This wonderful houseplant is famous for its huge varietal and species diversity. There are varieties that grow only in the wild, some species grow and develop only in greenhouse conditions, and there are indoor plants, unpretentious, not requiring very complex care, although there are some features of growing this beautiful flower. In this article, we will reveal some of the secrets of caring for dracaena at home.
Species differences
Under natural conditions, more than 140 species of dracaena grow, differing in size and color. At home in around the world about 60 species are grown. These are rather unpretentious plants that perfectly develop at home, pleasing with an original and exotic look, creating comfort in the house.
The most popular types for home growing include the following:
- Derema.
- Marginata (bordered).
- Sander.
- Godzef.
- Reflex (bent).
- Fragrance (fragrant).
Dracaena Marginata
Perhaps the most common and unpretentious variety of domestic dracaena is Margenata dracaena. How to care for this plant at home, we will describe below. This variety can often be seen in offices and residential buildings. It grows up to three meters in height, has dark green pointed leaves, growing in length up to 70 centimeters.
Knowing how to care for dracaena, you will be able to grow a slender tree with an elongated trunk free from branches and crowning tops of shoots, pointed by hard leaves.
Dracaena Godzef
It is found in natural conditions in western Africa and the Canary Islands, where it grows in height up to 10 meters. In indoor floriculture, it often grows to one and a half meters. Leaves painted with a bluish color with spikes at the ends reach 60 centimeters in length.
For many lovers of indoor plants, this palm tree dracaena is of interest. Experienced flower growers know how to care for this flower at home. All of them note that care is simple, due to the fact that, unlike most varieties, this plant tolerates too dry air quite easily.
Fragrant Dracaena
In nature, this species spreads a pleasant aroma during flowering. Her flowers, shaped like pompons, are located on a peduncle length of a meter. Unfortunately, under indoor conditions this variety of dracaena blooms extremely rarely, but florists are attracted by its very beautiful leaves up to 10 centimeters wide.
The plant suffers a significant drop in temperature. Even when the thermometer drops to + 10 ° C, it can bloom, although it is extremely rare in room conditions.
Dracaena bent (Reflex)
In nature, it is a fairly tall tree, reaching five meters in height. Leaves up to 15 cm long, lanceolate, elongated. According to florists, this is the most demanding and capricious flower of dracaena. How to care for this variety at home? You need to know that this species is found only in greenhouses, because it needs a constant special temperature regime, lighting and humidity.
Dracaena Sander
The famous lucky bamboo flower. The plant is so unpretentious that even dracaena can grow even in water. What kind of care does this variety require at home? She does not need planting in the ground, and mineral fertilizers must be added to the water - without them, the leaves of the plant turn yellow. And one more important point - the water should be distilled, in the extreme case, filtered. Tap water can also cause yellowing of the foliage.
Dracaena Derema
This variety of dracaena has lanceolate narrow leaves, painted in dark green, up to one and a half meters long. In this species, the leaves are located not only at the apex, but also along the trunk. Young leaves grow up, but with age they fall down.
How to care for dracaena at home?
The vast majority of species of dracaena are centenarians: with indoor cultivation they live up to fifteen years. How to care for dracaena at home to ensure its active development? We advise you to listen to the simple recommendations of experienced flower growers and florists, which we presented below.
If you are a beginner in floriculture and do not know how to care for potted dracaena at home, we recommend that you, when purchasing a plant, give preference to the following types:
- Marginata.
- Derema.
- Dragon tree.
They are considered the most unpretentious in care, it is recommended to start acquaintance with this family with them. So, talking about how to care for dracaena at home, it is necessary to highlight the following features:
- Temperature and lighting.
- Humidity and watering.
- Top dressing.
- Transfer.
- Pruning.
- Diseases and pests.
Now we dwell on each item.
Lighting
This is a photophilous plant that can be placed on the western and eastern windowsills. You can use the south side, but provided that the plant is protected from direct sunlight. In the summer heat, it is advisable to clean the dracaena at partial shade. Ideal for this plant is diffused lighting. It is necessary to think about how to care for dracaena at home in order to avoid plant disease due to improper lighting.
You need to know that variegated forms of light require more than monochrome. With a lack of light, the leaves of the dracaena turn pale. In the shade, the leaves will not just fade quickly - they will die.
Temperature
Dracaena of all species prefer a moderate temperature in the summer and cooler in the cold season, although a significant decrease in temperature is poorly tolerated.
In the summer, find a flower in a warm place in the fresh air, for example, a balcony facing west or east is ideal. In spring and summer, the temperature from +20 to +25 ° C is comfortable for the plant. In winter, the plant will need cooler air - from +12 to +15 ° C. The temperature should not fall below these marks, otherwise the dracaena will die.
Dracaena: home care. Watering, transplanting
These are two very important factors in plant care that novice gardeners should pay attention to. First, we will deal with watering. Dracaena is quite hygrophilous, so watering it should not be too plentiful, but systematic. Florists believe that it is better to overdry the plant a little than excessively waterlogging, thereby provoking rotting of the roots.
The intensity of irrigation depends on several factors - the location of the plant, season, soil composition. In summer, the flower is watered twice a week and sprayed with water daily. To do this, use water with a temperature of two to three degrees above room temperature. Now we will figure out how to care for dracaena at home in the winter, when it enters a period of rest. When the air temperature drops to +15 ° C, the plant is watered no more than once a week. An exception can only be the case with the location of the flower close to heating appliances.
At any time of the year, make sure that the water does not stagnate in the pot. However, excessive drying of the soil should not be allowed even in winter: when the surface layer dries by two centimeters, the flower should be watered. If you find that a white coating has appeared on the surface of the soil, you must remove it and add fresh soil mixture.
Leaves should be sprayed not only from the outside, but also from the inside. Make sure that water does not accumulate at the joints with the stem, this is most likely to cause decay. Water for irrigation should be filtered or settled tap water.
Now let's talk about the transplant. The longevity of your flower depends on its timely implementation. The plant has an overgrown and voluminous root system, in a pot it quickly becomes cramped. Even a plant just purchased in a store should be transplanted into a new container.
Florists offer an approximate calculation scheme that will help you understand if a plant needs a transplant. For example, if your flower has grown to half a meter, then it needs a pot with a diameter of at least 20 cm. Comparing this proportion, you can determine when it is time for the plant to move to a new container.
We can proceed from approximate data that the transplant is carried out every three years - during this period the roots grow well. You should not buy a pot for growth for dracaena: in this case, all its forces will be given to the growth of the root system to the detriment of the aerial part. Adult dracaena (over five years old) can not be disturbed so often: it is enough to periodically change the surface soil layer.
It is better to carry out a transplant in the spring, when the plant grows most actively - in this case, it will better take root in a new place. Try not to damage the roots of the plant with this procedure. Prepare a drainage layer that is very important for dracaena. For this, expanded clay or small pebbles are suitable. For dracaena today you can buy ready-made soil or mix it yourself. As a rule, for this, sheet and turf land, sand, humus and peat are used in equal parts.
The plant must be carefully transferred to a new pot with a drainage layer and new soil, without destroying the earthen coma. Having established it in the center, they fill all the voids with soil, lightly tamp and abundantly watered.
Top dressing
From the first of April to the beginning of September, the plant wakes up after a winter rest and begins to grow intensively. At this time, it should be fed with fertilizers. To do this, use mineral fertilizing. The frequency of their use is indicated on each package, but on average the procedure is carried out every two weeks.
Pruning
We told you how to care for dracaena at home. The cropping procedure rather performs a decorative function. By cutting the stem, you stimulate the development of lateral buds and start the branching process. This is especially important for fringed dracaena: as it grows, its older, lower leaves die off, and the foliage mainly concentrates only on the apex. The bare trunk does not look very attractive, so this kind of pruning is necessary to obtain lateral shoots.
During pruning, you can stock up on cuttings if you plan to propagate the plant. The mother flower will be covered with new shoots, and a new dracaena (cuttings or top) will give life to a new plant. For trimming, the best time is spring or the beginning of summer. This procedure is carried out with an adult plant at least 30 cm high. The cut should be five centimeters below the youngest leaves.
Florist Tips
Special publications often publish materials that describe dracaena, home care, and useful tips from experienced gardeners. We offer some of them to your attention.
- Before pruning, take into account the fact that the main stem will not grow anymore, it will only branch to the sides;
- for pruning, use a sharp knife, activated charcoal or charcoal, prepare the preparation "Zircon";
- after trimming the stem, first sprinkle the cut with charcoal, and then treat it with “Zircon”;
- if you plan to breed dracaena, root the cuttings in water, into which add activated carbon.
Diseases and Pests
Florists and florists believe that this plant is quite strong and resistant to many diseases, although it has its own problems and vulnerabilities, and therefore you should know the typical diseases of dracaena. Care at home, if it is done correctly, will help not only to cure the plant, but also to prevent the development of the disease.
Thrips, spider mites, scale insects are pests that harm almost all indoor plants. They hit and dracaena. When attacked by scale insects, the surface of the stem and leaves of dracaena is covered with brown plaques. The plant dramatically slows down growth. Parasites suck out the cellular juice, which leads to drying out and loss of the fresh color of the foliage, it begins to crumble.
Having found such signs, the flower is treated with a soapy solution with a sponge. If the plant is severely damaged, spray the foliage with Actellik's solution.
Light spots and silver stains appear on the leaves when thrips. In this case, the soap solution is left on the leaves for a day, and then washed off. If this procedure does not give the desired result, then insecticides should be treated.
The spider mite infects leaf plates, leads to their drying, yellowing and subsequent death. The symptom of this disease is a thin web on the plant. Having found it, you should immediately wipe the leaves and trunk with a soap solution, and then arrange a warm shower for him.
If this does not help, spray the plant with Fitover or Fufan. Usually, a spider mite appears with excessively dry air, and therefore, to prevent this disease, you must regularly moisten the plant and spray it with water.
Today we talked about how to care for dracaena at home. As you can see, these plants have their own characteristics, but caring for them is not burdensome. These are unpretentious indoor plants: it is enough to provide them with good lighting, humidity, and transplant in time. By fulfilling these simple requirements, you can grow a beautiful and healthy plant that will decorate your house for several years.
Florist reviews
According to lovers of indoor plants, dracaena is a spectacular flower that does not require very complicated care. For example, a variety of Marginate will not create problems even for beginners in floriculture. The owners of these plants note that it is very important to maintain the temperature regime for the flower during dormancy. As for the rest, caring for dracaena is no more difficult than for other indoor flowers.