Water the dracaena until water runs from the bottom of the pot. It’s hard to go wrong with low-maintenance dracaena plants. Dracaenas are named after dragons because they have a red resin in their stems that have historically been used for toothpaste, dyes, and medicines. 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. Pruning your plants before they hit the growth period keeps them healthy. Invert the pot and slide the plant free. To take stem cuttings from dracaena, repeat the process of taking top cuttings. Feed every two weeks in spring and summer … Learning how to care for a dracaena includes finding well-draining soil in which to grow your houseplant dracaena. The Dracaena massangeana plant requires good soil mix that can be amended with ⅓ compost, if you’ve got some.. 1. Some varieties of dracaena reach 15 feet tall if allowed to grow freely, overgrowing the home and becoming unmanageable as an indoor plant. The following tips are going to be your guide in the process of proper plant growing. Can I Replant a Cut Dracaena?. 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. Dracaenas are striking architectural plants, native to western and tropical Africa. Remove it from its pot as you would for indoor transplanting. Water your dracaena in its current pot; let it drain. Based in the American Southwest, Bridget Kelly has been writing about gardening and real estate since 2005. Care & Problems for dracaena plants. Also ensure the new pot has a drainage hole. Spread the roots and center the dracaena in the hole. Cover the root ball to its previous depth. These Dracaena repotting tips, including the mix to use & how to do it, will help you out. Lucky bamboo isn’t actually bamboo at all; it’s a member of the Dracaena family. How to Care for Dracaena House Plants. Seuss plants” because they kind of remind me of the wonky looking trees you’d find in a Dr. Seuss book. In addition to being exceptionally easy to maintain, propagating dracaena plants is also quite simple. 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 had gotten a little Dracaena “Lemon Lime” in a 4” pot when I lived up in San Francisco. Prized as houseplants, dracaena plant varieties survive for years as an indoor potted plant. Allow it to drain for 15 minutes, then water again. Dracaena plants get their name from the ancient Greek word drakaina or “female dragon”, making it an instant favorite of mine! Botany's answer to indoor air pollution, dracaena (Dracaena spp. The practice of taking stem cuttings is useful for rejuvenating overgrown houseplants such as dracaena. These plants can clean benzene, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from indoor air. Keep your dracaenas in top shape by doing these 5 things: 1. is grown for its dramatic foliage and carefree nature. Prepare a new pot for your dracaena when the plant is actively growing in spring or summer. By creating an account you agree to the Hunker, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service; Indoor Plant Care; B. Rosie Lerner; May 2001. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. To take advantage of winter rains, Mediterranean-climate gardeners should transplant dracaena outdoors in fall. Though each variety looks different, they have the same needs as far as fertilizing goes. Lucky bamboo tends to thrive while root bound, but every couple of years you may need to transplant … 2. Drooping or yellowing leaves indicate over-watering or poor drainage. It doesn't take a lot of work to make a dracaena comfortable indoors. During photosynthesis, their strap-shaped, often-variegated foliage scrubs the air of the common household toxins formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene. 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. Mix the two together well, fill the pot halfway with it and water it well. Dracaena massangeana in a pot. Start replacing the soil, breaking up large clods and tamping gently as you work. The plant was getting quite tall and the 10″ grow pot was looking small and out of scale. It not only looks good but it is not as demanding as most other houseplants out there. If the pot is too large to invert, place it on its side and slide it out. 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. Without further ado, let’s learn about Dracaena marginata care and propagation! It not only looks good but it is not as demanding as most other houseplants out there. If they become root bound growth is likely to be very slow. One of the biggest problems is spider mites, which can damage the plant without you realizing until it is already struggling. Water it with room-temperature, distilled water -- fluoridated tap water may cause leaf burn -- and let it drain. 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. Slip the dracaena from its pot. 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. This dracaena can grow to 18 feet tall and spread up to 8 feet across. Although dracaena is suitable for growing outdoors in USDA plant hardiness zones 10 and 11, it is most often grown as a houseplant. Repeat until all the medium is moist. How to Care for Dracaena House Plants It is quite easy to grow dracaena indoors because it is an unpretentious plant. Lighting The Dracaena plant is quite tolerant of a wide range of conditions. Signs of fluoride toxicity in dracaena plants include dark brown, yellow, or dead areas. In its homeland, Snake Plant is used for many purposes: fibre is extracted from the leaves to make coarse fabrics, ropes and tail-ropes. Dracaena (Dracaena spp.) And of course, it is more important that almost all parts of the plant are now used for medicinal purposes. After 4 to 6 weeks, the plant should … Here I repot a large Dracaena Lisa—see how it’s done. How to Transplant a Dracaena Marginata. Dracaena houseplants are great candidates for a propagation method called air layering. Use fertilizers sparingly. I snatched it up as soon as it was introduced to the trade because fell in love with the chartreuse foliage. Fill the new pot with enough dry potting soil that the top the root ball sits less than 1 inch below the rim. This creates a reservoir to channel water directly to the roots. See what you can do to transplant the dragon tree (Dracaena Draco) to a new location. They’re attractive, easy to maintain, and can tolerate low light conditions, which makes them popular indoor plants in homes and offices. ), ranks among the hardest-working easy-care houseplants. However, it’s 4ft of stalk with a bushy top. The practice of taking stem cuttings is useful for rejuvenating overgrown houseplants such as dracaena. Dracaena History The Dracaena has a long and colorful history that dates back centuries. How to care for a Dracaena. This also makes it easier to shape the plants into your ideal look. 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. Roots Run Wild In the APG IV classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae (formerly the family Ruscaceae). 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 ‘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. 5 Signs Your Plant Needs Dividing. How to Transplant Dracaena Sanderiana. Place the cutting segments in soil or in water, as described by the top cutting method. Slide the first and middle fingers of one hand around its base, with your palm securing the soil. Dracaena plants are hardy houseplants with a lush, tropical appearance and strap-shaped leaves. It has also formerly been separated (sometimes with Cordyline) into the family Dracaenaceae or placed in the Agavaceae (now Agavoideae). A longtime favorite for homes and offices, the corn plant, Dracaena fragrans, is an easy-care, dramatically attractive plant. They are tolerant of most lighting conditions and will be comfortable in any corner of your home. How can I propagate another plant from it, make it … Dracaena plants enjoy humidity, although luckily it’s not a must to have your home resemble a greenhouse. Don't plant dracaena outdoors -- even in a mild-winter climate -- unless you're prepared to cover it during occasional frosts. It’s not going anywhere and the blue pot is a nice accent to my vintage patio set which is in close vicinity. Place the containers in a warm location which receives indirect sunlight. Plants in the Dracaena family are hearty and don't require much moisture to survive. 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). 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. Water enough to keep the soil evenly moist week while the roots become established. 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. Hi, I have a Dracaena Compacta or Janet Craig, I believe it’s called. Make sure the new pot has drainage holes. Varieties include dragon trees and lucky bamboo, which isn't a true bamboo. Dracaena fragrans massangeana or Dracaena massangeana is commonly referred to as mass cane or corn plant, and is widely used indoors. Indoor varieties of dracaena thrive in low to bright light and are attractive drought-tolerant plants. Most dracaena plants are propagated by cutting and division and the best time to propagate is during its early growth cycle in spring. These plants can grow quite tall in the wild, but they stay at a manageable size when kept indoors. It’s a hardy houseplant that grows well in a range of conditions as long as you don’t give it too much sun. Dracaena (/ d r ə ˈ s iː n ə /) is a genus of about 120 species of trees and succulent shrubs. 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. Reduce the chance of an indoor dracaena developing transplant shock by placing it out of the sun. Their bushy foliage and tolerance of shade or bright light make Dracaena ‘Janet Craig’ ideal plants to grow indoors. In the spring, the outdoor varieties can develop tiny and fragrant white flowers, followed by circular yellow-orange berries. I sometimes call them “Dr. Water and drain the dracaena. 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. From April to May, your dracaena plant comes out of rest mode and gets ready to go into the blooming season. However, instead of cutting the stem back past one to two leaf nodes, you will cut a larger portion of the stem. You would use a quality potting mix for houseplants and re-pot the plant by positioning the soil line of … The leaves are multicolored with green centers and yellow or cream margins; as they mature, they become more yellow. However, just like all plants, after a … This large group of plants includes many species that can grow up … 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. Loosen the roots, and trim densely packed or girdling ones with a sharp knife. General potting mixes tend to work fine when potting Dracaena plants, although they do prefer a more acidic mixture. Its botanic name is Dracaena sanderiana or braunii. Set the dracaena in the sink. 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. Appropriate fertilization is also a part of how to care for a dracaena. How to Transplant a Dracaena. How to Prune Dracaena. If the soil settles, add more so that the surface is within 1 inch of the pot's rim. Place the roots into the new pot and check its depth. Remove weeds and debris from the site. It is inexpensive compared to other houseplants, and the least expensive of the dracaena varieties. Dracaenas also add tropical flair to outdoor settings in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 11. You want the plant to sit at the same depth it did in the old pot, so add more soil if necessary. Not everyone knows how to prune a dracaena, when to start transplanting it and what care instructions to keep to. 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. If it's pot-bound – with the roots circling the pot – it should slide out easily.