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Hello V,

My D. reflexa, 'which is simi-variegated' gets brown spots when house is too warm or humidity too low.
However, the spots don't spread.

The golden Dracaena is much fussier.

How long have you had Drac, was it purchased from a green house, and can the red be scraped off?

Is it really as red as it looks? Pics can be deceiving? Toni

Hello Toni!

Thx for the answer!
Pics are true, however seems bigger than a D. Reflexa leaf.
They get plenty of light, moderate humidity.
Got the spots since i have them (2007).
Basically feels like the cells just drys off.
Spreading very slowly.
Once i make cuttings for propagation,
found a reddish part inside the stem.
The new plant is infected too.

Size comparison

This post was edited by v.bartha on Sat, Nov 2, 13 at 11:17

Howdy,

So you've had reflexa 6-years... Congrats..
I gave up buying 'gold' reflexa, although its my favorite..
Had similiar problems....foliage started out with brown spots, then died.
My 18-yr semi-varigated is much hardier. lol

When you say spots are slowly spreading, do you mean spreading to other leaves or the same leaf?

Happen to have a photo of the entire plant?

When I hose my reflexa's folage, it seems to perk up. Maybe you should hose in sink/tub once a week???

Strange, the cutting got spots, too..hmm.

It may be my imagination, but as I said, I bought a few '3-4' gold reflexa's over the years..Each and everyone had the same problem...Spotted a day or two after coming home with me.
I wonder if 'gold' reflexa's have some type of disease/problem.
Each I purchased came from different stores.

Maybe someone here has gold D. reflexa, purchased after 2005, without spots. Anyone?

I can't tell you for certain what it is, but it looks and sounds like edema, not unusual in Dracaena. That it doesn't spread rampantly like a bacterial or fungal disease also leads me to think edema.

Edema of plants usually indicates an imbalance of abiotic factors.....water, light, humidity, temperature....expressed in ruptured cells. The usual cause in houseplants is an abundance of water plus high humidity plus cool temperatures.

Dense, peaty potting mixes can contribute to edema, as can a heavy hand at watering......especially during the winter months.

The spots are continuously appearing in every 10th or 15th leafs.
They growing slowly or not at all.
The soil is very rich.
40% peat and sphagnum, 40% vermicompost and 20% bark.
Watering monthly but let them soak really.
You should be right about edema.

Thanks for the quick and proper response!

This post was edited by v.bartha on Sun, Nov 3, 13 at 4:47

You are welcome, v. May I suggest a change in your potting medium recipe!? I think that you and your plants would like something more like mostly bark, pelite, and a small percentage of peat. This type of mix would be fast draining yet familiar to you. Fertilization will be required.