Its leaves are a bit narrower compared to other varieties and have a texture to that of grass plants. Don't worry about over pruning or harming a dracaena marginata its a tough cookie and easy to prune and care for. It may take as long as three weeks for the soil to dry out in cool, low light conditions. General potting mixes tend to work fine when potting Dracaena plants, although they do prefer a more acidic mixture. The practice of taking stem cuttings is useful for rejuvenating overgrown houseplants such as dracaena. Watch and see how I fix it! Soil. Fill the new pot with enough dry potting soil that the top the root ball sits less than 1 inch below the rim. How to Transplant Succulents With Peat Moss. Dracaena plants like loose, well-draining soil. Slide the first and middle fingers of one hand around its base, with your palm securing the soil. I have a plant in distress! I think I found the problem! Loosen the fatter roots and cut off any that look soft or damaged. Some varieties of dracaena reach 15 feet tall if allowed to grow freely, overgrowing the home and becoming unmanageable as an indoor plant. In addition to being exceptionally easy to maintain, propagating dracaena plants is also quite simple. It’s hard to go wrong with low-maintenance dracaena plants. Hi, I have a Dracaena Compacta or Janet Craig, I believe it’s called. This creates a reservoir to channel water directly to the roots. There is more than one way to propagate dracaena by cuttings. However, it’s 4ft of stalk with a bushy top. The name comes from the ancient Greek word that refers to a female dragon, and ancient beliefs said that this plant appeared from the blood that was left behind after a massive battle between an elephant and a basilisk. I snatched it up as soon as it was introduced to the trade because fell in love with the chartreuse foliage. Mix the two together well, fill the pot halfway with it and water it well. Start replacing the soil, breaking up large clods and tamping gently as you work. Slip the dracaena from its pot. Water it with room-temperature, distilled water -- fluoridated tap water may cause leaf burn -- and let it drain. Step 1 Create your own, ideal dracaena planting mix by combining equal parts of potting soil and vermiculite. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute SelecTree: Dragon Tree: Clemson Cooperative Extension: Indoor Plants: Transplanting and Repotting, University of Illinois Extension: Plant Palette -- Dracaena, Sloat Garden Center: Garden Guru -- Caring for a Dracaena That a Neighbor Left Behind, University of Florida IFAS Extension: Dracaena Marginata, UC Davis Arboretum All-Star Care Instructions, Missouri Botanical Garden: Indoor Plants or Houseplants, Purdue University Department of Horticulture: Indoor Plant Care. Depending on the cultivar, dracaena may reach heights of up to 10 feet (3 m.) or even more, which means that regular dracaena trimming will probably be necessary. Dracaena relfexa 'Variegata' or 'Song of India.' However, it's a low-maintenance houseplant and usually tops out at three feet tall in containers. Dracaena marginata is a member of the ancient dragon tree family and is found growing wild in Mauritius. Center the dracaena and fill in around the roots, gently tamping the potting soil in place to remove air pockets. Spread the roots and center the dracaena in the hole. 5 Easy Tips for Dracaena Care. Watch the leaf tips If the tips of your dracaena leaves turn brown, it's a sign that you may not be watering your plant enough. It grows best in bright and indirect light. Plants produce bold rosettes of strap-like leaves at the tip of each shoot, as older leaves gradually fade and fall to leave bare stems at the base. From April to May, your dracaena plant comes out of rest mode and gets ready to go into the blooming season. Dracaena plants are usually inexpensive and easy to find. Your average houseplant pests are problematic. Though each variety looks different, they have the same needs as far as fertilizing goes. Make it 1/4- to 1/2-inch shallower than the root ball to allow for settling. The color of leaves is rich green with a beautiful silvery (less often yellow) border along the edges. This large group of plants includes many species that can grow up … Dracaenas are striking architectural plants, native to western and tropical Africa. Its botanic name is Dracaena sanderiana or braunii. portions, taking special note as to which end is the top and bottom. Water twice or three times weekly until the plant is established and putting out new growth. Transplant the dracaena in spring into a pot that is the next size larger in diameter than its current pot. It grows best in bright and indirect light. is grown for its dramatic foliage and carefree nature. In order to enhance drainage, pour clay pebbles or small stones into the pot to form a layer at the bottom. Many areas have fluoride in tap water, so fluoride toxicity is a concern. Dracaena Warneckii is a type of Dracaena Fragrans (Corn Plant), an unpretentious perennial plant that can grow up to 2 meters in height at home.This species is distinguished by narrow ensiform leaves up to half a meter long and about 5 cm wide. Lucky bamboo tends to thrive while root bound, but every couple of years you may need to transplant … It’s a hardy houseplant that grows well in a range of conditions as long as you don’t give it too much sun. 2. Learning how to care for a dracaena includes finding well-draining soil in which to grow your houseplant dracaena. See what you can do to transplant the dragon tree (Dracaena Draco) to a new location. If you put a little energy into growing the dracaena, however, you can take it from comfy to thriving. Most of the dracaena species thrive in areas with low light and tolerate neglect. Based in the American Southwest, Bridget Kelly has been writing about gardening and real estate since 2005. Drooping or yellowing leaves indicate over-watering or poor drainage. Form the remaining soil into a 2- to 3-inch-high berm around the lip of the hole. If you do it by pruning the top off the plant and letting new growth appear or by stem cuttings in water, it propagates with little or no efforts from you at all. Dracaena marginata is an attractive, stiff-leaved plant with colorful foliage that sometimes goes by the name \"dragon tree.\" Most of the time its sold simply as Dracaena marginata or just Dracaena. It is best to transplant a room dracaena in the spring, however, if necessary, this event can be carried out in autumn or winter. You would use a quality potting mix for houseplants and re-pot the plant by positioning the soil line of … During photosynthesis, their strap-shaped, often-variegated foliage scrubs the air of the common household toxins formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene. I had gotten a little Dracaena “Lemon Lime” in a 4” pot when I lived up in San Francisco. A longtime favorite for homes and offices, the corn plant, Dracaena fragrans, is an easy-care, dramatically attractive plant. Most dracaena plants are propagated by cutting and division and the best time to propagate is during its early growth cycle in spring. Place the containers in a warm location which receives indirect sunlight. Hunker may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Her articles have appeared at Trulia.com, SFGate.com, GardenGuides.com, RE/MAX.com, MarketLeader.com, RealEstate.com, USAToday.com and in "Chicago Agent" magazine, to name a few. Loosen the roots, and trim densely packed or girdling ones with a sharp knife. Dracaenas are easy plants, but there are a few things you need to remember when taking care of one. Keep your dracaenas in top shape by doing these 5 things: 1. Dracaena massangeana in a pot. Repeat until all the medium is moist. They’re attractive, easy to maintain, and can tolerate low light conditions, which makes them popular indoor plants in homes and offices. One of the biggest problems is spider mites, which can damage the plant without you realizing until it is already struggling. Botany's answer to indoor air pollution, dracaena (Dracaena spp. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in creative writing. Botany's answer to indoor air pollution, dracaena (Dracaena spp. Set a coffee filter or a small shard from a broken clay pot over the drainage hole of the new pot to let water drain freely while holding the potting medium in place. Dracaena is a genus of about 40 versatile, easy-to-grow plants with distinctive, strappy leaves. Dracaena fragrans massangeana or Dracaena massangeana is commonly referred to as mass cane or corn plant, and is widely used indoors. Any corn plant, Dracaena fragrans included, will have various pests that threaten the leaves or main body of the plant itself. A dracaena (Dracaena spp.) If you’re wanting to keep your dracaena in its best shape possible with the nutrients it needs, it is in your best interest to fertilize it. Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) produces bamboolike stems that are often twisted into ornamental shapes, which provide a … Most types of dracaena houseplants are characterized by upright woody stems, long pointed lanceolate arching leaves, and bushy foliage. How to Replant a Marginata Plant How to Grow Bok Choy Indoors The corn plant (Dracaena fragrans) is an easy-care houseplant that offers a lush, tropical aura to any room or outdoor space. This dracaena can grow to 18 feet tall and spread up to 8 feet across. Dracaena is a genus of about 40 versatile, easy-to-grow plants with distinctive, strappy leaves. Place the cutting segments in soil or in water, as described by the top cutting method. And of course, it is more important that almost all parts of the plant are now used for medicinal purposes. Although dracaena is suitable for growing outdoors in USDA plant hardiness zones 10 and 11, it is most often grown as a houseplant. In this post, we're going through some essential aspects of taking care of a Dracaena and some mistakes we've personally made to help you avoid those mistakes. Dracaena marginata, or Madagascar Dragon Tree, is a versatile plant that is easy to care for and great for people who don’t consider themselves green thumbs. Plants in the Dracaena family are hearty and don't require much moisture to survive. The practice of taking stem cuttings is useful for rejuvenating overgrown houseplants such as dracaena. The corn plant goes by many names, and all them are part of the Dracaena family of plants – all typical with the same growing and care requirements. How to Care for Dracaena House Plants. Snake Plant, often called Sansevieria or Dracaena Trifasciata, is easy to care for.The plant came to homes of flower growers from India and Africa. These plants can grow quite tall in the wild, but they stay at a manageable size when kept indoors. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. To take advantage of winter rains, Mediterranean-climate gardeners should transplant dracaena outdoors in fall. Dracaena plants are loved for their carefree growth habit and their ability to thrive under the care of even novice gardeners. Dracaena marginata is a member of the ancient dragon tree family and is found growing wild in Mauritius. Dracaena (/ d r ə ˈ s iː n ə /) is a genus of about 120 species of trees and succulent shrubs. 1. Most corn plants need to be watered properly to survive, so make sure that you aren’t just under-watering them first. Pruning your plants before they hit the growth period keeps them healthy. ), ranks among the hardest-working easy-care houseplants. Dracaena plants enjoy humidity, although luckily it’s not a must to have your home resemble a greenhouse. How to Transplant a Dracaena. If the pot is too large to invert, place it on its side and slide it out. Dracaena (Dracaena spp.) After 4 to 6 weeks, the plant should … This is for the simple fact that the soil in the pot can only sustain the nutritional needs of your plant for so long. This is all about transplanting my Dracaena marginata with a couple of its cuttings added in at the […] Growing Lucky Bamboo: 24 Things To Know About Caring says: 08/18/2020 at 2:14 pm […] By the way, Lucky Bamboo isn’t really bamboo. Her thousands of published articles cover topics from travel and gardening to pet care and technology. These plants are perfect for a beginner gardener because they're very easy to grow indoors. There are over 40 types of dracaena species, and you can easily prune all of them with a pair of garden shears and a few snips! Without further ado, let’s learn about Dracaena marginata care and propagation! They thrive with dim light, moderate humidity and occasional watering. Varieties include dragon trees and lucky bamboo, which isn't a true bamboo. Choose a pot with diameter 2 inches larger than that of its existing pot. You want the plant to sit at the same depth it did in the old pot, so add more soil if necessary. However, instead of cutting the stem back past one to two leaf nodes, you will cut a larger portion of the stem. Indoor dracaena flower belongs to the category of heat-loving southern plantsTherefore, replanting decorative culture is required taking into account botanical features. Since Dracaena Marginata is so resilient, it doesn't require much additional help to grow. Dracaena plants get their name from the ancient Greek word drakaina or “female dragon”, making it an instant favorite of mine! How to care for a Dracaena. How to Prune Dracaena. In the spring, the outdoor varieties can develop tiny and fragrant white flowers, followed by circular yellow-orange berries. Low light can be handled pretty fine as well, but the plant will grow much slower. 5 Signs Your Plant Needs Dividing. It not only looks good but it is not as demanding as most other houseplants out there. Water and drain the dracaena. Make sure the new pot has drainage holes. One of the simplest is to take off the crown. While these plants can be grown inside or outdoors, the majority of them are grown indoors. Dracaenas are named after dragons because they have a red resin in their stems that have historically been used for toothpaste, dyes, and medicines. Propagating Dracaena Cuttings. The following tips are going to be your guide in the process of proper plant growing. Learn how to propagate them here. That means mealybugs, spider mites, etc. Remove weeds and debris from the site. Dracaenas are striking architectural plants, native to western and tropical Africa. Although dracaena is suitable for growing outdoors in USDA plant hardiness zones 10 and 11, it is most often grown as a houseplant. Dig a hole three times wider than your dracaena's container at the soil line, with its sides slanting inward to 1 1/2 times wider at its bottom. Allow it to drain for 15 minutes, then water again. The color of leaves is rich green with a beautiful silvery (less often yellow) border along the edges. It's a beautiful plant, with wonderful sword like leaves. While you can prune your dracaena whenever you'd like, this helps encourage new, healthy growth. They are tolerant of most lighting conditions and will be comfortable in any corner of your home. I sometimes call them “Dr. Dracaena (Dracaena marginata), more commonly known as a dragon tree, is an attractive, stiff-leaved plant with green sword-like, red-edged leaves.The plant has narrow, slender gray stems that are topped with shiny, arching leaves. This also makes it easier to shape the plants into your ideal look. Water enough to keep the soil evenly moist week while the roots become established. Dracaena marginata, commonly known as a Madagascar dragon tree or dragon tree, makes a good choice as an indoor plant because it … Regardless of where they grow, proper transplanting is critical to dracaenas' long-term health. Transplanting my Dracaena marginata: That ceramic pot is now planted with an array of cacti and sits happily right on the walkway to my front door. Dracaena plants are hardy houseplants with a lush, tropical appearance and strap-shaped leaves. Dracaena is an amazing plant to bring home. How to Care for Dracaena House Plants It is quite easy to grow dracaena indoors because it is an unpretentious plant. It doesn't take a lot of work to make a dracaena comfortable indoors. These Dracaena repotting tips, including the mix to use & how to do it, will help you out. Invert the pot and slide the plant free. If you allow your plant to go dry for a long time, your dracaena reacts, not by wilting, but by tipping you off with brown tips. Care & Problems for dracaena plants. Light: this plant is quite tolerant of a wide range of conditions. Their spiky, tropical foliage comes in a variety of colors, shapes, and patterns, and they even help purify the air, so it’s no wonder that they’re a popular choice for homes and public spaces. Remove it from its pot as you would for indoor transplanting. Their bushy foliage and tolerance of shade or bright light make Dracaena ‘Janet Craig’ ideal plants to grow indoors. To take stem cuttings from dracaena, repeat the process of taking top cuttings. Note: You may add rooting hormone to t… It's a beautiful plant, with wonderful sword like leaves. Feed every two weeks in spring and summer … In its homeland, Snake Plant is used for many purposes: fibre is extracted from the leaves to make coarse fabrics, ropes and tail-ropes. Avoid overwatering. How to Care for the Dracaena Janet Craig Plant . Depending on the cultivar, dracaena may reach heights of up to 10 feet (3 m.) or even more, which means that regular dracaena trimming will probably be necessary. Here I repot a large Dracaena Lisa—see how it’s done. ), ranks among the hardest-working easy-care houseplants. Water your dracaena in its current pot; let it drain. It’s not going anywhere and the blue pot is a nice accent to my vintage patio set which is in close vicinity. Roots Run Wild Reduce the chance of an indoor dracaena developing transplant shock by placing it out of the sun. Water the dracaena until water runs from the bottom of the pot. Cover the root ball to its previous depth. The plant is healthy, green and doing well. Don't plant dracaena outdoors -- even in a mild-winter climate -- unless you're prepared to cover it during occasional frosts. Repotting: Repotting should be done about once every two years or so. Anita Dracaena: This variety is popularly known for tolerating low light conditions. They can handle a bit of dry air, too. The care information here are for plants grown indoors, as that’s the preferred environment for best growth. Prepare a new pot for your dracaena when the plant is actively growing in spring or summer. Problems arising to Dracaena Marginata from violation of overwatering: If Dracaena Marginata is watered too often, then first of all the foliage begins to fall; further, if the situation is not corrected, the plant dies (first the roots rot, then, starting from the base, the stem begins to rot and soften). Create your own, ideal dracaena planting mix by combining equal parts of potting soil and vermiculite. Can I Replant a Cut Dracaena?. Corn plants (Dracaena deremensis) are quite popular as houseplants thanks to their attractive foliage and hardy nature.They’re easy to grow in containers or in the garden in the right climate. 2. Water the dracaena well and cover the root ball with a moisture-preserving layer of organic mulch. Dracaena, dragon tree, corn plant, or whatever you may call it, are amazing houseplants that come in so many different varieties. How can I propagate another plant from it, make it … Dracaena ‘Janet Craig’ (Dracaena deremensis ‘Janet Craig’ or Dracaena fragrans ‘Janet Craig’) is a popular tall houseplant that thrives in low light.‘Janet Craig’ plants have long glossy green, lanceolate-shaped leaves that grow on straight woody stems. Dracaena Warneckii is a type of Dracaena Fragrans (Corn Plant), an unpretentious perennial plant that can grow up to 2 meters in height at home.This species is distinguished by narrow ensiform leaves up to half a meter long and about 5 cm wide. They can be found at most plant stores and home improvement stores at reasonable prices compared with other houseplants of similar sizes. Once the plant is free of the pot, gently untangle the root ball; if necessary, sever compacted or girdling roots with a sharp knife. Dracaena plants are types of tropical trees and shrubs that are popular houseplants. If it's pot-bound – with the roots circling the pot – it should slide out easily. Dracaena plant care involves keeping the soil of houseplant dracaena moist, but never soggy. Lighting The Dracaena plant is quite tolerant of a wide range of conditions. The leaves are multicolored with green centers and yellow or cream margins; as they mature, they become more yellow. Use your fingers to tease some of the outside roots from the rootball. Passionate for travel and the well-written word, Judy Wolfe is a professional writer with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Cal Poly Pomona and a certificate in advanced floral design. Some tips on successfully propagating dracaenas are dipping the cuttings in rooting hormone to encourage early root formation and once planted, enclosing the set up in a plastic bag to regulate temperature and humidity. The Dracaena massangeana plant requires good soil mix that can be amended with ⅓ compost, if you’ve got some.. It is inexpensive compared to other houseplants, and the least expensive of the dracaena varieties. Growing dracaena from cuttings is a great way to rejuvenate an older plant, to get new plants for your home, or to share with friends. These plants can clean benzene, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from indoor air. This basically involves taking a cutting, but before you do so, you trick the plant into developing a root system on the stem in question. If the soil settles, add more so that the surface is within 1 inch of the pot's rim. Indoor varieties of dracaena thrive in low to bright light and are attractive drought-tolerant plants. Propagating Dracaena by air layering. By creating an account you agree to the Hunker, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service; Indoor Plant Care; B. Rosie Lerner; May 2001. Appropriate fertilization is also a part of how to care for a dracaena. Use fertilizers sparingly. In the APG IV classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae (formerly the family Ruscaceae). Dracaena is usually grown as a houseplant but it may grow outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 11. Seuss plants” because they kind of remind me of the wonky looking trees you’d find in a Dr. Seuss book. However, just like all plants, after a couple of months, you will need to repot your plant. You’d be amazed at how well foliage plants do when they have at least two weeks of good light per month! Dracaena marginata, commonly known as a Madagascar dragon tree or dragon tree, makes a good choice as an indoor plant because it tolerates low light. Dracaenas are quite robust, making them easy to grow and care for. Dracaena is an amazing plant to bring home. I’ve had this plant for at least 10 years and it’s only about 4ft tall. Dracaenas also add tropical flair to outdoor settings in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 11. Mix the two together well, fill the pot halfway with it and water it well. Select a well-draining, wind-protected site with filtered sunlight and room for your dracaena's mature height and spread, should you want to plant it outside. http://www.botanicus.comPrune this episode #2: Kathryn demonstrates how to prune a common house plant known as Dracaena Massangeana or the Corn Plant Dracaena History The Dracaena has a long and colorful history that dates back centuries. Here’s what you need to know about how to keep your dracaena healthy and happy. I repotted many of my houseplants this past spring and this 7′ Dracaena Lisa was one of them. Lucky bamboo isn’t actually bamboo at all; it’s a member of the Dracaena family. Let it recover for two or three weeks before moving it to its permanent location. Also ensure the new pot has a drainage hole. How to Transplant Dracaena Sanderiana. Plants produce bold rosettes of strap-like leaves at the tip of each shoot, as older leaves gradually fade and fall to leave bare stems at the base. Fill the pot with the soil mixture to within 1 inch of the rim. It has also formerly been separated (sometimes with Cordyline) into the family Dracaenaceae or placed in the Agavaceae (now Agavoideae). Signs of fluoride toxicity in dracaena plants include dark brown, yellow, or dead areas. > Dracaena > Ficus trees > Houseplant palms > Money tree > Norfolk Island pine > Ponytail palm The best time to divide houseplants is in the early spring, just as they are about to put out fresh new growth. Place the roots into the new pot and check its depth. It not only looks good but it is not as demanding as most other houseplants out there. Another possibility would be to put a plant better suited to dim lighting in that spot: dieffenbachia, Chinese evergreen, pothos, philodendron, etc., even another dracaena. Dracaena houseplants are great candidates for a propagation method called air layering. However, just like all plants, after a … The plant was getting quite tall and the 10″ grow pot was looking small and out of scale. Plant profile for Dracaena Family. Although most dracaena species tolerate being pot-bound, after awhile they will begin to show signs of stress, such as wilting. Set the dracaena in the sink. Originating in tropical east Africa, the corn plant prefers to be out of direct sunlight, making it an ideal houseplant. How to Transplant a Dracaena Marginata. Not everyone knows how to prune a dracaena, when to start transplanting it and what care instructions to keep to. How to Transplant a Dracaena Marginata. Mass cane is characterized by its thick, woody canes and long strap-like leaves. produces thick, segmented canes instead of stems. Prized as houseplants, dracaena plant varieties survive for years as an indoor potted plant. Transplant the dracaena in spring into a pot that is the next size larger in diameter than its current pot. One thing I’ve read about that can be problematic is actually fluoride. Cut the stem section of the plant into 8-inch (20 cm.) Dracaena Warneckii - Costa Farms Dracaena Marginata - Costa Farms The rule of thumb is to select a pot approximately 2” larger in diameter, no larger than 4” in diameter. If they become root bound growth is likely to be very slow.