Liven up almost any outer space in your home with these adaptable houseplants .
TheDracaenagenus is a orotund group of pop houseplant that abide a variety of rise conditions . Dracaena plants are grow primarily for the upright piano , straplike leafage that is either green or motley in cream , scandalmongering , pink , or red , count on the variety . As they raise , some types of dracaena take on the appearance of bamboo . In fact , one of the most commonly grown dracaenas is market aslucky bamboo . This guide explains how to grow and handle for dracaena plants as houseplants .
BHG / Phoebe Cheong
Credit:BHG / Phoebe Cheong
Where to Plant Dracaena
When grown as houseplants , dracaena need a warm localization with bright collateral light , butthey can be moved out of doors in the summertime . Some variety of dracaena are winter audacious in semitropicalUSDA Zones10–11 , where the temperature remains at least 50 ° F . These outdoor specimens grow much orotund than dracaena houseplants .
The small , bushy form of young plant suit mantels , tabletops , and desks . In the right shape , the houseplant can eventually reach 5 to 6 feet tall , make them sodding foradding sprightliness to a corner of the living room , dining room , or den .
Dracaena plants are toxic to dogs and cats , so place them in areas that pets ca n’t reach .
Credit:BHG / Phoebe Cheong
Dracaena Care Tips
Dracaena plants are easy to grow indoors with a little introductory care . They usually do well in the same indoor stipulation that people discover comfortable .
Light
Dracaena plants are flexible about inflammation necessity , and are capable to live on in anything from a dimly lit office building to a brightly lit , south - present windowpane . If grown in grim luminosity , growth will likely be slow , but if yourplant ’s stems become tall-growing , seek to move it to where it can get more lite .
Leaf colors will likely be less vibrant in low lighting , so dracaena industrial plant varieties sporting bright color should be placed where they ’ll receive more Christ Within . However , keep the plant in indirect light or thefoliage may get sunburn .
Soil and Water
supply your dracaena with well - debilitate potting mix . Let the soil dryto the touch between waterings . Be measured not to let the filth altogether dry out out , or the leaves will set about to turn brown , especially at the tips . grunge that says miry for long periods can induce solution rot , so ensure the pot has drain hole and always empty excess water from saucers .
Temperature and Humidity
In general , mostDracaenaspecies grow best in temperature between 60 - 75 ° F , whether growing indoors or out of doors . There are exception to this reach ; some can tolerate temperature as gamey as 90 ° F if they are develop in a funny localisation and as low as 50 ° farad when located in a sheltered surface area .
Dracaena plants prefer humidness at 60 percent , although they tolerate average indoor humidness . add together a humidifier to a elbow room hold back dracaena houseplants is recommend for passing dry area . Brown , crispy folio tipsare often a sign of not enough humidity .
Fertilizer
Fertilize dracaena once a month during spring and summer to promote unexampled growing . Use a liquified houseplant fertiliser applied at half strength . Growth naturally slows or stops in fall andwinter , so you could skip the fertilizerover those months . It ’s important not to overfertilize because it can burn the roots and cause foliage to reverse yellow or leaf tips to twist brown .
Pruning
The dracaena varieties most often uprise as houseplants lay out in top from 2 to 10 feet , so you may require to prune your plant someday to shrink its size . During the arise time of year , use neat lopper or a sharp tongue to trim the stalks back to the height you require .
Potting and Repotting
maturate dracaena in well - draining potting mix in a container with excellent drain . When dracaena is left to grow in the same stool for a foresightful clock time indoors , it can receive problems . The edges and tips of leaf may brown and die as a reaction to a buildup of fertilizers and salts from softened water . If this happens , try leaching the filth , which means flush it with weewee until it runs percipient from the bottom of the pot .
A better result is to repot the dracaenaevery brace of years . This also helps keep the plant from becoming rootbound , which can interfere with adequate water supply and nutrient uptake . To repot , take a container that ’s slightly larger than the current one . Remove as much of the old potting filth as possible from the roots . Then set the industrial plant into fresh potting dirt in the unexampled toilet so it model at the same level as it did in its old pot .
Pests and Plant Diseases
Like most plants , dracaena is vulnerable to various pest . Keep your eye unfastened for spider touch , which fuck the warm , dry environment normally establish in house configurations . You ’ll know your plant has these unwished visitant if you see net and stippled foliage . Spider speck ( which are arachnids , not insect ) regurgitate quickly and should be eradicated as soon as they ’re notice . sporadically spray the works ( especially the undersides of leaves ) and the grime beneath it withneem oil colour facilitate control this plague . Prevent wanderer jot outdoors by rinsing dracaena on a regular basis with water supply .
Mealybugs and scale leaf are two more peststhat are troublesome for dracaena plants . Mealybugs leave a viscid remainder on the leave of absence , and scale worm look like small bumps on the leaves . Both of these cause the affected leaves to turn yellow and stunt the development of the plant . However , they can be treated with neem crude oil or insecticidal easy lay .
foliage spot is a fungous diseasethat appears as modest brown spots on the plant ’s leaves . It is ordinarily cause by overwatering or pathetic line circulation . Remove and discard any leaves with brown spots and improve the air circulation around the industrial plant .
Credit: Jay Wilde
base putrefaction is another fungal diseasethat affects dracaenas that are overwatered and stimulate their leaves to call on yellow and droop or fall off . If this occurs , discard and replace the soil ( and do n’t overwater ) !
Common Issues with Dracaena
maintain dracaena plant on a regular basis ; if they have job , the leaves normally show it . white-livered or wilting leaves might indicateyou are overwatering the plant or have it in a container with poor drainage . irrigate the plant until the filth is damp but not soggy . practice well - draining potting soil in a container with adequate drain , and the plant should recover .
Overexposure to full suncan also make leave to yellow ( or turn crispy brown ) ; in this case , relocate the plant to a location with vivid , indirect Light Within . In general , the plant with the brightest coloration do the best in full Dominicus ; if they are grown in lower light , their color is impress .
Brown tips on dracaena leaves might be due to watering with tap water . You ca n’t control the lineament of your tap urine , but you may ( and should ) water system dracaenas with distill water if you live in an area where the tap water is grueling and contains tot up fluoride .
Credit: Marty Baldwin
How to Propagate Dracaena
The prosperous way to propagate dracaena plant is via water supply or soil extension of astem cutting . To start , discover a good for you stem on the dracaena industrial plant and foreshorten it with sanitized pruners . verify the cutting includes several leaf nodes and at least two leaves . Dip the bottom of the cutting into arooting hormone .
Propagating in urine : After adding the root hormone to the cutting , come in it in a glass or jolt that contains clean , distilled piddle . Most of the settle down internal secretion will dissolve into the water supply . Do n’t submerge any of the leaves . direct the container in a warm location where it welcome bright , indirect light . supersede the pee every other day . You ’ll see the roots as they develop .
Propagating in dirt : Fill a minuscule pot that has a drainage hole with potting mix and drizzle it . After dipping the cutting in rout hormone , immediately insert it into the mix . Firm the mixture around the bottom of the prow and add a pencil or wooden craft stick if need to keep the cutting upright .
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
post the raft in an area that receives bright , indirect spark . Water the mix slightly every day for the first calendar month , and then water it only a twain of times a week . The potting mix should remain moist but never wet . It take about six to eight hebdomad for roots to form . When you see roots hail out of the bottom of the good deal , the cutting has rooted enough to be repot .
After the cutting develops roots , repot it in a small container filled with grunge formulate for tropical plants or good - quality potting soil , or plant it now in a disposed garden bed in subtropical areas .
Types of Dracaena
There are more than 170 species of dracaena houseplants . Here are some favorites .
Janet Craig
Dracaena deremensis’Janet Craig ' , also sleep together asDracaena deremensis’Compacta ' , has solid immature folio with short internodes . This shrubby plant adapts well to scurvy - luminousness conditions .
Corn Plant
Dracaena fragrans’Massangeana ' is called Indian corn plant life for its resemblance tothe harvest with the same common name . However , this dracaena has a woodier root word and a tolerant band of Au down the center of its foliage .
Florida Beauty
Dracaena surculosa’Florida Beauty ' is smaller and shrubbier than most dracaena , rarely reaching more than 2 feet tall . It has broad leaves brilliantly fleck with creamy yellow , which give it the byname " Gold Dust . "
Lemon Lime
Dracaena deremensis’Lemon Lime ' has leave with a central immature stria and a wide margin of chartreuse green .
Lucky Bamboo
Dracaena sanderianaisnot a bamboo at allbut rather a dracaena with a pliable stem that is often woven into elaborate Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe . It grows well directly in water or a crushed rock - replete dope with water .
Madagascar Dragon Tree
Dracaena marginata , also called the Madagascar Dragon Tree , may be grown either as a multiple - stalk bush or tree . Stems of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree - form plants often are condition to grow with crooks or crease . bass green straplike leaf are edged with a narrow band of maroon .
Ribbon Plant
Dracaena sanderiana’Variegata ' is the same coinage aslucky bamboo , but its leaf margins are creamy white . It is sometimes arise in terrariums because it remain shorter than most other dracaenas .
Song of India
Dracaena reflexa’Song of India ' is a shrubby plant , usually rise with multiple stem in a pot . leaf are edged with a band of gold and are 6 to 8 inches long . It is sometimes sold asPleomele reflexa .
Tricolor
Dracaena marginata’Tricolor ' or rainbow plant is a lighter color version of Madagascar flying dragon tree diagram . Its minute straplike leaves have a central band of medium green surrounded by a narrow-minded Au band and edge with a chevron of red .
Frequently Asked Questions
agree to a well - known NASA Air Quality study , dracaena flora are among the most good houseplants forremoving pollutants from a home ’s air . While these plant may remove certain harmful chemicals from the aura , the number of plants necessary to have any measurable effect on a home ’s air quality is airy . However , you could still enjoy these plants for the beauty their foliation brings to indoor space .
Although this varies by species , most dracaena houseplants live 10–15 years when rise under optimal condition with regular repotting . Dracaena plants that grow outdoors in subtropical zones subsist much longer .
Dracaena . ASPCA
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Wolverton , B. C. , McDonald , R. C. , & E. A. Watkins , Jr. ( 1984 ) . Foliage Plants for Removing Indoor Air Pollutants from Energy - Efficient Homes . Economic Botany,38(2 ) , 224–228 . http://www.jstor.org/stable/4254614
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit:BHG / Phoebe Cheong
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Credit: Jay Wilde
