can stick the top you lopped off in the soil, and it should root as well.

No roots, just a piece of this plant was in the trash. It started producing new growth while in a jar of water. when it looked like some roots night be poking out from the stem, I put this piece of plant into soil. I have no idea if there is a root system or how strong or big it may be. All I know is this piece of plant wants to live and seems to be very strong and determined to survive.

I used to have 2 Dracaena Janet Craig too, at that time not familiar with its culture, not even knowing what type of Dracaena it was. Just took it for granted that it is alive indoors or in a shaded setting. When we moved, I made the mistake of planting it in a full sun area, and come rainy winter time left it outdoors too. They are tough plants indeed, and I am left with one little bare cutting, I am not giving up yet since, I still see some green on the stem and I have seen it try to produce a little offset on the little branch it has. I have lobbed off all the totally wilted and dried up parts, and keeping fingers crossed that it will somehow come back, am planning to move it to a regular soil set-up, it has been sitting on hydroton rocks and some little water for awhile.

My 2 Dracaena Janet Craig before we moved:


And how she is right now..down to one little cutting..still alive I think


So give her some time...it should bounce back eventually. I see you have a variegated Schefflera in your collection there. Dracaena has similar needs like your Schefflera, though Dracaena's are much happier in shady areas. I remember having some aphids and scale issues with my Schefflera & cycad outdoors and I used a mixture of water, with a few drops of dishwashing liquid and some tabasco sauce..somehow it worked in the removal of the buggers.

dracaena info which may be helpful.

Fusarium leaf spot on Sansevieria
Pathogen - Fusarium moniliforme
Symptoms - Spots start as tiny water-soaked areas on immature leaves which rapidly enlarge into elliptical-to-irregular-shaped areas with a red or tan coloration. They are often surrounded by a bright yellow margin which can be 1/8-inch wide. As spots merge, immature leaves become distorted. Under optimal conditions, meristems of infected shoots die.
Control - Standing water in the central whorl of the plant is necessary for infection to occur. The high levels of water available during the rooting process are optimal for disease initiation and progress in cuttings. Complete disease control can be achieved if plant foliage is kept dry.

Dracaenas are also susceptible to this pathogen. Chlorothalonil (Daconil 2787) has been especially effective in controlling Fusarium leaf spot experimentally. Check labels for legal plants, intervals, and rates.

Hate to say this but that close up looks like you could have some mealy bugs on that. They are very hard to get rid of once you have them and they will spread to other plants. You might want to consider dumping it for the sake of your other plants. I have been fighting a mealy bug issue for quite a long time now and even have been using a systemic spray and still haven't completely gotten rid of them.
Do you see white somewhat fuzzy small spots especially in the joints where the leaves connect?

Holly, who are you talking to? A couple of us put close-ups of our Dracena up.

I never gave mealy bugs a thought until about 2 months ago I noticed a few white fuzzy spots on my Philodendron Hope. Then a few weeks the whole window seal was infected with them. It is away from all my other plants, and I got my spray bottle out with a mild solution of Malathion Insect Spray concentrate. Maybe one table spoon to the small spray bottle. I gave it a good soaking in the bath tub and washed down the window seal area. I even sprayed the curtains a little. So far so good. Looks like I got them all. Two weeks and counting. Malathion does smell, That's why I dilute it so much. Doesn't hurt to do the whole thing again next week to be sure.
Tip, I use the same thing a week or so before I bring all my plants in for the winter. That way I don't get no suspires with spiders or so.

Oh so sorry to be confusing. I was talking to Dogpack that second pic he posted the closeup look. Those white specs on the plant remind me of mealy bugs.

Malathion inside??? Wow, Stush - I don't know if that's a good idea.

So far the dracaena is alive and doing better. I'm certain by now it has roots. I found it in a trash can at a bizarre in or about the third weekend of November. No roots. It seems to be wanting to live. I plan on loping it soon. What implement is best for cutting the thick stem? Should I push the cutting into the soil in the pt with the parent plant?

Here is an excellent procedure for that:

http://www.ehow.com/how_18416_...

Sheryl,
Your right. My wife didn't care for the idea much. It did do the job. I did dilute it so much that it hardly had too much of a smell. Still had to open the windows to air out the room.

dogpack,
Why fool with success? Let it establish itself. You can always cut it back later in early summer. And I would replant top into the same pot. Give it a fuller look.