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I found these tiny drops of white thing on the soil of my pot growing Dracaena Reflexa Pleomele. They are kinda hard to see, but they resemble salt.

What are these? How can I reduce or control this? Is this a good thing? What caused this white thing?

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Houseplants have a mini ecosystem in their pots but not to the same extent as outdoors. The normal processes of decay that create mulch and return nutrients to the soil do not act in the soil of a houseplant:

  • remove all loose debris from the pot including dead leaves and roots
  • whatever that white stuff is move it on out to the garbage

You have asked other questions about this plant and leaf spotting which goes hand in hand with poor drainage and a source for virus/fungus/bacteria. I believe this plant does not have adequate drainage. The soil looks like topsoil which retains too much water. I suggest:

  • take the plant out of the pot and examine the roots: firm and white or yellow is good, black and soft indicates rot which should be cut away
  • examine what parts of the soil are wet. Just the top or the bottom?
  • confirm presence of a drainage hole in the bottom of the pot and that it is not plugged with roots
  • remove any layer of stones that may be present at the bottom of the pot. These do not help drainage.
  • consider buying some soil for houseplants and re potting the plant
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  • I got this plant from nursery. There is no stone at the bottom as I can see the root and hole. The soil is moist there at the hole. The top soil is very dry. I cannot examine the roots, as the soil is like glued to the pot. I would have to dig it out, and that might damage the roots. :( I will provide the picture of the pot bottom tomorrow. I will remove the debris meanwhile. Thanks :)
    – 4-K
    Commented Jul 22, 2016 at 11:33
  • But when I water it, 90% of the water drains out. The water drains really fast. Within seconds. maybe 5-10 seconds.
    – 4-K
    Commented Jul 22, 2016 at 11:35
  • You can't go wrong knowing more about what is happening in the root ball. Take it out and have a look
    – kevinskio
    Commented Jul 22, 2016 at 14:11
  • I just cannot. Sorry. My mom will shout at me for taking the plant out. And it's in a clay pot, not in a plastic pot as they show in youtube videos. They just grab it, and pull out, and voila! Whole plant with root ball. If I do that, I will probably break the plant in half. :"(
    – 4-K
    Commented Jul 22, 2016 at 15:09
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    Soak the pot in a container big enough to immerse it in water, with sufficient water to go over the top - weight it down with something and leave it for a couple of hours, then take it out and try to get the rootball out of the pot. Normally, I would advise running a knife round the inside of the pot, between the soil and the pot, but that looks to be a 'rough' clay pot and that won't work, needs to be smooth on the inside. I am wondering where the top of the plant has gone though...
    – Bamboo
    Commented Jul 23, 2016 at 20:52

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