Dracaena Marginata dying?

So I purchased a houseplant from Ikea recently. It has been in my home office, perched on top of my PC for about a week. It is in a room with a window but the plant is not in direct light. I have tried to keep the soil moist at all times. In the last few days it's leaves have dropped and some have fallen off. The leaves are very weak at the stem and fall off with literally just a touch.

My questions are:

1. What has gone wrong? My theory is that I have over-watered it.

2. I have not added any fertilizer but if I did which one should I buy? eg. Baby Bio?

3. The instructions say fertilize once a month - is this good/accurate advice? Some Googling on the subject turned up varied answers.

Photos:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/ichaudhry/DracaenaMarginata#

Many thanks!

 

Difficult to say for sure but it looks like its gone into shock to me.

These plants are brought on in absolutely ideal conditions, then they get transported to the shop and then bought.
Its all a bit much for some and they sulk if they are tough like your dracaena, or if something a bit more tender they die.

Having said that I'd ease right back on the watering, give it as much light as possible and dont feed until it looks like its actually growing new leaves, which maybe a while yet.

 

I am used to getting asked this question

Firstly they don't like the cold or draughts so was it well wrapped up leaving the shop?

They really do hate being left damp - I let mine dry out alittle between waterings. I am looking after (babysitting) about 25 of them just now. They will drop their leaves very quickly if they are too damp and if there are baby ones growing beside the main stem plant those quickly loose their leaves, then the stems go soft and you have to pull that bit out of the pot.

Sometimes they do drop leaves if too cold - once one did that on me but did recover.

I usually wait until I see some of the leaves drooping just alittle before I water them

This time of year they only need fed with baby bio once a month and don't fed until it has settled in its new home as you will put it under more stress.

Sometimes its not what you have done but what has happened in the shop before hand. That Dracena has travelled all the way from Holland and if they are not well wrapped in the danish trolleys on the lorry every time the lorry driver opens the back door a draught gets into the heated lorry and they could get a little chill. Sometimes the plants are left too long in a cold warehouse of the shop before they get on the shop floor.

If it still gives you grief in a few weeks time just bring it back to the shop and ask for a replacement.

 

[FONT=&quot]Hi there,[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I have had my Dracaena for a few years now, I tend to water it a day or two after it has soaked up all the water from the last time. I don’t tend to feed mine at all and it seems quite happy. The leaves at the bottom do drop off but only at the same rate that they grow at the top. Mine like direct sunlight if possible but somewhere in sight of a window suits it ok. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I’d advise putting it in direct sunlight for a couple of weeks and holding back a little on the watering.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Good luck![/FONT]

 

Take the pot out of the pot holder and let the poor thing drain off.:gnthb: