I'm not sure of the name of this plant. It doesn't grow too quickly, maybe one or two inches each year.
Is the growth in the bottom picture a root? Can I clone this plant from that?
(Click on the pictures to see closer views.)
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Can you post a better image, one that shows, in focus, the foliage and more of the stem or trunk, preferably taken in bright daylight please?– BambooDec 19, 2017 at 15:46
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2 Answers
This is definitively a Yucca elephantipes. Not Dracaena.
It is indeed an air root coming out of it. However, this plant is one of the easiest to propagate, you can just cut of the top of the stem or your rooted shoot and put it in the ground. No hormones or sterile soil needed. Also without these air roots it will work out fine, just make the soil not too moist (it will cause rot). I have done this many times with my own Yuccas. You can even cut the main stem in pieces (of ~10 cm) and put them in the ground, they will all grow into new plants. From my own experience, best time to propagate is in spring time, not now during the winter.
This plant is very easy to keep and maintain, the only tricky part is watering it too much. The roots will then rot. Furthermore, try to dust the leaves off once in a while. You can do that with a damp cloth.
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1I'm not convinced its Y. elephantipes - the patterning on the stem isn't quite right, much more dracaena like, though the leaves are somewhat narrow for D. massangeana, but what I'd really like to see is a clear, in focus picture...– BambooDec 19, 2017 at 15:46
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I have Yucca myself at home, one did also make a root like this. I didn't make picture of it, and pruned it last years. I am 100% certain of Yucca, maybe more photos of the whole plant.– bennDec 19, 2017 at 15:48
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The thing that gives me pause, the trunk pattern, is demonstrated here plantsrescue.com/tag/yucca-elephantipes (thumbnail in a row of three) when compared with this plantsarethestrangestpeople.blogspot.co.uk/2008/02/…– BambooDec 19, 2017 at 15:50
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Its the stem pattern that's different - otherwise, from the pics available above, its quite difficult to tell which it might be... but I agree re the narrow leaves, although the actual colour of the leaves is too yellow, if the colours are accurate in those pics, its hard to tell– BambooDec 19, 2017 at 16:08
To clone this plant using that 'adventitious root' with photosynthesizing leaves will most certainly work. Are you wanting to grow another plant or would you like to make sure this one survives? Your pictures are very fuzzy. Is the mother plant healthy?
I am thinking that Bamboo's ID is closer than my original,marginata. Massangeana is closer if not perfect.
And I am now just seeing that this shoot is at the end of the live trunk. I would cut the entire piece of the end of this trunk from which this baby plant is sprouting, dip in rooting powder and place in firmed potting soil to grow to maturity. This is already a CLONE. It has the differentiated cells of roots and photosynthesizing material...all ready to go. Easy, you can't go wrong. Sorry, I didn't notice this start was at the end of a main trunk. Corn plant does this regularly. If you chopped off a main branch this would happen right away. Just cutting the 1 or 2 inches off the end of this branch to remove this start to be grown as an individual will cause more of these starts further down this branch/trunk as well as enervating other nodes on nearby branches.
Plant in firmed potting soil in a 4" pot with hole at bottom...Keep the top 1/4 inch of potting soil moist not wet, no fertilizer yet. Cover for a week with saran wrap plastic. When you see roots coming out of the bottom in a few months, I would up pot to a 6" pot. This plant likes being root bound and it should be happy in this 6" for months if enough light. Keep it out of direct sunlight or it will fry. Open the plastic to exchange the air. Light 18 hours with 6 hours of darkness. Best done with real grow lights. If you don't have enough light this plant will not be able to make enough food for energy for repairs, growth. This is a great project that you should easy have success with...Bamboo's ID is correct, I humbly think!
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1Just a suggestion: "Slice this root with its leaves off the main stem" could be misunderstood. Perhaps something like "cut the side stem (or whatever the technical term is) with its root off the main stem"? To you & me it's totally obvious where to cut, but maybe less so for the asker?– Stephie ♦Dec 19, 2017 at 8:37
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@stormy this is in normal compost peat, and it doesn't get fertilized it recieves sun light for most of the day and the drainage is good. Sorry about the quality of picture taken Dec 19, 2017 at 9:20
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1So this guy is not in sterilized potting soil. I wouldn't fertilize it either being in compost and peat. Drain hole at the bottom? Yes? Gets decent light? I would use potting soil, a 4" pot filled with potting soil, slice off the leaf and roots at the main trunk, not too close to the trunk leave at least 1/16th inch on the trunk. Go ahead and try to vegetatively reproduce this plant! Do you understand what I explained to do? Stephie is right, we can not assume anything. If not, I've been playing with this draw application...we can talk later about transplanting in potting soil.– stormyDec 19, 2017 at 11:00
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1This is not Dracaena marginata - the photos are blurry, but its much more likely to be Dracaena massangeana... the leaves are too broad to be D. marginata– BambooDec 19, 2017 at 11:49
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Low light means wider leaves...I thought it looked different as well but the pictures looked just like this. There is no way to be able to be assured of ID via a picture or two. I like to get 'close' to the ID or test my own old knowledge that seems to be right at least 60% of the time with the knee jerk ID. When I am wrong it gives others more information to find the closer ID, aren't I magnificent? I'll check out massangeana...knowing you you are right like 97% and boy this helps me learn to ID via pictures. Very different for me and a bit of a weakness. You help tremendously! Thanks!– stormyDec 21, 2017 at 1:06