Beginner Gardening: Saving an overwatered dracaena, 1 by x50

x50 wrote:
[quote=\"Pistil\"]Well these plants I think will sprout from below the point where they are beheaded, so if the whole thing does not die it may eventually sprout up again! Just know that while they have no leaves at all, they need very little water, but usually do not want to be bone dry.[/quote]

Good to know, thanks. I figured with no leaves the need for water would be reduced. It probably should not be outside either, I\'m sure that may cause some shock but I\'m a bit paranoid something else is wrong with it and have limited room inside for a plant that doesn\'t want to live :). I\'m trying to give it another shot at life though.

Dracaenas (all that I know of) will put out new growth below the cut. Or... they typically will. I don\'t think they will when the stalks are browning and shrinking, which is why I\'m planning to cut it back down below the 4 stems. At least, that is the theory. My success rate is currently 0%. Whenever I cut it (this plant and a 3 year old \"corn plant\", the stems seem to shrivel and turn brown from the top down (where the cut is). I\'ve tried wax, I\'m sterilizing the pruning sheers with 90% rubbing alcohol. Oddly, both top cuttings from the corn plant have rooted and seem very healthy, putting out new growth that is back to the famous corn plant variegation (yellow strip in the middle, the parent plant\'s leaves had become all green). Not sure why all the stalks are dying.

I keep thinking its root rot working in reverse of everything I\'ve read but that doesn\'t seem right. The Anita or Marginata this post is about has nothing but bright orange roots left.

Here\'s the corn plant putting out new shoots after pruning. The other stalk died in a similar fashion to this plant... except the stem didn\'t shrivel like this one, instead it just turned brown and kind of hollow.