Hi, so I noticed my plant (dracaena fragans I think) had some brown leaves understand so I googled and decided from the results that it would be best to cut these leaves off. So I did. but now he looks worse for wear, the stalks//stems are drooping and I don’t know how to save him
Plants live on carbon dioxide, (same as we can't live without oxygen). So 95% of plans can actually be saved, if you put then in a carbon dioxide rich environment. So in my opinion, what you now need to do is this: Place the plant in a big bucket. Place a lamp over it, or put it under any other cool light, (LED lights are the best). Take a glass or a cup, place it in this bucket also, and fill up half way with ordinary white vinegar. Very slowly (little by little) put about 2 tablespoons of baking powder into this cup or glass of vinegar. Vinegar will start to fizz like crazy, which is why I said to put it the baking powder VERY slowly, (or else you'll make a big mess). This will basically create a lot of carbon dioxide, which is CO2 gas. And since carbon dioxide is slightly heavier than air, it will stay in the bucket. Now with some light from above, you would have created an environment where any sick plant will be able to recover, (regardless if the sickness of the plant was due to over watering or whatever) - You would basically be putting the plant on a ventilator... So just keep doing this everyday, and in about a week your plant will start showing signs of recovery. Please do this in an isolated area of your house, where kids and pets can't reach. And no gusts of wind will cause the carbon dioxide to get scooped out of the bucket. Light is crucial too, as this won't work in the dark.
I am with Mart on the over-watering. It looks like a bit of bacterial infection just under the growing point. This plant looks pretty terminal to me from here. If you gently squeeze the stem under the blackened area is it soft? If it is, then you can better bin the lot. Having said that I did see some side growth, and you could try and remove those and plant them, however, if the blackness has gotten into them then I would not bother. The agents could be Erwinia (bacterial) or possibly Fusarium (fungal). Good luck with your otherwise lovely houseplant.
SJ:. "Good luck with your otherwise lovely houseplant"...... That might very well be terminal?? Chuckle. Shann0n, if you do think it has a disease, maybe you could cut off the whole top, below the infected part & see if you get new healthy growth from the remaining stalk. Rather drastic but it might be an interesting experiment. Or a conversation piece. (Oh that's right, we are in the middle of a pandemic. I bet you don't have hoards of people marching through your house looking for conversation pieces). @S-H I do get a kick out if the way your brain works, but oh my, you are way too complicated for me! But I appreciate the intracacies of your mind. And your enthusiasm.
Don`t think it is a disease,, just not properly cared for ! These plants do best with minimal water ! More than is necessary and they do not do well ! You can, as was said, cut the bad part off and let the roots regenerate new growth !
