Dracaena marginata is a tree plant with a strong trunk. The height of the trunk sometimes reaches 3 m. At the end of the trunk are foxes in the form of a beam. On young plants, they are raised up, gradually the leaves sag. The leaf has an elongated shape with a fringing at the edges, so the plant is also called fringed dracaena. The edging is either yellow or reddish. As the trunk of the palm tree grows, the lower leaves die off and fall off. Thus, the trunk is formed in the form of scales or scars. The plant is well adapted for office premises and home growing conditions. The most common grades of dracaena are: Marginata, Bent off or Reflex, Godsef or Surkuloza, Fragrant, Deremskaya.
Dracaena Marginata: home care
Dracaena Marginata comes in several varieties: Magenta, Bicolor, Tricolor and other subspecies. She is very easy to care for. The plant feels good at + 21 ° C. In winter, the plant does not like overflow of soil. It is enough to water once a week, the main thing is that the soil does not dry out. In the summer, the plant is watered abundantly, in the heat it is necessary to spray the leaves. It is necessary to protect the plant from drafts in winter: if a palm tree stands on a window, it is recommended to cover it from cold air currents during ventilation. Dracaena does not like dust to collect on the leaves. It can be removed with a wet swab or by rinsing in the shower. So that the soil does not erode during such a “bathing”, the pot is wrapped with oilcloth. The palm is transplanted every 2-3 years in a more spacious pot carefully so that the roots do not suffer. Soil must be bought special for dracaenas. It is periodically recommended to loosen the soil in a pot, plants grow better.
Dracaena marginata: the tips of the leaves dry
It should be remembered that the bay of palm trees in combination with a low room temperature leads to the death of the bush. But other problems are often found in the dracaena plant: the tips of the leaves are dry. Also, spots in any part of them may appear on the leaves. The leaves of the plant dry for the following reasons:
- Bright lighting in the room where the dracaena stands: the tips of the leaves dry. Stray light must be provided. In this case, the leaves will retain a bright juicy color for a long time. In dark places it is necessary to connect bright artificial lighting.
- Low humidity in the room where the dracaena grows: the tips of the leaves dry. To spray a palm tree is necessary only in the warm period. In winter, it is better to turn on the humidifier.
- The pot in which the adult dracaena is located is close: the ends of the leaves dry. In this case, it is better to transfer the palm into a more spacious pot and update the top layer of the earth. Brown, wet spots are the result of a sunburn.
- Dust on the leaves and in the pot where the dracaena grows: the tips of the leaves dry. In case of severe contamination, it is necessary to rinse the leaves under the shower, with a small amount of dust it is enough to wipe each sheet with a gauze swab dipped in water.
Can dracaena bloom?
If the plant is provided with proper care, dracaena will please with inflorescences in the form of balls. Each inflorescence has very small flowers that resemble stars. Flowers are white, yellow and pink. During the day, the flowers are tightly closed; they open only at night. The aroma of a flowering plant resembles the smell of honey or lilac. Palm trees bloom only with proper care and systematic top dressing with complex fertilizer.
Why do dracaena blacken leaves?
Florists sometimes encounter a problem: a young dracaena is planted - the tips of the leaves turn black. Such a problem arises if the root system is poorly developed in a young plant . The plant must be removed from the soil and put in a tank with defended water and add activated carbon. Do not allow water in the tank to sour. Activated carbon prevents root decay. When a quality root system appears, the palm can be planted again. If a middle-aged dracaena is already planted, the tips of the leaves darken, which means that there was an overflow in the pot. With increased humidity in the room, the earthen lump dries up slowly, so the leaves of the plant darken or blacken. Spots on the leaves also indicate overflow or drought. They certainly will not disappear. To make the palm look neat, damaged leaves can be cut off. New young leaves grow quickly, over a year the plant is completely updated.
Fertilizer Dracaena
So that the leaves do not blacken, dracaena must be fed on time. A sign that the plant lacks nutrients is the weak growth of young shoots in the plant dracaena marginata: home care is simple. Soil without humus and peat or heavy with clay layers is unsuitable for dracaena. Soil should consist of equal parts of peat, sand, turf and sheet land. If there is no way to select such a mixture, it is recommended to purchase a special substrate for dracen. If young dracaena is fed, why do the tips of the leaves dry? This is an overdose of fertilizing.
In case of an overdose of fertilizers, soil replacement is also necessary, since not only the leaves turn black, but the roots also rot. They feed the bush from March to August once every two weeks. At this time, dracaena is actively growing. You can use any complex fertilizers or top dressing for variegated forms.
Why did the leaves of the dracaena become dull?
If the plant has faded leaves, hung lifeless, then the palm tree froze from the draft in winter. Such a plant can be saved. It is sprayed several times a day with warm water and placed in heat. If the room temperature dropped below 15 degrees Celsius, the dracaena could rot the roots. In this case, the bush can be saved only by reproduction of the apical stem. It is cut off and put in a container of water, adding activated carbon to it. After about three weeks, roots appear on the cuttings.
What if the dracaena leaves fall sharply?
Fall of foliage in dracaena is also accompanied by decay of the root system. This happens if the plant is systematically transfused, frozen and grown at low temperature. Such a bush can be saved only by reproduction. To do this, cut a healthy shoot about 10 cm long and root it in the manner described above.
Dracaena Infectious Diseases
Illnesses can manifest as follows:
1. Light brown round spots with a bright center on the leaves of dracaena mean alternariosis - a fungal disease. The leaves and stems of the plant are affected. Over time, the affected areas turn black. The plant must be sprayed with a fungicidal preparation, for example, foundationazole. You can use copper-containing drugs: a solution of "Topaz" or "Oksihom." Spraying is carried out 3 times every 10 days.
2. Light brown spots of elongated rounded shape with a dark red border - heterosporosis. An olive coating is formed on top of the spots, which consists of a fungus. Spraying with fungicidal preparations is required.
3. Large pale brown spotting of round or irregular shape with a yellowish-green border - phylostictosis. Later, black small dots appear on the affected areas. More often, old and adult leaves suffer. The plant is sprayed with fungicides.
4. If the leaves soften and rot - this is bacteriosis. Spraying the plant with water will only aggravate the situation. The tips of the leaves turn brown. Spots on them are weeping in nature, with a pronounced tendency to decay. A yellow layer forms between the infected rotting part and the healthy green one. Drops of liquid on the spots when dried form a film. Such plants lag behind in growth and are not subject to treatment. To prevent the spread of the disease to other bushes, the affected dracaena are destroyed.
The defeat of dracaena by a spider mite and other pests
Pests on a palm tree:
1. Scabies on palm leaves resemble brown plaques. Insects suck the plant sap, they are destroyed mechanically, wiping with a swab with soapy water. Then the plants are sprayed with 0.15% solution of Actellica.
2. Thrips appear at high temperature and low humidity. The insect lays colonies on the underside of the leaf, and grayish-brown spots with a silver sheen will appear on the top at the colony site. The plant is treated with insecticidal drugs, for example, Fitoverm, Decis or Intavir.
3. Aphids affect the tops of shoots and the underside of leaves. Affected leaves curl, turn yellow and crumble. Plants are treated with the above insecticides.
Note. In order to prevent the root system from rotting in young dracaena, it is recommended to add charcoal or activated carbon to the pot. At the bottom of the pot lay drainage. The variegated forms of dracaena need brighter lighting than green-leaf varieties. Palm tree of Dracaena Marginata will always please you with fresh bright greenery all year round; leaving at home does not cause difficulties.