Houseplant Identification and Care Help

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/kangamaru/DSCF9887.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/kangamaru/DSCF9890.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/kangamaru/DSCF9897.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/kangamaru/DSCF9901.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/kangamaru/DSCF9903.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/kangamaru/DSCF9904.jpg


I purchased this small houseplant I think around 2 years ago from a Bunches kiosk in my local mall. It did just fine for a long time. I re-potted it once from the plastic pot it came in to a clay pot. I watered it occasionally and kept it indoors next to a north-west facing window most of the time. There was a fairly long period where I kind of forgot to water it, and the leaves dried up a lot.

On the advice of my dad I removed the dried leaves, mostly around the bottom, and gave it a lot of water. Ever since then it hasn't really improved much. The leaves are always brown and dried at the tips and it's yellowed a little bit. I have no idea what kind of plant this is, or what I should be doing to help it recover. I'm a complete beginner when it comes to plants and really have no idea. I've been watering it fairly often, but it doesn't seem to be helping.

I have several pictures of the plant linked at the top of this message. It used to be a lot fuller around the bottom with straight, fairly fleshy, vibrant-green leaves.

If anyone has any information about what kind of plant this is, if I should remove the dried ends or if there is something else I should be doing, I would really appreciate it! Also, if there is some other source you could reffer me to that might give me some good information I would be very grateful. I've grown a little bit attatched to this plant and really don't want to see it die.

Thanks!

That's a dracaena- a common houseplant. Mine are in part shade- it doesn't seem like they like too much sun. I'm not sure what to do about the dying leaves, though.

Hi Kanga: Yep, you've got a dracaena there! I have many, many house plants but this is one I have difficulty keeping alive! I don't know what my problem is. We have lots of humidity down here in Florida, but the leaves on mine seem to turn brown and crispy all the time. Here's the Plant Files info on your plant: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/56851/

Good luck with your plant!

Lin

That's a corn plant (dracaena). It is normal for the lower leaves to drop off and leave that woody-looking stem.

The leaves that got crispy when you stopped watering it are just going to look that way until they drop off. New leaves should come in OK, though. Corn plant is an easy keeper. It likes to dry out a bit between waterings - the top two to three inches of soil can go dry before you water again. When it went without water longer than that, it caused damage to the leaves.

It likes to be root- bound, that pot may be just a little large for it, but I wouldn't try to repot it, especially given that it's a recovering puppy already. No need to shock the poor thing any more!

Apply a balanced fertilizer SPARINGLY - I prefer slow-release granules over liquid. Plus the liquid stuff isn't balanced (balanced means equal proportions of NPK, like 10-10-10). I'd suggest a 10-10-10 slow release fertilizer every few months.

Miracle Gro (and equivalent "blue water" fertilizer) is 24-8-16, and I can't figure out what that's good for - not tomatoes, that's for sure! Oh wait, GRASS! That much nitrogen in comparison to phosphorus and potassium would be good for grass!

In a pot that size I'm guessing you'd need just about a teaspoon and a half or so of the granulated stuff, just barely work it in to the top 1/2" or so of the soil.

Eventually, if it gets too tall, you just cut it off along the stem at the point where you want it to sprout out new shoots. The new shoots will sprout out just below where you made the cut. You can root the cut-off top by potting it in a new pot (or sticking it in the same pot).

Sojourner

Thanks for all of your help guys!
I'll let the soil dry out a bit and we'll see how it goes.