Dracaena is a popular ornamental plant, which is a worthy decoration of office and residential premises.
Description of dracaena
Outwardly resembling a palm tree, this culture has less rigid leaves, narrow, pointed at the ends, with clearly visible parallel veins. The trunk of the plant is straight, the roots are smooth, dark yellow or orange. Blooming dracaena is a rare phenomenon. The flowers are white, small, greenish in color, collected in loose panicles, with a rather unpleasant aroma. The exception is Dracaena Fragrant.
In nature, the plant is found in the form of trees or shrubs in the tropical regions of Australia, Africa, Asia and the Canary Islands. It is in these regions that tar is extracted from dracaena, which is called "dragon blood." Leaf fibers with the properties of bristles and horsehair are the basis for the production of household brushes.
Varieties of dracaena
Dracaena - one of the favorite plants in indoor floriculture, has more than a hundred different species. Below are the most popular ones.
- Dracaena "Song of India." It is a charming flower, characterized by a pale pattern on numerous leaves. The shoots of such a “convenient” plant can be twisted together, braided, fixed depending on the flight of fantasy, creating creative compositions. This kind of dracaena tolerates pruning and needs minimal care.
- Dracaena Lime. It is characterized by decorative green leaves with a beautiful fringing of lime color. This species likes high humidity, which can be ensured by regular spraying. Also, the plant needs good lighting.
- Dracaena Canary. Highly decorative specimen (in natural conditions grows up to two tens of meters in height), having a widely spreading crown. The height of the pet is 1.5 meters. The leaves are grayish-green, in bright light acquire a brownish tint. Branched shoots grow from the main stem, thicken over time.
- Dracaena Derema. Slow-growing tall plant. In natural conditions, it is able to reach 5 meters in height, and in home floriculture, with proper care, up to 1.5 meters. Leaves are lanceolate, glossy, about 0.5 meters long with a width of up to 5 cm, collected in a socket. Dracaena Deremskaya grows with a bare trunk, lignified over time. Variegated varieties are more in demand, plants with pure green foliage are less common.
- Dracaena Godsef. A shrub of small size (about 60 cm in height) hails from Congo. It is characterized by the original form, formed by densely branching, thin shoots. The leaves grow in several pieces, about 10 cm long, pointed at the end, with wavy edges. Top covered with yellow, white, pink or beige blotch. With proper care at home, the plant is able to please flowering. The flowers are yellow-green, collected in racemose inflorescences, have a pleasant aroma.
- Dracaena Golden. The homeland of such a deciduous ornamental plant is Nigeria. It is characterized by a shortened thin trunk, glossy, light green leaves (about 20 cm). The sheet plate is covered with transverse stripes of dark green color. This species differs from the others in the unusual arrangement of leaves on long petioles. The variety is somewhat capricious in leaving, loves high humidity and a temperature not lower than +22 ° C.
- Dracaena Unbent. It is characterized by a weak trunk with thin shoots. In indoor conditions it reaches a meter height, in nature it grows up to 5 meters. Such a plant is recommended support. The leaves are long, lanceolate, olive in color, with a characteristic narrowing at the ends. Slow-growing species with a large number of hybrids.
- Dracaena Surcurulose. Outwardly resembles a shrub with numerous branches growing directly from the ground. The leaves are long, pointed at the tip, located on the petioles. Plant height is from 3 to 4 meters.
- Dracaena Hooker. A native of the southern African territories is characterized by medium growth, thick stalk. Light green leaves have wavy edges with a white border. Their length is approximately 70 cm, they are collected in a socket and are located at the very top of the stem.
- Dracaena Sander. Care for this type is simple, consists in timely watering and top dressing. The plant is relatively compact, with gray-green leaves, somewhat twisted, reaching a length of about 25 cm. The height of the indoor specimen is about 1 meter.
Such a favorite Marginata
Dracaena Marginata (bordered) is an unpretentious species in cultivation, which is characterized by elongated dark green leaves, outlined on the edge with a brownish border.
The stem is slightly branching, lignified. Under natural conditions, such a tree can grow up to 5 meters in height. Dracaena at home with good care can grow up to 2 meters.
Fragrant and fragrant
Dracaena Fragrant against the background of other species is distinguished by white flowers with a pleasant aroma, delighting with its bloom for 2 weeks: in the morning, blooming, in the evening - closing. Blooming flowers form a sweetish substance that attracts many insects. The leaves of dracaena are bright green, in the middle they have a silver-gray strip. In winter, Dracaena Fragrant is able to withstand up to -10 ° C. It is unpretentious in leaving.
Growing conditions
The acquired dracaena should not be immediately placed among other indoor plants, it is necessary to give it 2-3 days to adapt, and then carefully check the leaves and stems. If the plant looks healthy, it can be safely determined for a permanent place. Almost all varieties of dracaena love the abundance of light, are able to grow in the shade, and cannot tolerate direct sunlight (especially the fringed dracaena). The lack of light in the winter is recommended to compensate for by artificial lighting.
Temperature
The optimum temperature at which the indoor flower feels comfortable is 20-25 ° C heat. In winter, such an indicator should not fall below 12-15 degrees. Dracaena, whose names are unusual and memorable, negatively refers to temperature differences and drafts that can cause the death of the plant.
Watering and spraying dracaena
Water dracaena need to be plentiful, so that the soil is always in a wet state. Water for irrigation needs soft, settled, room temperature. Not very fond of the constantly wet state of dracaena Marginata, so it is not worth pouring such a plant. In winter, the moisture supply must be reduced, preventing the drying of an earthen coma.
All varieties of dracaena need a warm regular shower (1 time per week) to remove dust accumulating on the leaves. It is recommended to perform this operation in the morning or in the evening. If the dracaena is not irrigated, then the tips of the leaves will dry out. In addition, spraying is a preventive measure aimed at preventing the appearance of aphids, whiteflies, thrips, spider mites, which can cause tremendous harm.
Also, in order to maintain moisture, a container with a plant can be placed on a pallet with wet gravel. From February to October (every 2 weeks), the plant needs to be fed with complex fertilizers.
Propagation and transplantation of dracaena
Dracaena transplantation is performed: every spring - for young specimens, when the pot is fully filled with the root system - for adult flowers (approximately every 2-3 years). This can be determined by the roots growing through the drainage holes. Dracaena is propagated by apical cuttings or pieces of stem that need to be rooted under the film at a temperature of + 25 ° C. Apical cuttings are obtained by cutting off the upper part from the old plant and rooting it. You can use 5-7-centimeter stem segments as planting material. The optimal soil composition for dracaena is a mixture of leaf and turf soil, sand and rotted manure. The plant also needs good drainage.
Diseases and Pests
- If the lower leaves turn yellow in dracaena, then do not panic. This is a natural property of the plant. Green leaves are located only in the upper part of the stem.
- If brown spots appear, the plant does not have enough moisture.
- If the leaves are light and dry spots - this is a consequence of direct exposure to sunlight. The plant needs to be rearranged in a less lighted place.
- If twisted soft leaves with brown edges are observed, this indicates the effect of low air temperatures.
- If the tips of the leaves are covered with brown edges, the cause may be drafts, dry air and lack of watering.
Of the pests, all varieties of dracen can be attacked by a spider mite, mealybug, scutellum. If the flower is damaged by such parasites, “Fitoverm”, “Actellik” and other insecticides should be used.