Mass Cane (Dracaena fragrans)

[Klyde O'Scope]

The mass cane I recently bought will fit in my enclosure, but just. The problem seems to be more with the trunk than the leaves. All the videos and articles I find are on pruning & cutting the top of the plant.

Is there a way to cut 6"-12" off the bottom off the trunk and re-root it without killing it or doing massive damage, and if so, how? Or am I SOL?

Thanks

 

[bbyoda]

This exact thing happened to me a couple months ago. That's when I realized I couldn't order plants online. ?? I ended up planting my dracaena out front in my garden since I couldn't definitely determine if cutting the cane itself would be safe.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I live in the snow belt—IDT it could survive the winter. This was the smallest I could find locally, and it came with a total of 5 different varieties of dracaena in the same pot for less than half what a bare mass cane cost. Couldn't pass that up. I thought (silly me) that by transplanting, I could drop it a few inches deeper into the new pot. Turned out it was already standing on the bottom of its pot. ?‍

It was still expensive enough that I don't want to risk experimenting.

 

[bbyoda]

Looks like it can be done:
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-take-stem-cuttings-from-dracaena/

All this time I was using the search term "cane" but "stem" got me that article.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Thank you! You've made my day! ?

Now I'm wondering if I should use some rooting hormone...

 

[bbyoda]

Hooray!!! If you have a few canes like I think you do, you could do an experiment. One with rooting hormone, one without! Then leave the others alone just in case neither work. ?

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Hooray!!! If you have a few canes like I think you do, you could do an experiment. One with rooting hormone, one without! Then leave the others alone just in case neither work. ?

Nope—just the one. Didn't even have 3 in the pot like many do, which I think may be the main reason there were so many other dracaenas crammed in there and the price was so reasonable. If it had several canes in there (like most I saw), they wouldn't have fit the enclosure at all. ?‍

 

[bbyoda]

Nope—just the one. Didn't even have 3 in the pot like many do, which I think may be the main reason there were so many other dracaenas crammed in there and the price was so reasonable. If it had several canes in there (like most I saw), they wouldn't have fit the enclosure at all. ?‍

I'm confused - what other dracaenas were in there? Based on what you wrote I thought there'd be a few canes to hack and slash. But if not you could cut the one cane a couple times. Once for the height you want with the foliage on top, use rooting hormone on that one to help, then cut the leftover piece again so you have two babies that can regrow. Might as well if you're already in the middle of propagating.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Whoa—I'm afraid that would make all of them too short and defeat the purpose! ?

In the pot were:

1. Dracaena fragrans (the mass cane)
2. Dracaena Lemon Lime (D. deremensis)
3. Dracaena Janet Craig (D. deremensis)
4. Dracaena Warneckii (D. deremensis)
5. Dracaena trifasciata (Snake Plant, Mother-in-Law Tongue)

Only the first has a cane/stalk. The rest spring directly from the pot.
2,3,4 are cultivars of 1. (I still haven't got a firm understanding of "cultivar"—Missus is the plant person.)

Also just found this—don't know how I missed it before...

Propagation
Dracaena fragrans is propagated by cutting segments of old stems 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 in) long, drying them, and then inserting them into moist sand until they root. New growth, typically being two or three shoots, comes from old foliar scars at the top of the stem.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_fragrans#Propagation

 

[bbyoda]

Wow right in the wiki article!!!! Hahahah. I'm glad you were able to confirm that.

Sounds like you got a good deal with all those other dracaenas!

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Missus just came in and started asking about all the options just discussed... ?

Now she's off running this stuff past the... (Booming echo effect)... Master Gardener! ??

 

[bbyoda]

Missus just came in and started asking about all the options just discussed... ?

Now she's off running this stuff past the... (Booming echo effect)... Master Gardener! ??

Well...what's the damage???

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Well...what's the damage???

That may take a day or three; I don't think cooperative extension works on holidays, and I have no idea what their backlog may be. I'll be sure to update when I hear anything.

 

[bbyoda]

I want to both like and laugh at that comment. ?