Dracenais a very popular potted plant from tropical regions, appreciated for its nice habit and decorative leaves. In pot cultivation, various species andvarieties of dracaenaare found, the most popular of which are fragrant dracaena, edged dracaena and Sander dracaena. See whatcare for dracaenagrowing in a pot looks like, what requirements does this plant have and whether it is possible toreproduce dracaenaat home.
Dracaena fragrans - Dracaena fragrans
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
Dracaena - species and varieties
The genus Dracaena includes about 40 species of plants , originating from subtropical and tropical regions of Asia and Africa. They are usually woody plants, reaching a height of several meters in the natural environment, although there are also lower shrubs among them. However, home-grown dracaena does not grow so high, and they almost never bloom (a photo of a flowering dracaena, which then looks very unusual, can be found later in the article).
In pot cultivation in apartments, the most common are:
Dracaena fragrans(Dracaena fragrans) - is a trunk-producing species, growing up to 1.5 m in height, valued for its beautiful, very wide leaves, 50 - 70 cm long, softly hanging Down. This species tolerates growing conditions in an apartment quite well, as long as we provide it with sufficiently high air humidity.
Thevarieties of fragrant dracaena look interesting :
- dracaena fragna 'Massangeana'with leaves with a wide yellow stripe in the middle,
- sweet dracaena 'Victoria'with yellow-edged leaves with a dark green stripe running through the center
- sweet dracaena 'Rothiana'with leathery, dark green leaves with white edging.
Edged Dracaena - Dracaena marginata
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
Dracaena marginata(Dracaena marginata) - is another popular species of dracaena, growing up to 1.8 m in height. It comes from Madagascar and has a very exotic appearance. Leaves are gathered in clusters at the tips of the stems, narrow, pointed, dark green, often with reddish edges. They reach 30 - 40 cm in length. The trunk is slender, ring-shaped. A valuedvariety of edged dracaenais the dracaena 'Tricolor' with creamy-striped leaves with red edges.
Dracena Sandera - Dracaena Sanderiana, also sold as Lucky Bamboo
Fig. pixabay.com
Dracaena Sandera(Dracaena Sanderiana) - this species has been very popular in recent years, sold under the name Lucky Bamboo. Its stiff, light green shoots resemble bamboo shoots, and the plant takes root and grows very well simply immersed in water. It also tolerates the proximity of heat sources well, so it can stand close to a radiator. Narrow, slightly twisted, green leaves, sometimes with creamy-white edges. "
Dracena - care in the apartment
Lighting, temperature
Dracaenashould be placed in a bright place but with diffused light, so that it is not exposed to direct, strong sunlight. During the growth period, it can stand at normal room temperature, i.e. around 21 ° C, and in winter the temperature can be slightly lowered, but not below 13 ° C.The given temperatures are appropriate for the above mentioned species of dracaena, but there are also such dracaena that require a minimum temperature of 18 ° C in winter. Therefore, it is worth to carefully read the requirements of yourdracaena variety
Watering and fertilizing dracaena
Properdracaena carerequires watering 1-2 times a week, in winter a little less. Do not leave water on the base and always drain excess water, as if it is left, it can lead to rotting of the roots. The exception isSanderadracaena , which can even grow in water alone. The plant should be fed with liquid fertilizer diluted in watering water once every two weeks. High air humidity and occasional sprinkling of the leaves are also recommended. If the dracaena is too warm or dry, the leaves may turn yellow and fall off. Rotting leaves or stems are a symptom of watering too much.
Dracaena replanting
Dracaena carealso requires replanting the plant when the current pot is already too small.Usually, this procedure is performed every 2-3 years. At the bottom of the new pot, a drainage layer should be laid, which can be used with small pebbles or expanded clay, and then filled with humus soil, rich in nutrients, with a pH of 6.3 - 6.8. Getting the right substrate should not be a problem, as ready-made soil mixtures are available for sale, usually sold under the namespalm soil, yucca and dracaenaIn older plants, whentransplanting dracaenais not required, we only replace the top layer of earth with fresh one.
Dracaena - 3 ways to reproduce
Method 1 - apical cuttings
Dracaena propagationcan be done by apical cuttings and this way is the easiest and fastest way. It is often used when the plant has grown too tall and we want to shorten it a bit. The truncated vertex can be easily rooted.
To preparedracaena cuttingsin spring, 8-10 cm of the tops of the stem are cut and placed in a mixture of peat and sand.Their lower ends should be immersed in the rooting agent first. In order for the cuttings to take root, it is worth maintaining an elevated temperature of the substrate, within the range of 24-25 ° C. As it results from the reports on our forum, some people also put the cut off tops in the water and in such conditions the dracaena takes root. Only after the seedling has taken root, it is placed in a pot with soil.
A flowering dracaena is a rare sight
Fig. maniaW, forum.PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
Method 2 - reproducing from the stem fragments
Another way topropagate dracaena , useful when you have a plant with a long, exuberant stem without leaves, is to cut the ugly shoot into pieces and place them separately in the ground. However, reproduction from fragments of the stem takes a little longer than in the case of apical cuttings.
Method 3 - air dumps
You can also slightly cut the dracaena shoot and put a plastic bag with soil on it. Roots should appear under the foil after a few weeks.
Dracena and juka. What is the difference between dracaena and yucca?
Dracaena and yucca are plants that are sometimes confused with each other. At first glance, they actually look alike. They belong to the same agave family. However, when you look at them more closely, you will notice somedifferences between dracaena and yucca .
Dracaena, which grows in a more humid climate, has soft and smooth leaves on the sides.Juka, on the other hand, has stiff leaves and clearly rough edges. Yucca leaves can also end with a sharp thorn, which is absent in dracaena.
Compared to dracaena, yucca is more resistant to drought, intense sunlight and coldTherefore, they are also found garden yucca. Dracaena, on the other hand, in our climate can only be grown in rooms heated in winter.
