Thank you for the link. It was very helpful.

I think I will wait a little longer. Perhaps I should give this determined to survive plant more time to get it's vim and vigor back. It won't be too long to wait for the temperatures to rise some. This may also be worth waiting for so that there is a better hcance for success.

The leaves are still going brown on the tips which I suspect may be because it is so dry like a desert and this plant I think is used to humidity.

I totally agree, I would wait till this late spring to start the process. Your doing the right thing.

Mist it a little with a spray bottle now and then if your environment is dry - that helps keep the spider mites at bay, too. Just don't leave it wet for long periods.

Earlier this week while I was very closely examining my Dracaena, I noticed the leaves had again begun to go brown at the edges as a rate similar to what was happening eariler.

I checked the plant from top to bottom and found a place near its' top where it seemed to be drying out. I had no choice at this stage of my efforts to save this plant, so loped off the top lopped off the section where it appeared to be drying out, and lopped of another good section to make the plant a little shorter. If I had done nothing, I'm certain and have no possile doubt that the plant would have died.

I placed the top and good section into water and basic H for a few seconds, and repeated this again moments later to be sure all ofthe top and section had a generous submerging soaking bath. I then placed these plant pieces into a new pot with new soil after giving them a dip in rooting powder. The original plabt part which was found in the trash can is still in its' origional pot and soil. All I can do now is wait and watch. I expect to have three plants thriving and growing nicely.

I'll let you know how they are doing from time to time.

Thank you all for your help.

Right now I'm in Starbucks enjoying my after B-Day celebration.

fter doing more research I may have my plants in the wrong soil. Some websites say damp regular soil, some say moist but let dry, others fast draining soil damp all the time, or damp and let dry well almost. I'm using niracle grow general poting soil and added some pearlite to try to lighten the soil a bit. I saw something about pearlite not being good for the Janet craig compactie, which I have no doubt is what this plant is and it is supposed to be a tough plant. I have to figure out what I'm not doing or what I should be doig to help this plant survive. Any suggestions are very welcome, thanks.

I just found this information.
http://www.ehow.com/info_12122...
I don't know what to think.

Take this with a grain of salt since I live in the tropics where they grow like weeds. However, they don't do well if they don't have really good drainage in the rainy season. In a pot, I would err on the side of less water rather than more. Skip the fertilizer unless you have one that is specific for them and even then, use it sparingly. I have read that floride is a problem for them and that perlite may contain it, I don't know as most of the ones I see are in regular dirt and not fertilized. Just make sure that it doesn't sit in water and that the soil drains well. I think you can kill them with too much care easier than with too little. Hope this helps.

Oh yeah, this helps!
I think I should try to change the soil some and hope this is the answer because perhaps the soil is too wet for too long. I seem to remember something about too much watering or too little causes brown leaves. Finally I think I got the message in a form which makes sense and I understand.

I'm glad it helped and I hope yours thrive for you. If you think there is a lot of floride in your water maybe you can water them with rain water. ¡Buena suerte!

I have a well so there is no ingredients except what comes from this 412 foot deep water source.
I hope the paerlite doesn't add to the problem. What are the signs of fluoride poisoning?

If it is potting soil perlite, the amount of fluoride can't be too high to have a problem. If worried, flush the perlite or let it soak in a tub and drain befor using. This is the first time I hear of this and we have been using this for years with no problems. Please tell me more about this??

GOOD NEWS!
The dracaena cane which remained in the pot from the original potting has a very full and happy root system.

I removed it from the pot and the soil ball stayed intacked which allowed me to gfently remove enough to see the roots. It was very hard packed because I didn't want to plant to fall over when it was very talle. I put some cactus mix in with the general potting soil and then gently loosend the rest of the soil. The roots should get some air now which I hope will make a big difference.

I also removed the top and cane out of the other pot. They seem ok. There is no root system yet.

My guess is that these plants like to go from being cut to directly into soil which for about 1.5 to 2 months I didn't know. I'm not certain about the fluoride in the perlite yet. It seems all the potting soil I have has some perlite in it to some degree. I hope eventually to be able to get all of my plant soil ingredients individually packaged so that I can mix what I need according to each plants requirements.

There is still hope. These plants are troopers and seem to be very tough and determined.

Hi Jonna, just wondering if all is okay on your side..hope the earthquake did not cause any damage..take care!

All's well over here. From what I read there was damage in the area of the quake, it's a very poor, very rural area. Also maybe some damage along the west coast in resorts like Acapulco and in the highland cities of Puebla and Mexico City, but not a lot. I have friends in Mexico City who said they ran for the street just in case, many remember the enormous one in 1985 I think. They said this one was strong and lasted a while. Coming from Calif, I tend to ingnore the first few seconds of an earthquake but if it lasts more than 15 seconds I start moving.

I'm on the south east coast of Mexico, on the Yucatan peninsula which is a big limestone shelf and we don't get earthquakes, no volcanic action and no plates moving. We do get hurricanes but at least we know they are coming.

Good to hear you are in a safe area! I grew up in Manila and we had our fair share of earthquakes either volcanic or tectonic in origin and now here in Cali all the more..to me anything that registers above intensity 6 is worrisome.

Jonna,
So glad you are ok. Sorry for the other folks but at least no one died.
Stush

Now I'm hearing that some houses (the news said 800) fell down in Mexico City but I don't know where they were or what kind of construction. New construction there is under earthquake guidelines but there are a lot of poor neighborhoods with marginal houses. Anything over a 7 will get my attention in an earthquake. I've been through all the major ones in the last 50 years in Calif, I was even down in LA for that one. You get used to the small ones but I kind of start counting and if they go on, something is going to be damaged. I'm kind of glad that my earthquake days are over. I've done my share.

I'm glad no one died and that you are ok. We had an earth quake last summer which was the first quake I experienced. I knew somehow that the shaking was an earth quake; it just seemed right at the time. Many people thought it all kinds of other things. I hope I don't have to do this again, although now-a-days you can never tell. Taking things out of/or away from the earth will generate the necessity for that void to be filled, so I guess we will have more quakes eventually.

Here's a great picture from Mexico City. it's a line on the rapid transit from yesterday (after the earthquake) and today (after repairs). Amazing how much the track moved.





I don't know where you are dogpack, perhaps your earthquakes were related to something being removed from the earth. Mostly though, they are caused by tectonic plates moving or by volcanos. Mexico has both along the west coast and in the highlands so earthquakes there are fairly common, as in California.

Hola
WOW!
I think our earth quake was a result of us removing something like gas or oil from the earth; although we are on some sort of falt so perhaps it may have been both which played a part in the shaking and quaking.

I am amazed at the pictures, thanks for sharing.