A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Dracaena

I have had my Dracaena marginata for 2 years now. It has been in the same place for all this time. Suddenly the lower leaves are turning yellow and shrivelling up. The tips of quite a few of the other leaves are yellow as well. What could be the reason?

It's pretty normal for the lower leaves to fall off.....my mom has had one for years and years and it's huge---but the lower leaves come off all the time. I have 4 of them and they always have bottom leaves falling off too. When mine turn yellow at the bottom I just pull them off....if the tips go yellow I just snip the very tip off.

Have you been watering it the same as you always had been?

I have had one for 8 years. I hardly ever lose leaves. It is full from the midddle of the stems up.

I find that it does as you say when it gets too much water.

Alot of people water more as it gets warmer. I actually water my houseplants less as it gets warmer. I water more in the winter, because the heat running dries my plants faster than they dry in summer.

Mine big one is full from the middle up too, but the very lower leaves often fall off or I pull them off when they look sickly.....And I know I don't overwater so I don't get too alarmed, for 10 plus years I've watched my moms drop a lot of lower leaves as it gets taller and taller--hers is huge!

Although you are right, overwatering can def. contribute to them dropping leaves. That was the first houseplant lesson I learned---not to overwater--that kills more plants than anything else.

I dont think I'm overwatering it. But all the same I will bear it in mind when I water it. Yesterday I planted tiny plants of lambs ears under it-dont know how wise that was as lambs ear can be quite invasive. But the pot looked quite bare. Shall I leave them there or will it harm my dracaena in any way?

i usually water mine when it gets dry.