Dracaena Care: How To Grow A Dracaena As A Houseplant
In the wild, dracaenas thrive in sandy or loamy soil. Indoors, dracaena houseplants need the same kind of drainage, but they thrive best in rich soil with a high organic content. Do not add perlite to the potting mix since it contains fluoride, to which the plant is sensitive.
Dracaena Care
There are approximately 120 species of dracaena trees and shrubs. Whether your favorite is marginata, massangenana, fragrans, or possibly deremensis, each will give you a hefty return for very little maintenance. This genus of plants can grow quite large and are best kept under control by removing the top portion of the plant. New foliage will emerge from the cut area and you can even propagate the cutting! If you give this hearty indoor plant the proper light and amount of water, it will become a lovely, long-term resident in your home.
Light
Some dracaenas – like the D. fragrans and D. fassangeana – will grow in low light, but most other varieties – like marginatas – thrive in filtered, bright, indirect light. Direct sunlight can damage the leaves, unless the plant was originally grown in direct sun.
Water
Dracaenas have a reputation for not needing a lot of water. True, but they need a thorough soaking when the soil dries out! Remember — all plants need water! Dracaenas planted in a six-inch pot should be watered when the soil is dry four inches below the top. Use filtered water, rainwater, or distilled water, as these plants don’t like salts or minerals. Dracaenas prefer dry soil over constantly damp; soggy soil promotes fungus and root rot. Discover more indoor plant watering tips and advice!
Soil
Nutrient-rich potting soil that is loose and drains well, but still allows for moisture to reach the roots for a few days, is essential for dracaena. Most pre-mixed soils will suffice. Make sure that there is plenty of organic matter, like coco-coir, peat moss, or shredded leaves, and avoid soils that contain moisture retaining crystals. If your soil drains too quickly, we recommend re-potting your dracaena into a compost-rich soil mixture with fewer drainage materials. Learn how to create your own universal soil mixture for all of your indoor plants!
Temperature
The ideal temperatures for dracaenas are those above 65℉. Sudden coldness can damage the leaves, so keep them away from drafty doors and windows during the colder months.
Humidity
Dracaena houseplants benefit from higher humidity levels during summer, or when they’re in heated, forced-air environments. Brown and brittle leaf tips are the tell-tale sign that your dracaena is suffering from humidity deficiency. Set your dracaena in an area that is naturally humid, or use a humidifier or a pebble tray with water to create the ideal environment. Learn how to increase the humidity for you indoor plants!
Fertilizer
It’s not necessary to fertilize your dracaenas, but they benefit from you feeding them once a month during the growing season with a ¼ diluted complete liquid fertilizer or fish emulsion. You can also top-dress the plant at the start of the growing season with a rich, organic compost scratched into the top few inches of the soil.
Growth Rate
Dracaeana marginata is slow-growing indoor plant, and it may take years to reach its mature indoor height depending on your interior environmental conditions. Dracaeana deremensis, and fragrans grow a bit faster, but will need optimal growing conditions and the proper care to reach maturity (this can take up to ten years!)
Pet Friend of Foe
All dracaena are toxic to pets. Foe!
Pro Tips
- Use filtered water as these plants are sensitive to salts and chemicals found in most tap water.
- If you want to reduce the size of the plant, simply cut off the top; over time, new foliage will grow back at the cut, producing a fuller look.
- If your plant isn’t thriving, try moving it to a spot with more light.
- Leaf drop could be a signal that you are not watering your dracaena enough! Soak the soil, evenly and thoroughly each time you water.
Dracaena Care: How To Grow A Dracaena As A Houseplant
You’ll have to look far to find a houseplant that requires less babying than the rugged plant dracaena. Strong and robust when grown as a houseplant, caring for a dracaena is very easy. There are around 120 varieties, all with straplike leaves that lend a tropical flavor to a room. They can be tall and imposing but thrive in lower light. This makes them great favorites for office plants as well as a dramatic statement in the home.
There are many varieties of dracaena, but the same rules apply generally to all of them, especially when enjoyed as houseplants. Here are some tips for their care and ideal growing conditions.
Light Requirements for Dracaena
Although a dracaena has a tropical look, it is by nature an understory plant and does not tolerate direct sun well. The best dracaena plant care calls for bright, indirect light, but many species will do well in lower light including shade. The foliage will grow thicker and more lush in a brighter location, but it does not require or thrive in direct sunlight.
Watering Dracaena
Dracaenas should be regularly watered with lukewarm water after the soil surface has dried. Avoid using cold water on a dracaena.
Dracaena Temperature and Humidity
Dracaenas make great houseplants since they appreciate the same ambient temperatures that human beings like, around 60 to 70 degrees F (15 to 21 C) during the day, and 50 to 60 degrees F (10 to 15 C) at night.
Similar to their natural habitat, dracaenas like relatively high humidity, so when humidity in the air decreases as it often does indoors in winter, it’s a good idea to spray them or place them in a tray of pebbles and water. However, the dracaena is somewhat forgiving of room temperatures, as long as they are not too cold.
Dracaena Soil Requirements
In the wild, dracaenas thrive in sandy or loamy soil. Indoors, dracaena houseplants need the same kind of drainage, but they thrive best in rich soil with a high organic content. Do not add perlite to the potting mix since it contains fluoride, to which the plant is sensitive.
Dracaena Fertilizer Needs
In their optimal conditions, dracaena houseplants grow perfectly well without fertilizer. However, during the growing season they will enjoy an occasional feeding with a balanced houseplant fertilizer.
Problems, Pests and Diseases
Dracaenas are generally robust specimens and rarely suffer from pests or diseases. Most dracaena problems are environmental.
Pests
As far as dracaena pests go, you may see the occasional spider mite, mealybug or scale infestation which can be treated with a spray of water, a mild horticultural soap or neem oil.
As mentioned earlier, dracaenas are sensitive to fluoride in your water, which may cause browning at the leaf tips, or sometimes yellowing. You can nip this in the bud by using rainwater.
Other issues can also result in dracaena browning, yellowing or drooping of leaves. These include not enough humidity, overwatering, poor drainage or sun that’s too direct.
Is a Dracaena Toxic to Cats or Dogs?
If your pet has a tendency to eat houseplants, don’t get a dracaena. Dracaena can be toxic to dogs and cats. Eating the foliage can result in vomiting, depression, weight loss, hypersalivation and dilated pupils.
Pruning Dracaena Houseplants
Thought they can start small and grow big, dracaena pruning is possible and often welcomed. If your plant has grown too tall, you can cut off the stem and root the cutting in water. A new crown of foliage will grow back on the stem where you made the cut.
How To Propagate Dracaena
People don’t usually grow dracaena from seeds. Rather, growers propagate dracaenas commercially by vegetative methods, usually by rooting cuttings. Sometimes air layer methods are used if the stems, or canes, are large. Although cane cuttings from a dracaena can also be rooted, this produces an unattractive branching pattern with shoots angling from the upper portion of the cane. In the warmer seasons, a dracaena may produce shoots at its base which can be removed and rooted.
Types of Dracaena Plants
Several species of dracaena make excellent houseplants. Among popular dracaena indoor varieties are the corn plant dracaena (Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’), the Madagascar dragon tree (Dracaena marginata), and the very small ribbon plant (Dracaena sanderana) which tops out at 5 inches (13 cm) and has an upright stem and graceful green leaves with white stripes in the margins.