You may already be growing a dracaena plant as part of your houseplant collection. If so, then it's not a secret for you that this plant care is fairly simple.
Dracaena houseplant varieties have cultivars that can reach from 6 to 10 feet, so height control by pruning canes of older plants is useful when growing a dracaena plant. New foliage will sprout just below the cut in a few weeks.
Caring for this tree will not be difficult and rest assured you will be able to grow a beautiful and healthy plant.
Lighting
Let's start with lighting. So Dracaena Marginata plants prefer medium light but survive in low light situations. But the lower light slows down the growth rate and reduces the size of new leaves. Therefore, you need to take care of a suitable place for this plant.
Watering is the second important component
Watering must be regular but limited and every 5 to 7 days will be is largely sufficient. Otherwise, over-watering causes root rot and is the main reason a Dracaena Marginata dies. Don't water again until the top 50% of the soil is dry.
Brown tips on the leaves indicate over-watering or too much fluoride or salt in the water. One more tip never uses water that has passed through a softener, it is too salty. It is better to take rain or distilled. Numerous yellow leaves mean the plant needs more water.
Fertilizer
Dracaenas are slow-growing plants that do not require a large amount of fertilizer. So the ideal time for feed it's the spring and summer with a water-soluble, well-balanced plant food diluted to 1/2 the recommended strength. And do not feed a dracaena in the fall or winter.
And such a simple feeding method will not bother you.
Pests that are dangerous to the Dragon tree
Dracaena Marginata plants are very susceptible to spider mites, especially when temperatures are warm and the air is very dry. These pests are difficult to see until they have damaged the plant.
Mealy Bugs are another pest problem; they leave small, sticky, cottony deposits that are easy to see.
Soil and planting
These plants grow well in loose, quick-draining soil. They are from Hawaii and often arrive planted in lava rock. Remove 1/3 of the lava rock and replace it with a good potting mix. Also, it grows better when root-bound in small pots. Don't be in a rush to re-pot any dracaena plant.
When the canes become bare at the bottom, cut the cane back to where you would like to encourage new growth. And new stems eventually emerge below the cut and then your Marginata will look even more interesting.
How to get many Dragon trees
Easiest to use Stem Cuttings rooted in water for propagation. You can use the canes you removed during the pruning process. Cut the stem piece you cut off into 12” sections.
Place the cuttings in a jar of water and roots should start to develop at the bottom of each cutting within a few weeks. Leaves will develop along the stems. Once the stem sections are well rooted, you can plant them at the base of your original plant to make it look fuller or start new plants in small pots.