How to revive a Brazilian stick?

Palo de Brasil is a very popular houseplant

Image - Wikimedia / Forest & Kim Starr

Palo de Brasil, also known as Palo de Agua, is a very popular plant in gardens and terraces, but also indoors, especially when living in an area where winter is cold. In fact, while you might think that a "simple" stem with green leaves cannot beautify a room much, it is precisely these characteristics that make it so attractive. In addition, if the right conditions are given, it can even flower, producing clusters of very fragrant white flowers.

But that can become a problem, because we all know that when we like something or someone a lot we want to take care of it the best that we know how. And that is when our beloved plant can begin to have brown leaves, or a soft trunk. Has this happened to your copy? Then next we will tell you how to revive a Brazilian stick.

Generalities of the Brazil Stick

It is important to know the plant a little to know how to care for it. Therefore, from Brazil stick you have to know that It is an evergreen shrub that, despite its name, is native to Tanzania and Zambia, in Africa. Botanists call her Dracaena fragrans, and receives the common names of palo de Brasil, trunk of Brazil, palo de agua, or tree of happiness.

If it is planted in the ground it can reach a height of up to 6 meters, but in a pot it does not usually exceed one meter.. As it grows at a fairly slow rate, it can be planted wherever you want, since even if it is grown in a container, we will not have to transplant it very often.

The trunk is very thin, barely 10 centimeters thick, and rosettes of green, lanceolate leaves sprout from its end. It is common for many specimens to be planted in the same place, to achieve a more beautiful effect, and give it an exotic touch.

What are the most common problems of the Brazil Club?

Dracaena fragrans is an evergreen shrub

Image - Wikimedia / Forest and Kim Starr

The Palo de Brasil is a plant that, especially if it is kept indoors, can have several problems, which are:

  • Brown spots on the leaves: they can appear from one day to the next when the sun shines directly or through a window, or when it has been cold.
  • Yellow sheets: if they have also lost strength, it is because they are receiving too much water.
  • Leaves with yellow edges and brown tips: This happens when you are thirsty, either due to insufficient watering or because the humidity is very low.
  • Dry ends: it may be because you need more water, you are experiencing heat or because you are close to drafts (fan, air conditioning).
  • Lose color: it is a plant that needs abundant light. For this reason, when you have it indoors it is important that you find a room in which there is a lot of light.

Plagues and diseases

To all this, we must add the most common pests and diseases, which are:

Red spider

The spider mite is one of the most common pests

Image - Wikimedia / Gilles San Martin

La Red spider It is a mite of about 0,5 millimeters that attaches to the leaves (specifically, on the underside) to feed on them. With each sting, it leaves a yellow stain. The leaves eventually lose shape, curl, and in severe cases dry out and fall off. It also tends to produce a spider-like web, which makes it easy to identify.

Treatment: is removed with acaricides (for sale here).

Mealybugs

Cottony mealybug on a plant

Image - Wikimedia / Whitney Cranshaw

There are many types of mealybugs, such as the cottony mealybug or the one known as the San José louse. The first looks like a cotton ball, while the other is a limpet. In any case, all of them feed on the sap of the leaves, from the underside, gradually making them look yellow and deformed, and leaving a sticky molasses on them that can attract the bold fungus.

Treatment: if there are few mealybugs, You can remove them by hand, or with mild soap and water. But if they reappear, or if the plague has spread a lot, use better diatomaceous earth that you can buy here. It is a very effective natural insecticide. Water the plant well, and then pour the product over it.

Aphids

Ants favor the multiplication of aphids

It is common that where there are aphids, there are also ants. The molasses that the former produce is an exquisite food for them.

These aphids They are very small, barely 0,5 centimeters, and can be of different colors (yellow, green, brown, black). They have a preference for the most tender leaves, that is, the youngest, so it will be in them where they will appear first. They also produce molasses, like mealybugs, so leaves become sticky.

Treatment: diatomaceous earth will do. Another option is to use potassium soap, neem oil or, if it is very advanced, an anti-aphid insecticide (on sale here).

Septoria

Septoria is a fungal disease

Image - Wikimedia / El informatico

La septoria It is a fungus that causes the appearance of grayish-brown spots. It favors very humid environments, which is why it is very important to control the risks.

Treatment: you have to cut the affected parts and treat the plant with a systemic fungicide that you can get here.

Bold or sooty mold

Bold on leaves of a bush

Image - Wikimedia / Bidgee

La bold It is an opportunistic fungus that appears when there is a plague of aphids and / or mealybugs. It is well identified since covers the leaves with a black layer.

Treatment: the first thing is to treat the pest. Once the plant is free of aphids and mealybugs, you can clean the leaves with water and mild soap. If you want, you can treat it with a copper-based fungicide to make sure the fungus is completely eliminated. You get it for example here.

How to revive a Brazil club step by step?

As we have seen, the Palo de Brasil is a plant that can have some problems throughout its life. So what are the steps we need to take to get it back? Let's see it:

How to recover a rotten Brazil stick or one that has suffered from excess water?

  1. The first thing you have to do is touch your plant. Press down on the logs and branches to see if they are soft or rotten. In that case, cut clean, leaving those parts that are fine (or apparently fine), that is, harsh.
  2. Then remove the plant from the pot, and wrap the root ball (soil bread) with several layers of absorbent paper. If you see that the paper you put on it gets soaked quickly, throw it away and put it on again.
  3. Then leave the plant with the root ball wrapped in absorbent paper in a clean and dry place, protected from direct sun, for at least 24 hours.
  4. The next day, remove the paper and check the humidity of the soil. If it is still very wet, wrap it again with more paper - new - and leave it there for another day.
  5. When it's dry plant it in a pot that has holes in the base with a mixture of peat and perlite in equal parts (or high-quality universal substrate, such as this).
  6. Now treat it with fungicideSince when the plant is so weak, fungi can attack it. If it also has insecticidal properties, better, like this one they sell here.
  7. Finally, waters. And to wait.

How to recover a dry Brazil stick?

If it is in a pot ...

  1. If your Brazil stick is dry, you have to move it to an area where the drafts do not give it. This means that you should avoid putting it near a window, air conditioners, fans, and in passageways.
  2. Then you have to check the humidity of the earth, in one of these ways:
    • Insert a stick to the bottom, and if you see that when you extract it, it comes out practically clean, then the earth is dry.
    • If when watering the soil it does not absorb the water, that is, if said liquid runs to the sides and leaves the pot very quickly, then the plant will not hydrate.
    • When you take the pot and notice that it weighs very little, it may be that it lacks water. To be sure, when you water and the soil is well soaked, weigh the pot. So you can get an idea of ​​when to water.
  3. Then, you have to place the pot in a basin with water and leave it there for about 30 minutes.
  4. Hereinafter, water more often. If the humidity is very low, spray the leaves with soft water daily in summer, and every 2-3 days the rest of the year. It is also highly recommended to put it in a slightly larger pot with new soil.

If it is planted in the garden ...

When we have a Brazilian stick in the garden and we see that it is dry, we must protect it from direct sun for example by putting shading mesh on it (for sale here), as an umbrella, or plant some plants larger than it. Also, it is important to check the moisture of the soil as it may need more water.

How to recover a Brazilian club that has yellow leaves?

The Brazilwood is an evergreen shrub

Image - Wikimedia / Forest & Kim Starr

It will depend on what really happens to him: if the leaves are limp, that is, fallen, it is because they are receiving too much water; but if what happens is that it has yellow edges and brown tips, it is because it is going thirsty. Consequently, in the first case there is more space for the waterings, and in the second, on the contrary, water more.

Likewise, It is highly advisable to pay it in spring and summer so that it does not have nutritional deficiencies. A rich fertilizer such as guano well applied can help you, and a lot, to be precious, so do not hesitate to buy it for example from here.

And finally, think about transplanting it, if you have it in a pot, every 3 or 4 years, in spring to a somewhat larger one that has holes in the base. This way, it can continue to grow, something that can prevent the leaves from turning ugly.

I hope you have found the solution to the problem of your Brazil Club.


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  1.   Mabel said

    I love the water stick, I am going to follow the advice because I see mine that dry the tips and turn brown after changing the pot. Thank you very much !!!!

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Thanks to you, Mabel. 🙂

      If you have any questions, write to us.

      Regards!

    2.    Mabel ciuffo said

      Can the plant »Palo de Agua» live in a light patio… that does not receive direct sun and is under the open sky ?????… ..Thanksss

      1.    Monica Sanchez said

        Hi Mabel.

        Yeah sure. No problem 🙂

  2.   Edmond said

    I wanted to know how to eliminate ants. Not like saving a stick.

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hi Edmond.

      Here you have the information you are looking for.

      Greetings.

  3.   Catalina said

    Everything you post helps me a lot! I'm going to recover one that I have in intensive care ahahaha the advice came in handy

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hi Catalina.

      Thanks. See if your plant recovers.

      Regards!

  4.   MARJORIE said

    Hello good morning, I have a stick of water that I have inside my house and all its leaves fell off, only the stick was left. I would like to know what I have to do so that new leaves come out again, thank you very much in advance

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hi Marjorie.

      The first thing is to have it in a pot with holes in the base, filled with peat and perlite (or similar, such as clay or pomex) mixed.
      Irrigation will be scarce, about 3 times a week in summer. In winter they will be less.

      You can treat it with a fungicide (it is a product to combat fungi) that you will find in nurseries and garden stores. And the rest is to wait.

      Good luck.

  5.   PILI said

    I have had a trunk from Brazil for about 20 years, it has always been quite good, it has taken flower 3 or 4 times, as the branches reach the roof we have been pruning them, they are all renewed, but the leaves have been sick for a while they have a more yellowish green and underneath they have a kind of yellow spots, I have not seen any plague, I would appreciate if you could help me. Thanks

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hello Pili.

      You may need a pot change, with new soil. If it has been in it for more than two years, in spring it is a good idea to transplant it. Also in this season you have to start fertilizing it, for example with a liquid fertilizer for green plants, following the instructions on the package.

      Greetings.

  6.   oscar said

    Hello,

    I got a Brazilian stick that looked rotten, they were going to throw it away and I rescued it.

    The point is that they have drowned it to the point that the leaves were all yellow and very soft, I removed the leaves, removing the earth I discovered that the trunk seems to be in good condition, (hard and with white roots) I wrapped the roots without soil on paper to dry the trunk.

    My question is, do I have to cut the stem where the leaves were and leave only the trunk to completely sanitize it?

    Could new leaves come out of the stems? right now they are brown and semi soft.

    Thank you very much for your advice, they served me for the first part of the rescue operation.

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hello Oscar.

      Yes, it is advisable to cut your losses and wait. Let's see if there is luck regrowth.

      Regards!