Why do the tips of dracaena leaves dry out - what to do

Dracaena leaves dry: what could be the reasons?

The bright green color of dracaena leaves indicates that the flower is healthy. But if the tips of the plant gradually begin to dry out, you should sound the alarm. Before starting treatment, it is important to correctly determine why dracaena leaves are drying. Sometimes, it is necessary to eliminate the cause, and the plant is healthy again.

Drying of the tips of dracaena leaves is a sign of plant disease

Common causes of drying of dracaena leaves:

• irrational watering. Many housewives believe that the more you water a plant, the better for it. But dracaena should not be constantly in wet soil, this only harms the plant. Watering should be moderate, the soil in the pot should dry completely (but not dry out!). In summer, watering dracaena is necessary twice a week, and in winter, once is enough. In this case, spraying is carried out similarly to watering: in summer - twice a week, in winter - once. Water for spraying is used at room temperature;
• presence of drafts. Dracaena categorically does not tolerate exposure to cold air flow. Therefore, in the winter season, you should not place the plant on the windowsill, where the window is often open. Sudden changes in temperature have a detrimental effect on the life of an indoor flower;
• dry air. Considering that dracaena is a tropical plant, it loves high humidity. In summer the flower feels more comfortable than in winter. During the period when the heating season begins in the apartment, the air humidity in the room drops sharply, and dracaena, in turn, reacts sharply to this factor. In such a situation, the tips of the leaves begin to dry out sharply. During this period, you need to spray the plant daily with warm water and cover the batteries with a damp towel. Many gardeners use humidifiers in winter;
• sunny side. Dracaena does not like direct sunlight; its place is on a windowsill, which is protected from direct sunlight. In bright sunshine, you can notice how each leaf gradually begins to dry;
• wrong soil. Soil for dracaena is an important component. In order for the plant to develop properly and not get sick, you should choose soil intended specifically for dracaena. It is worth monitoring in the future so that the soil in the pot does not become compacted and has a sufficient amount of mineral components.

Important! Proper care is the key to the health of a tropical plant.

Dracaena leaves drooping - what could be the reasons?

First of all, you need to know that regular falling of the lower leaves and their yellowing is a normal phenomenon that will accompany the flower throughout its growth. On average, the maximum age of an individual leaf is 2 years. After the old foliage dies, new foliage will appear.

Appearance of dracaena

However, dracaena leaves droop down not only for a natural reason. If over time most of the foliage falls off, then you should be wary. Another reason could be:

• passing a period of acclimatization;
• damage to the root system;
• violation of agricultural technology rules;
• attack by a dangerous pest;
• defeat by disease.

Important! The leaves of the plant in normal condition are usually directed upward, forming an acute angle with the trunk.

A plant purchased in a store must adapt to new home conditions. At first, the well-being of the flower will be affected by the level of illumination, humidity and air temperature in the room. If a recently purchased dracaena has dropped its leaves, then there is no particular cause for concern - this is temporary.

Diseases

Why do the tips of leaves on indoor plants dry out?

Plants, like people, can get sick and need treatment in the same way. To understand exactly how to save dracaena, you need to know what diseases are inherent in it.

Signs of illness

• Infections of bacterial origin. These diseases are considered the most dangerous for flowers, since they are practically untreatable. The presence of a bacterial infection in dracaena can be determined by the presence of large ulcers on the leaves, and simultaneous drying of the tips of the leaves is observed.
• Heterosporosis. This type of disease is fungal in nature. The leaves of the flower gradually dry out, starting from the tips, turn yellow and eventually fall off completely. Timely treatment with fungicides saves dracaena.
• Phyllosticosis. With this disease, fungicides will also come to the rescue. The disease can be recognized by the drying tips of the leaves (they begin to turn white) and the appearance of dark spots on them with a yellow edge.

Note! Only timely use of fungicides and compliance with all care standards can save the flower. It is advisable to treat the plant when it is not completely damaged.

Pests

If you properly care for your dracaena at home, but the ends of the leaves dry out, this is a common problem. The reason may lie in the appearance of pests, in particular scale insects. The most effective method of controlling this parasite is to hand collect the insects while they are still in the larval stage. If the scale insect has already become covered with a hard shell, you need to take more radical control measures using special pest control products.

Spathiphyllum - home care, why the tips of the leaves dry out

On dracaena, in addition to scale insects, aphids, mealybugs or spider mites may appear. In this case, an effective method would be to spray with a special solution - an insecticide according to the instructions.

Important! Before the procedure, the leaves are washed with warm soapy water.

Soil moisture

Dracaena loves watering, but there should be no stagnation of water. Too wet soil has a detrimental effect on the health of the flower. But prolonged drying of the soil also leads to drying of the dracaena leaves. At the initial stage, the plant may drop its leaves, then it begins to dry out.

Why do aloe leaves turn yellow and leaf tips dry out?

To maintain soil moisture at the desired level, you can use a special tray with water, which will be located under the pot. But you should not allow the bottom to touch the water.

Note! Dracaena soil moisture should be moderate. Excessive watering and prolonged absence of moisture are equally harmful to the plant.

Excessive soil moisture is the cause of drooping dracaena leaves

Air temperature

There is an answer to the question why dracaena hung its leaves and what to do in this case. The reason may be dry, hot air.

Regulating the air temperature will correct the situation. Then the plant will be able to raise its leaves.

• In summer and spring, Dracaena feels comfortable at temperatures from +20 °C to +25 °C. If the air is even warmer, the crown will lose its beautiful appearance.
• In winter, it is permissible to keep the flower at a temperature from +17 °C to +19 °C. The temperature should not be allowed to drop below +15 °C.

Sudden temperature changes are also dangerous. If the flower begins to shed its leaves, it means it has suffered from hypothermia.

Root rotting

Rotting of the dracaena root system is observed with excessive watering. The rotting process begins from the roots and gradually affects the trunk and leaves. As a result, the plant dies.

How the roots rot

It is possible to save the plant if the trunk and leaves have not yet dried out, but this is extremely difficult to do. To do this, you need to trim the trunk with leaves that are still healthy and leave it in the fresh air for a couple of hours. The cut should dry out a little. Next, the cutting is placed in a container with clean water at room temperature. You need to add a root formation stimulator to the water, but the dosage should be halved.

The surviving part of the dracaena is placed on a windowsill that is well lit. The water needs to be changed periodically. When the roots appear, all that remains is to transplant the plant into the ground.

Other Possible Problems

In addition to the main reasons for drying of the tips of dracaena leaves, there may be other situations in which the plant feels uncomfortable.

• Incorrect growing location. If the flower dries up before your eyes, but all the rules of care are followed and there are no diseases or pests, you can try to move the dracaena to another place. Often a change of environment changes the situation and the flower comes to life.
• Wrong choice of soil. Often, gardeners use soil for transplanting dracaena that is intended for a completely different flower. This approach can negatively affect the growth of the plant and its appearance. The land must be special. It is not allowed to use soil from the garden.
• Lack or excess of feeding. Potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus are important components for the development of dracaena. The lack of these components leads to disease, and the flower eventually begins to dry out. But excess nutrients can lead to the same effect. It is important to apply fertilizers on time and in moderation. The frequency of fertilizing depends on the time of year. In summer - twice a month, in winter once is enough.

Proper care is a guarantee of flower beauty and health

In most cases, novice gardeners, when purchasing a flower such as dracaena, are not interested in the specifics of caring for it. Ultimately, this leads to disease and death of the flower. The tips of the leaves of the dracaena dry out, what should I do? This question is often asked after the plant has become ill. In order not to harm the exotic flower, you need to familiarize yourself in advance with the rules of care, possible diseases and pests, and methods of combating them. Only compliance with all recommendations allows the plant to be healthy and beautiful.

Main reasons

To understand why the tips of dracaena leaves dry out and turn yellow, you should familiarize yourself with the agrotechnical rules for caring for shrubs. About 100 species of this crop grow in the natural environment; only about 10 varieties of the plant, which is also called false palm, are grown indoors. With proper careful care, no problems arise with dracaena and its lifespan can last up to 15 years.

With insufficient care, emerald green leaves sometimes turn yellow, brown or even black. This happens for several reasons, including both natural aging and not entirely suitable climatic conditions.

To make the plant comfortable, the room temperature must be maintained at +18...+25°C.

It is extremely undesirable to have too sharp changes in it, drafts from which the tree suffers greatly, the leaves freeze slightly and as a result dry out. Yellowing usually begins at the top of the bush; the lower leaves last longer.

Dracaena leaves drying out. The illustration for the article is used from the site dacha.help

If the temperature drops below +15°C or rises above +28°C, the plant begins to hurt. A clear sign of the disease is curling of the tips of the leaves. There are other reasons, for example: excessive watering, poor lighting. The false palm tree loves diffused light, easily tolerating the lack of sunlight in autumn and winter. Air humidity should be at least 60%.