Fungus on bottom of Dracaena Lemon Surprise

Question

I'm taking care of a Dracaena "Lemon Surprise" potted plant that I've had for roughly a year. Overall it seems to be doing really well; it is top, newer leaves are vibrant and dark green with no discoloration (the bottom leaves have some discoloration - burnt brown tips and some light colored spots on the leaves).

I keep it in a mason jar as pictured below, mainly to catch the water as it drains. I don't throw out that drainage water, I just let it sit there. I only water it when it becomes fairly dry on top.

I took it out of the mason jar today because it wasn't draining at all after watering like it normally does, and noticed this root growing down and resting in the drainage water. I also noticed some bad-looking white fungi growing around the drainage holes. Is this bad? What should I do about this?

Answer 1

Find a bigger pot and pot the plant on into that with some new potting soil. And don't leave the new pot sitting in a mason jar. When there's water present in a container beneath a potted plant, it is inevitable that the roots will extrude from the pot into the water below, so change your watering routine too. Water when the surface of the soil is dry to the touch, but not so dry its shrunken from the sides of the pot. Water thoroughly, then empty out the container it stands in after 30 minutes, and again 30 minutes later if more has collected so the plant is not left with its bottom sitting in water.

The white fungal growth is simply a result of no air flow at the bottom of the pot because its jammed into a wet or damp container. Wipe off what you can and just repot the plant as described, preferably replacing the mason jar with a tray or an outer pot that is not a tight fit.