Hello Cynthia,

Yes, this is a Dracaena plant. It's hard to tell what is bothering it, but we can make a few suggestions. How much window light does it get? They grow best when receiving bright light, either near a sunny window or directly in front of a partly-sunny window. If too far back from a window (either one that doesn't get direct sun, or placed where it never is directly lit by the sun from the window), the low light levels can cause a slow decline in vigor and overall health over time.

When was it last repotted? Indoor plants usually benefit from repotting into fresh potting soil about every year or so. Otherwise, the mix gradually breaks down over time, becoming harder to re-wet when watering (or slower to drain), and any unused fertilizer nutrients and/or tap water mineral residues can build up to levels damaging to roots. Plants don't always need a new pot size when being repotted, but replacing what old potting mix from around the roots (without breaking too many roots in the process) with fresh can make a difference in plant vigor.

While not an issue as much this time of year, lower ambient humidity indoors can stress many plants and contribute to leaf tip "burn" and a failure to thrive. Some gardeners compensate for this by putting indoor plants outside for the summer, if you have space, to let the plants recuperate and bask in the better airflow, higher humidity, and the "purer" water quality of rainwater. When doing this, though, indoor plants should be put into shade at first, then gradually acclimated to a bit of dappled sunlight or semi-sun depending on how much light that plant type wants. Dracaena would be fine being kept in mostly shade for the summer. If you don't have the ability to put it outside, even the naturally higher humidity levels in homes during summer versus winter can help reduce their stress a bit. During winter, using a room humidifier can also help.

Sometimes relatively minor fungal or bacterial leaf infections can take hold, but they are difficult or nearly impossible to treat indoors, since few fungicides (when they work at all) are labeled for indoor use, and they cannot cure existing infection (they only help to protect healthy growth from infection). Cutting off badly-damaged leaves can help reduce a disease's spread while also improving the look of a struggling plant. For example, the all-brown or mostly-brown leaves on the pictured plant can be clipped off.

When watering, make sure the potting mix gets fairly dry to the touch at least one inch (for a pot this size, maybe at least two inches) below the surface before watering. If the saucer collects drained water, empty it promptly so the base of the pot doesn't sit in water, which might seep back up into the drain hole(s) and keep roots too wet. Drought stress from under-watering can cause leaf tips to turn brown and leaves to age and fall off prematurely, but other factors can cause similar symptoms (including over-watering), so it's hard to say from symptoms alone what was the primary cause of yellowing/browning.

Miri

Hello Cynthia,

The compass reading suggests that it's a southeast-facing window, yes. If the plant sits several feet back from that window, it's probably not getting a good amount of light, because light intensity drops pretty quickly the further you get from the window glass. If you have room, try moving it closer to that window, or at least a location where some sunlight during the day directly hits the leaves, even if only for a couple hours.

Dracaena is reportedly one of several indoor plants sensitive to fluoride in tap water, so using reverse-osmosis or distilled (either is fine) can help reduce that exposure. Some indoor plants are quite tolerant of the low levels present in municipal water, but Dracaena seems to be more easily affected. If you repotted it a year or so ago, that should be fine.

The fungus pictured is a very common mushroom called, appropriately enough, Flowerpot Parasol. Although it's not an edible mushroom, if left alone it's usually harmless, though might smell a bit musty. Spores float around in air currents and can colonize both indoor and outdoor plants, and while direct sunlight probably won't kill it (after all, the "body" of the fungus is growing in the potting mix, out of the light; the mushroom is somewhat like a fungus' version of a flower), we tend to see this fungus appear more often indoors than outdoors. It is only consuming some organic matter in the potting mix itself, and will subside in time on its own, though you can pluck off and throw out the visible mushrooms if you prefer. As a widespread fungus that does not infect plants, it should be fine to compost, but that decision might be up to what the store staff are comfortable with.

The cut stem might yet leaf-out and regrow, though we don't know how long that will take. If you'd prefer to start over with a new plant, though, that also would be fine, and the pot (if you reuse it) can just be brushed out to knock off loose soil and washed with plain soap and water. (Bleaching it afterwards would be fine if you prefer to do so, but it's not really necessary.)

Miri