Help with plant identification (a few)

OK so I have some plants and they weren't labeled anything other than "tropical foliage" or whatever so I'm trying to identify them so I can take care of them properly. Also maybe find out why some of them are freaking out.

I basically try to keep the soil from drying out on all of them EXCEPT the ones that are obviously palms of some sort as I figure they might need less water?

This first one I thought this was a dragontree or something like that but it doesn't really look exactly like it. Any ideas?

This guy has lots of rough spots on the leaves, brown rectangular spots. I can't really tell if it's fungus or some sort of pest or the plant is just beat up.

This guy seems like it should be easy to identify? Also it has weird brownish/yellowish spots that appear on certain parts of the leaves, not necessarily the tips but sometimes the back. I tried to take a closer picture. I'm thinking this is some sort of insects eating this one?

CLOSER:

I have no clue about this guy.

This one I THOUGHT was a 'sword' fern since the leaves look like swords but I have since found out that sword ferns are the more generic looking ferns so i have no clue what it is. I love this plant though. It seems to be doing well, I just want to identify it. The rootsystem is insane on it, too.

Obviously some sort of palm. I really want to know how much to water this one. As I said before I've been keeping it pretty dry.

Another palm? I have no clue what to do with this one. The leaves are very papery and almost feel fake.

I also have this flower or whatever that was doing great but then all of a sudden all the leaves just about turned yellow and died off (it was a lot bushier before) I was thinking maybe because it was in the only room in my house that has an A/C unit so it was getting messed with there (also no direct sunlight in that room) so I moved it to the window to see what happens. Any idea what kind of flower this is and the best way to take care of it?

Hi sbeacher! Welcome to Dave's Garden!

I think I can help you with a few of these. :o)

The first one is a Red-margined Dracaena http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/732/

The second is also a Dracaena. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54287/

The third is a Dieffenbachia, also known as Dumbcane. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/717/

I think the problem with all of those is either too much sun or too little humidity, or maybe both. Those plants don't need a lot of light, and they don't like dry air.

The 4th one (the one after the dumbcane) also looks like a Dracaena to me. The 6th one is a sago palm, which is actually not a palm but a cycad. And the 7th one looks like a ponytail palm.

The plant you said you have no clue about (above the one you thought was a sword fern) is also a Dracaena. It looks like it has red and white on the edges, which would make it 'Tricolor'. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/59787/

I don't know what the "sword fern" is. Does it have a bulb? It sort of looks like an Amaryllis, but I really can't tell.

The next one looks like a Sago Palm. Perhaps this one? http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53327/

The next is a Ponytail Palm. (I have a very small one and I love it!) http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2312/

The last is a Cyclamen. Probably this one: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2508/ but I don't grow them, so I don't know for sure.

I really don't know what to tell you about the Cyclamen. Read the details and comments on the link for it, and maybe that will help you figure out what is wrong. After that, if you still need more help, you might want to start a new thread and put in the title of it that you need help with a Cyclamen. More people that know about them might see it and give you more tips that way. :o)

On all the rest of those plants, I would let the soil get a little bit dry - not completely bone dry all the way through, but let the top inch or so get dry before you water again. Most plants can bounce back from underwatering better than they can from overwatering. However, most like air that is a bit more humid, so maybe you could set them on a tray with pebbles and water in the bottom, but not so much that the bottom of the pot is sitting in water. Or you could mist them every day or so. Just a spray bottle with plain water and lightly mist them and that will help them, too.

I hope that helps you, but if you need more help, ask away! :o)

Thanks for the quick replies!

The one I thought was a sword fern does not have red edges, it's just very dark dark green. There is no bulb, but the root system is huge (it took me a long time to get it out of the pot it came in) and the roots are very thick and white like big udon noodles.

The window they are in (except the first one which is in the middle of the room) are in a window that faces east. They probably don't get more than 4 hours of direct sunlight a day, and that's only if I open the curtains (which I'd been doing cause I figured they needed some direct sunlight but I really have no clue [obviously])

Also can you guys recommend a BIG plant that doesn't need a lot of light that I could put in my bedroom? I want something to fill up some space but my bedroom stays pretty dark (and the walls are a dark red so it's not going to reflect much light in there). Something that doesn't cost very much would be cool, too.

Looks like you already had most everything ID'd for you!

1. Dracaena Marginata
2. Dracaena fragrans
3. Dieffenbachia
4. ? I can't tell for certain what this one is, with the light in the photo
5. Dracaena Marginata 'Tricolor'
6. Sago Palm: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53327/
7. Pony Tail Palm: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2312/
8. Cyclamen

Misting all of these guys would help. They love humidity!

Hi, the one you thought was sword fern (which is the 6th one from the top, by my count looks like a clivia miniata to me. Common name Kaffir Lily. They bloom when root bound.

For No. 7, your sago palm (Cycas revoluta), here's a site with good info, both general and care instructions, that should be useful:

http://junglemusic.net/cycadadvice/cycads-sago-palm.htm

I have one that is several years old now. It didn't finally start growing good until I read that they need a deep pot for their roots. This summer mine put on 3 new sets of fronds. You are in a good climate to keep yours outdoors. I keep mine on my front porch (eastern exposure) year-round (unless it's going to freeze) and it just loves it out there. My son lives on the MS coast and they grow as full size trees down there You might be able to grow yours as a tree in your yard too. There are pictures on the site listed above.

No. 8, the ponytail palm, likes it on the dry side. It stores water in that oversized trunk. I have one that's 23 years old and it's just beautiful. I keep it on my porch all summer (which, btw, is covered). For this and the sago palm, I spray them gently with the hose several times to make sure they stay free of dust.

NatureLover, Are you sure about the sago palm? The leaves are solid, sword/strap shaped, not 'fringed' or serrated.

The one in this post is a sago
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=3936495
The numbering gets a bit confusing because there are 2 pics of one plant

If you look at the link I included, you will see the plants shown look the same as the sbeacher is inquiring about. The ones in the link may look a little different because they are more mature than sbeachers. But yes, I'm sure it's a sago. They grow all over the place on the coast of MS where my son lives. They are so hardy down there that they are using them to replant along roads where trees were destroyed in Katrina.

The plant I think is the Kaffir Lily (Clivia) is the photo just above the sago palm. I could be wrong, but I get excited when I think I might know what something is, if that makes sense. (I had one of these plants several years ago, it looks the same.) The only photo of the Kaffir lily in the plant files focuses on the flower, you can only see part of the strap shaped leaves in the background. Anyhoo... I think I have a book around here somewhere....

Shune--I know how you feel. For all of us plant lovers, it doesn't really take much to get us excited as long as we're talking about plants! That's why I'm a member of DG--hubby isn't a plant guy so I have to come on here to talk about plants, lol.

Hey guys,

I went back to the store where I purchased that one plant and it definitely is a Kaffir lily. It was doing really good but the smallest leaves have been t urning yellowish. I think I'm probably overwatering everything, as my corn plant is turning yellow as well.

They have huge trees out here in LA obviously that look like the sago palm so I'm assuming the palm trees that line many of the streets (well there are a couple different types of palms I see out here but these look somewhat similiar) Of all m y plants it is the only one that hasn't shown any new growth however. I saw the mention about giving it a lot of room for the roots and as you can see it is in a tiny little box so I might try transplanting it.

The cyclamen finally died :( It kept growing new flowers but the leaves all one by one turned yellow and died. I have no clue why. I sorta went into a frenzy of trying ot make it happy by not watering it all (which caused it to droop) and then watering it more. I moved it from full sun to no direct sunlight but nothing seemed to work.

So I just replaced it with a begonia that hopefully will fare better. I keep that pot on the center of my dining room table so there isn't really mu ch direct sunlight in that room.

The really tall palm trees that you see everywhere in LA lining the streets are not sagos, they are true palms (there are many different types, but they are all palms). Sagos can get big, but I don't think they grow as quickly as some of the true palms, so when you see the big huge things along the streets it's most likely something else.

Sagos in containers grow pretty slowly in my experience, so as long as it looks healthy I wouldn't worry that it's not growing, give it some time. Although if you think you have it in the wrong pot then by all means give it the type of pot it would like. But don't be surprised even after you do that if it doesn't grow super fast.