Why does dracaena marginata have drooping leaves?

The dracaena or dracaena marginata is one of the most talked about plants when recommending some that can be kept in rooms with little light, or to give as a gift to someone who does not have much experience taking care of pots. And this has its reason: It is very adaptable, and very easy to care for.. That's why when the leaves start to fall, we can miss each other.

And that's when we wonder why dracaena marginata has drooping leaves. What happened to it? Have we done something wrong? Are we forgetting something important? Let's talk about it.

There are several reasons why the dracaena leaves can begin to fall, and they are the following:

Low light

Although it is one of the plants that best lives in low light conditions, we have to differentiate the terms “unclear” and “dark”. Although we can assume that we know what each one means, it would not be strange to think that a dracena marginata You can live in a dark room when many blogs and books tell you that you don't need a lot of light to be fine.

We in Jardinería On We also say it, since from our own experience we know that it withstands low light conditions better than others. But beware: there must be a minimum of light, a minimum of clarityOtherwise the leaves will fall. What is that minimum?

Bueno, Pues It is the one in which in the place where we are going to put it, everything can be seen well without the need to turn on a lamp. There does not necessarily have to be a window through which light from outside enters, but you do have to be able to move and distinguish things with the natural light that is in that place. If it is darker, the leaves of your plant will fall because it will run out of strength to support and feed them.

To do? This is a problem that has a very easy solution: you simply have to take the plant to another place where there is more clarity. But be careful: do not put it where the light hits it directly, otherwise it would burn.

Lack of water

Lack of water is one of the most serious reasons why dracaena leaves drop or begin to drop. As you probably know, water is life, and when it's scarce, problems quickly arise. For this reason, although our protagonist is not one of those who need daily watering, not even frequent, we have to prevent the earth from staying dry for a long time.

But how can we know for certain that what is happening to him is that he is thirsty and not something else? Well then the clearest symptoms, apart from the fall of the leaves, is that the earth will be very dry. It may even be so dry that it is, it has compacted and does not absorb water. Also, if we have the plant in a pot, if we take it we will notice that it weighs little or very little. And in addition, pests may appear, such as mealybugs.

What do we have to do? Water, of course. But if it is in a pot, we will submerge it in a basin or container with water., and we will leave it like this for half an hour or so. In the event that it is planted in the garden, we will make a tree grate whose height is about 4 or 5 centimeters, and we will water it by pouring plenty of water. And if you have pests, we can apply diatomaceous earth (for sale here) as we explain in this video:

Excess of water

Excess water is a very serious problem. I would dare to say that it is the main cause of death of the plants that are cultivated, especially if they are indoors. Why? Good because In order not to dirty the furniture, we put a plate under the pot, and of course, when we water, the water stays in it. And if instead of putting a plate on them we plant them directly in pots that do not have holes, the problem is even more complicated.

And that's why, no matter how heavy I am, you're going to let me say that, please stay away from pots that do not have drainage holes. They are beautiful, yes, but they are a danger to any terrestrial plant (only aquatic ones could be in them). And not only that: If you are going to put a plate under them, remember that you always have to drain it, after each watering.

Now, how can we know that the dracaena marginata has too much water/humidity? Good, Well, immediately we will see that the leaves are fallen, that the earth is very humid and that, if we have it in a pot and we take it, we notice that it weighs a lot. In severe cases, fungus may have appeared.

What to do to get it back? Of course, stop watering for a while. You have to wait for the soil to dry out. But, so that it does not take too long, if we have the plant in a pot, we will take it out of it and wrap the soil bread with absorbent paper. If we see that it gets soaked quickly, we will remove it and put another dry one. Then, we will leave it in a place protected from the sun, rain, wind, etc., and the next day we will plant it in a new pot -or an old one but that we will have cleaned before doing anything- with new soil.

Since then, Before watering it will be highly recommended to check the humidity with a stick as we explain here:

And just in case, whether you already have mushrooms or not, It is highly recommended - I would even say it is very important - to apply a systemic fungicide, or a triple action, like this one that they sell here.

Cold and/or drafts

Both low temperatures and drafts can cause dracaena marginata leaves to drop. First, we will talk about the cold. This is a tropical plant, so when exposed to a temperature below 10ºC, its cells begin to die because they are not able to resist it.

And if we have it indoors, near the air conditioning, radiator, fan, or a window that we usually open and through which a lot of wind enters, then the leaves will also suffer damage and fall.

To do? In either case, the solution is to change it. If we live in an area where winter is cold, we will bring it into the house; and if it is already indoors but close to an appliance that generates drafts, we will take it to another room.

I hope your dracaena marginata puts out healthy leaves again.