Increasingly, flower growers grow exotic plants at home. And the most popular of the unusual colors is the southerner dracaena. This is not surprising, because beauty and unpretentious character are the main qualities for which dracaena is valued. Home care, reproduction and disease of an exotic plant - this and much more you will learn from our material.
Description
Dracaena is a striking representative of the asparagus family. This tree is native to the tropical forests of South America, India, Africa and the Canary Islands.
In our latitudes, it is successfully grown as a decorative culture that fits perfectly into any interior. In addition, the plant is unpretentious and feels great with a minimum of care and attention. Therefore, dracaena has long been called the "office flower."
In the natural environment, the culture reaches up to 5 meters in height and about 2 meters in girth. You can visually see the giant forms of the plant in the next dracaena photo. Caring for a tree at home will not bring such a result. Therefore, the height of indoor flowers rarely exceeds 2 meters.
With proper care, the plant lives 10-15 years. In addition, if you create optimal conditions for the culture, then it will bloom, although this phenomenon rarely happens. The inflorescences of the tree are small, painted white or greenish. They do not represent aesthetic value, but exude a pleasant aroma.
Kinds
In nature, there are 200 varieties of dracaena, and many of them are successfully grown at home. Popular types among flower growers are:
- Dracaena Marginata. A flower came to us from the coast of Madagascar. In the natural environment, the plant reaches 5 meters in height, but in room conditions it has a modest size. The main feature of the variety is a thick, stiff trunk, which practically does not shoot. Narrow, pointed, glossy leaves of the flower reach 80 cm in length and 2 cm in width. The color of the plates is green, with yellow, brown and red stripes.
- Fragrant Dracaena. This plant is appreciated for its non-capricious nature. The culture has a thick trunk and large size. At home, the flower grows up to 2 meters in height. The leaves are painted in a saturated emerald color, with a grayish strip along the center. Plates reach 65 cm in length and 10 cm in width. During flowering, the culture is covered with small white buds that exude a pleasant aroma.
- Dracaena Sanderian. The culture comes from Africa, reaches a meter in height. This compact plant is often confused with bamboo, as their trunks are similar. But the dracaena has a twisted stalk. The oblong, linear leaves of the culture are painted in light olive shades.
- Dracaena is a dragon. At home, the culture grows to one and a half meters in height. The variety is valued for its dense crown adorning each shoot of the plant. The oblong leaves of the flower are painted in green tones, but in bright light they turn pink. The plate is 50-60 cm long and 30 cm wide.
Each of these varieties will become an adornment of the flower grower's collection.
Dracaena: care and reproduction at home
This exotic plant has an unpretentious character. But this does not mean that the flower will grow by itself. After all, he needs minimal care and attention. In order for an exotic beauty to please her appearance, she must provide:
- regular watering;
- optimal air humidity;
- comfortable temperature;
- suitable lighting;
- top dressing;
- transplant
- pruning.
You will learn more about each of these events below. Adhere to the basic rules of care at home, and the flower of dracaena will thank with rapid growth and attractive appearance.
Watering
Dracaena is hygrophilous, and in summer it needs abundant hydration. Water the flower with settled water at room temperature once every 7-10 days. On hot days, increase hydration. But the flower should not be watered before the top layer of soil dries to a depth of 2-3 cm.
In the autumn-winter period, the plant does not need abundant watering. If the pot is far from heating appliances and the earth dries slowly, then moisten the soil every 1–1.5 months. If the flower grows near the battery, then water it once every 3-4 weeks.
The frequency of watering depends on the type of plant. For example, Sander loves intensive moisture and drying out the soil for her is undesirable. But marginate reacts extremely negatively to moisture stagnation. Therefore, she needs minimal watering.
Air humidity
All types of dracaena, which we are discussing home care for, do not like dry air. Therefore, spray the leaves of the plant at least once every 2-3 days. But at the same time, try to prevent moisture from entering the sinuses. After all, if it stagnates, it will lead to decay.
To increase the humidity near the flower, place the pot on a tray with wet expanded clay, pebbles or moss. But do not forget to add water to the stand.
Dust and dirt quickly accumulate on the leaves of dracaena. Plant care includes weekly wipe treatment with a damp cloth. A warm shower tolerates a flower. But before carrying out this procedure, do not forget to cover the soil with polyethylene. After a shower, be sure to shake the flower to remove excess fluid from the sinuses of the leaves.
Temperature
Providing heat is the main rule of care. In winter, dracaena does not tolerate sudden changes in temperature, drafts and cooling. But the heat for the plant is unacceptable.
The optimum temperature for the plant in summer is + 22–25 ° C. However, the plant will survive an increase to +31 ° C.
In winter, the optimal range for the crop is 15–18 ° C. It is not recommended to allow a temperature drop to +13 ° C. With such a “cold” the southern beauty will perish.
But do not go to extremes and put a flower pot near the battery. Due to the hot air coming from the radiators, dracaena will lose its lower leaves.
Lighting
Dracaena is a photophilous plant, but at the same time it is damaged by direct sunlight. Keep this in mind when placing a flower pot on the windowsill.
The best option would be a window on the east or west side of the room. It feels pretty good in the south. But it is advisable to cover the foliage from the midday rays of the sun. But in the north, without additional illumination, the culture will weaken.
Feeding Dracaena
Exotic flower care at home includes regular fertilizer application. Feeding is especially important from the beginning of spring to the end of autumn.
At this time, it is recommended to make special preparations for dracaena every 14 days. In an extreme case, complex fertilizers for deciduous plants are suitable. But remember that excess minerals negatively affects the flower. Therefore, do not overdo it with top dressing and do not increase the dose of drugs.
In winter, the plant begins a dormant period. At this time, it is sufficient to apply fertilizer no more than once a month.
The soil
Dracaena prefers light nutrient soil with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction. For planting, use store mixes for palm trees and soil intended for deciduous plants. Or make the soil yourself. To do this, mix in equal proportions:
- turf land;
- deciduous soil;
- humus;
- peat;
- coarse sand.
Also add crushed charcoal or brick chips to the mix.
Be sure to sanitize the mixture before planting. To do this, pour the soil with boiling water or bake it in the oven. Thanks to this, you destroy the bacteria and fungi that live in the soil.
Transfer
With proper care, dracaena will grow rapidly, and it is recommended that the flower be transplanted into a spacious pot every two years. For young plants, this event is held annually.
Proceed with a transplant in early spring, when the culture has not yet awakened from hibernation. How to carry out the procedure?
- Put 2-3 cm of drainage on the bottom of the pot. For these purposes, use expanded clay or vermiculite.
- Carefully remove the flower and brush off the old soil. Try not to damage the roots of the culture. So only clean soil that is easily behind.
- Sprinkle drainage with a layer of earth and set the roots of the plant on it.
- Fill in new soil and lightly tap on the tank so that the soil fills all the voids.
- Water the flower and place it in a lit place.
At first, provide the plant with gentle care. Dracaena after transplantation does not need feeding. Therefore, the first month, refrain from fertilizing. As for watering, moisten the soil when the top coat dries.
Pruning
Thanks to this event, a beautiful top of the plant is formed. It is recommended to start the procedure during the period of active growth. Then the sleeping lateral soils are activated in the plant, new shoots will appear on the trunk.
Trimming Rules:
- Perform the procedure under sterile conditions and be sure to sharpen the tool.
- Trim only those plants that have reached 30 cm in height.
- Cut the shoot at least 6 cm below the last leaves. But if desired, the size of the shoot can be increased.
- Remove the tip so that there are no chips or breaks in the place of the cut.
- After the procedure, treat the section with garden varieties or molten paraffin.
After pruning the plant, provide gentle care. Dracaena during this period needs regular watering, good lighting and top dressing. Do not throw away the cut top, because a new flower will grow from it. How to do this will be discussed in the next chapter.
Top breeding
This method of growing is simple, and a beginner grower will also cope with it. After cutting off the top, dry it for 2-3 hours in a dry room. Place the plant in a glass of warm water, but before that dissolve a tablet of activated carbon in the liquid.
Keep the sprout in a warm, lit room. But putting it in direct sunlight is not recommended. Periodically add settled water to the tank. After 2-3 months, the culture will take root, and then transfer the dracaena to the pot.
Seed propagation
A similar method of growing crops is simple. But reproduction of dracaena by seeds takes a lot of time. Start the event in early March. How to land?
- Soak the seeds for a day in a solution of "Epina" or other growth stimulant.
- Pour soil into disposable cups. Do not forget to make drainage holes in containers before doing this.
- Moisten the soil and seed up to a depth of 0.5–1 cm.
- Cover the landing with glass or polyethylene and place in a room with a temperature of + 25-30 ° C.
Seed germination will take from 30 to 180 days. Keep the soil moist all this time and ventilate the landing daily. When the first sprouts appear, it is recommended to shade them from direct rays of the sun.
After the seedlings grow to 4–5 cm, transplant them into separate pots and transfer them to a room with a temperature of + 21–24 ° C.
Problems and their solution
Common Dracaena Care Mistakes at Home:
- The lower leaves of the flower turn yellow and fall. As a rule, this phenomenon is not dangerous, because this is how the plant is rejuvenated. But sometimes the yellowing of the foliage indicates insufficient watering.
- Dry light spots appear on the leaves. Such damage occurs due to sunburn. To solve the problem, hide the flower from direct rays.
- The leaves of the plant became soft and curled. A similar phenomenon occurs when a culture is cold. Move the pot to a warm room.
- Brown spots appear on the foliage. More often, such lesions are formed due to insufficient watering. You do not need to immediately fill the plant, because this will aggravate the situation. Normalize hydration, and the problem will be solved by itself.
- The tips of the leaves dried out and turned brown. The reason for this phenomenon is too dry indoor air. To fix the problem, place a container of water near the plant or place a flower pot on a tray with wet expanded clay. And also the leaves dry out at the tips due to cool drafts and lack of watering.
A beginner grower will be able to provide competent care to the dracaena plant. The main thing is to adhere to the rules of growing, and your exotic beauty will delight you with rapid growth and attractive appearance.