Dracaena – What is Guttation and what causes it on Dracaena?

Dracaena and other houseplants require more care than most people know. Simply watering the plant and making sure it gets sufficient sunlight and humidity is not enough. You need to do more. One condition you need to watch out for is guttation. At the first sight of this, most plant owners assume the worst. One thing you need to understand about this condition is that it is natural and it’s not harmful. Guttation is simply the appearance of little droplets of liquid on plant leaves.

Plants gather nutrients and moisture through the roots. To be able to move the nutrients and water up, the leaves have holes known as stomata. The evaporation of liquid through the stomata creates a vacuum which in turn helps the plant to pull up the nutrients and water through the leaves. This is known as transpiration. Plantscaper suppliers will be willing to give you more information about this process upon request. Transpiration normally stops at night because the stomata are closed.

Plants don’t need a lot of moisture at night. When the temperatures are cool or when the air is humid, less moisture evaporates. The plant continues to draw up more moisture through the root by building up pressure to force nutrients up. The pressure pushes the moisture out of the leaves. This is what leads to the formation of beads of water.

Difference between guttation and dew drops
More often than not, people mistake guttation for dew drops. The difference is dew forms on plant’s surface from condensation of the moisture in the air whereas guttation forms from moisture that is emitted from the plant itself. Understanding this difference will keep you at ease when you notice the water beads on your plant more so in the morning. You can also ask wholesale nurseries for plants that don’t experience a lot of guttation.

Misconception
One thing even your interiorscaper suppliers will be willing to tell you is that guttation is not a result of overwatering. Although overwatering could contribute the problem, guttation is not always a sign of overwatering. It is simply a sign of a healthy plant. Don’t reduce watering unless you are sure the problem is being caused by overwatering.

Guttation is only harmful to plants if you over-fertilize. This is because minerals from the fertilizer can build up on the leaf tips and cause them to burn. If you see white deposits on the leaf tips, you should consider cutting down on fertilizing.

Guttation is a condition that is not known by most people. Liaising with growers will help you better understand the condition and how to ensure it never damages your plants. All things considered, guttation is not a condition that should cause you to lose sleep if you have been taking good care of your dracaena.

Dracaena