Dracaena: Cultivation and propagation

Did you know that dracaena is not really a palm tree? In fact, it belongs to the agave family and it came from Africa. Yes, all this way and it finally ended in our apartments. Some varieties grow like a tree, others are shrubs, and in Central Europe, dracaena is grown as a houseplant. Dracaena can be easily grown at home so you do not need to worry, because it is a very undemanding plant.

Growing dracaena

If you want to keep your dracaena happy, put it in a place with no direct sunlight. Half shade is the best deal. Not a total shadow because she would be cold. Dracaena is a houseplant and room temperature suits it well. That means the temperature should not fall below 15 °C or exceed 25 °C. You may transplant dracaena every two years, always in early spring. When transplanting, choose a slightly larger flowerpot with a mixture of composted leaves and soil substrate in 2:1 ratio. The soil should also contain sand and rotten manure. Do not forget to create a good drainage because dracaena takes root at the upper layer.

Photo: Pixabay

Watering is not that important

You may fertilize dracaena every 14 days from March to September. Watering is not that important, but it likes humidity. It does best in a humid summer weather where the humidity is around 85%, so make sure to moist it at least once a week. You can spray moist on it even during winter, providing that you move it into a heated room. Dracaena likes water of course, but mainly air humidity, so make sure it does not stay too wet. If you water dracaena too much its leaves will turn yellow and rot.

Propagation

If you want to grow your own dracaena you can do it rather easily. dracaena is propagated by stem cuttings, which must be at least 10 cm long. Push the cuttings into a regular substrate during summer. You can also propagate dracaena using the mother plant. Cut off the top of the plant and put it in a glass with charcoal and water. The first roots should appear in about 3 months. In other parts of the world, dracaena is also grown from seeds. However, dracaena does not bloom in our region, so it does not produce seeds. If you want dracaena seeds you can buy them in specialized stores.

Photo: Pixabay