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Not putting in much thought I moved my plants closer to a light source over the weekend and as you can see in the pictures some tips turned black. Did it get burned? Is it dying? What am I supposed to do? Can I cut the tips off? enter image description here enter image description here enter image description here enter image description here

UPDATE: I have cut the dead parts and in doing so I realized that there are two plants in this pot and only one has this issue. Can it be that this might have happened when I inserted the prong to test the water level one day?? Will this get cured or should I cut of the affected one? I have added a Picture that I took last night.

kevinskio
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Joseph Wit
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  • What kind of "light source" are you talking about? – Stephie Jan 13 '15 at 13:59
  • I placed it near my apple seedling that's under a 200wts lamp. Didn't realize it was that close. If that's what caused this. – Joseph Wit Jan 13 '15 at 14:48
  • kevinsky please see the last pic with the tag this plant came with. – Joseph Wit Jan 13 '15 at 14:52
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    I agree with Bamboo, this looks like heat damage. Deionized water will not cause this right away. It can take years before the soil less mix cannot buffer the chlorine and it depends on what is in the water – kevinskio Jan 13 '15 at 18:45
  • @Kevinsky is this plant in the Mass Cane geno? – Joseph Wit Jan 13 '15 at 19:11
  • @Bamboo thanks your answer is very helpful and informative :) – Joseph Wit Jan 13 '15 at 19:12
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    @JosephWitriol Your plant has many common names one of which is the Mass Cane. See here http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Dracaena_fragrans – kevinskio Jan 13 '15 at 20:33
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    Using a moisture meter will not cause the damage you see. Plants move to a slower rhythm than we do. New growth takes time. Continue to monitor, do not keep too wet and follow @Bamboo 's excellent answer – kevinskio Jan 19 '15 at 23:52
  • @Kevinsky Hmmm could have sworn I saw them jumping around last night lol On a more serious note I was just getting worried that I might have peirced the rootball and also that this yellow blotch (last pic) is a sigh of viruses or disease that can spread to my other plants. – Joseph Wit Jan 20 '15 at 00:13
  • @JosephWit It probably is a fungus brought on by over watering at the grower. Best way to deal with it is to provide the best conditions for the plant. It will not spread unless you transfer infected soil or use contaminated pruners. – kevinskio Jan 20 '15 at 00:15
  • @Kevinsky I totally removed the infected plant from this pot and quarantined it. So you’re saying that the soil is also infected? Should I repot the healthy plant with fresh soil? – Joseph Wit Jan 20 '15 at 15:05
  • @JosephWit You cannot remove the fungus by repotting. The fungus is inside the cells of the plant. There is no need to quarantine it as the problem cannot spread. Make sure the plant has the right conditions and is not overwatered and it will out grow the problem. – kevinskio Jan 20 '15 at 15:26

1 Answers1

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This one is a plant that prefers low light situations, so reasonable indirect daylight is good. It won't have done it any favours leaving it near your grow light, but I'd be surprised if the brown tips occurred so rapidly as a result, so I'm assuming they'd started before you moved the plant.

Keep it away from any heat source (your grow light may also be producing heat) such as radiators, water when the surface of the compost feels a little dry to the touch, and when you water, do it thoroughly, tipping away any excess left in any outer pot after thirty minutes. Brown, crispy tips are usually caused by dry air and dry at the roots - soft, soggy brown tips is usually overwatering and/or leaving the plant standing in water.

Note; I watered mine with London tapwater for the 8 years I had it, without a problem, but you can switch to deionized if you like. You can trim any dry, brown tips with a sharp pair of scissors if you don't like the look of them, but wait till they dry out if they're a bit soggy.

As for whether its dying, I think I see the tip of a perfectly healthy leaf in the centre, and the appearance of the plant overall does not suggest its about to expire.

Bamboo
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