Dracaena Canes

Question:

I found three large Massangeana Dracaena canes in our village compost pile, one with the ID tag still attached.  The canes were cut of their top growth and are totally bare.  They are approximately 3″ in diameter and 3, 4, and 5 feet tall.  The roots are totally dry, however I don’t see any rot in the canes themselves and am wondering if I can try rooting them.  My Question: is do I plant them as is or do In need to saw off the bottom end of the cane?

Answer:

We don’t know how long the canes have been rootless, without foliage and left in the compost area, so it is not possible to tell if there is any chance for success. I certainly would say the odds of successfully propagating these canes are very slim.

First, squeeze the bark. If the bark is loose and papery, then the cane is completely dead and cannot be revived. Otherwise, you can try the following.

Cut off the bottom inch of each cane, making a clean cut. Use a wide saw blade to cut a small, quarter inch deep horizontal notch about two inches long an inch or two below the top of each cane.

Insert the three canes together in a 10″ pot filled with damp peat moss. The hard part is finding a way to keep the canes vertical without falling over. You will need to keep this setup in a warm, damp location with bright indirect light. Keep the peat moss slightly damp.

With luck, it will take several months for roots to begin to form and even longer for new shoots to emerge from near the notches you cut.