Dracaena

Dracaena (Dracaena) is an ornamental plant from the Asparagus family. There are about 50 species in the genus, native to South Africa, Asia and Australia. Some types of dracaena can reach a height of up to 3 meters.

In indoor floriculture, dracaena has long taken its place of honor. Its uncomplicated appearance and resemblance to palm crops has made Dracaena a very popular living decoration for office and residential premises. Tall and spreading varieties fit well into the austere interior of offices and cheer up. Compact varieties are more suitable for growing at home. Vases with dracaena are placed both separately and next to other indoor plants.

There is an opinion that dracaena, or as it is also called "dragon tree", acquired its unusual name because of the red sap, reminiscent of dragon's blood. But there is another name for "dragon's tail", although this is unlikely due to the similarity to the dragon's tail. In any case, whatever you call the dracaena, the rules for caring for it will not change.

Dracaena, regardless of its variety, and there are a huge number of them, a very unpretentious plant in terms of growing and care. The most popular type in our area is dracaena marginata or bordered. Anyone, even the most inexperienced florist, can easily take care of her - you just need to follow a few simple rules.

Dracaena care at home

Lighting

The lighting level for a flower depends on the variety. Most of the varieties grow steadily in rooms where there is a sufficient amount of sunlight. It is important that the sun does not harm the leaves. It is preferable to place the pots in the vicinity of window openings that are in the east or west direction. Varieties with dark foliage are adapted to live in dimly lit rooms, while variegated crops, on the contrary, will need intense lighting. With a lack of light, they begin to lose color. Dracaena normally tolerate artificial lighting. To accelerate the growth of shoots, it is better to move the flowerpot to a room with more sunlight. If the perennial is in partial shade for a long time, the development of vegetative parts will slow down significantly.

Temperature

Dracaena feels great at moderate temperatures. In the summer, in the room where the flowerpot stands, the temperature should not exceed 25 degrees. For the winter months, indoor temperatures of up to 15 degrees are considered favorable. It is recommended to take flower pots to the balcony during the warm season. Drafts are dangerous to crops. It is better not to leave a flower near open windows. In hot weather, the leaves should be sprayed and watered more frequently.

Watering mode

Dracaena belongs to moisture-loving crops. Overdrying the top layer of the earthen coma will aggravate vital processes. Watering is resumed when the earth dries up a couple of centimeters. Roots develop well in a humid environment. However, in this matter you need not to overdo it, otherwise water stagnation will occur, which will lead to rotting of the roots. In the summer, the soil in the pot is moistened daily. In the winter months, the volume of water is reduced. It is advisable to loosen the soil regularly.

Irrigation water is used rainwater or defended to room temperature. Cold water taken from the tap leaves whitish spots on the leaves.

Humidity level

As a rule, dracaena do not react well to dry air. The flower needs constant spraying, which is carried out throughout the whole year. If you have the opportunity and free time, you can spray the foliage twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. Otherwise, the leaf blades will turn yellow and soon fall off. It is also important to wipe the dust off the surface of the leaves with a slightly damp cloth. Adult trees are gently washed under the shower, having tied the pot with polyethylene in advance so that no water gets inside. Dracaena deremskaya especially loves water procedures.

Dracaena Godsef and the Dragon are the least hassle. They do not have to create any separate conditions. Plants react equally calmly to both humid and dry air.

The soil

Dracaena is a very unpretentious plant and does not impose special requirements on the composition of the soil. The only condition for successful cultivation is that the soil must be fertile. Note also that dracaena is very fond of "heavy" soil, so a mixture of rough turf soil with the addition of compost or even sand is ideal for it.

Features of feeding

When the plant begins to grow vigorously, the soil is fertilized. Most species are actively growing from March to August. Top dressing is done twice a month. As soon as the growth of the shoots subsides, it is enough to feed the perennial once a month. Traditional complex fertilizers are suitable for dracaena. Variegated varieties need special mixtures.

Top dressing is carried out not only with complex fertilizers, but also with various homemade tinctures, for example, nettle tincture has a very beneficial effect on the growth and development of dracaena. Feeding this tincture at least once a month, you will be pleasantly surprised how your beloved plant will begin to look.

Transfer

The "dragon tree" is transplanted every 2-3 years in the spring. Please note that the roots of the plant are at the top of the soil, so the drainage should be very good, and it is better to take the pot high. The process of transplanting a dracaena itself is absolutely the same as that of any other indoor plant.

Pruning

Formative pruning is necessary to create an attractive plant. If you do not follow all the rules of care, then the dracaena can be pulled up. The solution to this problem is pruning the top of the plant. Trimmed stems and tops can be used for cutting and planting cuttings.

Diseases and pests

The main threat to the health of dracaena comes from the scale insects and thrips. When a tree is infected with a spider mite, a premature shedding of leaves is observed.

Often, a brown spot forms on the leaf blades, after which the leaf dries completely. The plant loses its vitality and begins to ache. The reasons for these problems are the presence of dry air in the room and lack of watering.

With excessively bright lighting, foliage runs the risk of getting burns, which appear as dark spots. To avoid overheating, it is recommended to shade the flowerpots from the scorching sunlight.

Spraying is carried out more often if you notice that the tips of the leaves have turned yellow. When leaves fall from below, you should not worry, as this process is considered natural.

Dracaena breeding methods

The plant loses its attractive appearance, the leaves become smaller, and the crown becomes less fluffy when the flower reaches a height of several meters. For the purpose of rejuvenation, the apex is rooted. The following types of dracaena are suitable for reproduction: deremskaya, bordered and sandera. It is more expedient to time the events to the moment when the culture enters the stage of active growth. This usually happens in March and April. In practice, two methods of reproduction are used.

Top cuttings

To grow a flower by cuttings, you need to properly prepare the cuttings. The top of the tree is carefully cut off. The length of the cutting is about 10-15 cm. Cut off the process evenly or slightly at an angle. An important condition is that the cut area is left smooth. A deformed or diseased process can rot. The stalk is rooted immediately or wait until it has dried up.

Rooting medium - water or substrate. As for the substrate, it is collected from sand, perlite, hydrogel and soil for palm crops. If the cutting is rooted in water, special attention is paid to temperature. The shoot is immersed in water at room temperature only. As it gets dirty, the liquid is drained and replaced with clean water. Typically, the sediment is collected several times a week. To keep the water clear for a long time, a tablet of activated carbon is added to the container where the stalk was lowered. Rooting is more effective if the water is diluted with zircon.

When the shoot is immersed in a substrate, it is pre-moistened in water and sprinkled with a special substance. The substrate is mixed with Ecogel, Zirconov or Epin, and only then they are embedded deep into the cutting.

The apex during the rooting period requires careful and regular maintenance. If you do not follow all the recommendations, decay will occur. This process is provoked by microorganisms that destroy the appendix tissues. Strict adherence to the watering regime will help to avoid the problem. An excess amount of moisture leads to rotting, and drying out of the soil, on the contrary, threatens the death and drying of the roots.

The optimal temperature limits for rooting the cuttings are from 20 to 22 degrees. Greenhouse conditions are additionally created for it, i.e. cover with glass or a piece of thin plastic. The leaves are doused with water 3 times a day. Also, the future plant is fed by spraying the foliage once a week with fertilizers for palm crops.

Stem cuttings

The considered breeding method is used in cases where the top of the tree wilted.

Choose a strong elastic stem with a diameter of a couple of centimeters and cut it into pieces with a knife. The length of the cut pieces is from 5 to 20 cm. The slices are applied along the leaf scars using a sharp blade. As a base, prepare the same mixture as for grafting the tops.

There are two types of propagation by stem cuttings:

• Vertical. One third of the entire process is buried in the substrate by 2-3 cm. Sprinkle with sand on top. The layer of sand should be no more than 6 cm. The point of this method is that for some time young roots will develop in the sand, and subsequently grow deeper into the ground.
• Horizontal.The cuttings are placed, slightly pressing down, in a moist substrate. Adheres to ambient temperatures from 20 to 24⁰C. The horizontal method involves rooting in mini-greenhouses.

Apical and stem cuttings are significantly different. In the first case, the roots appear only at the top. When the second method is introduced, shoots also begin to germinate. Horizontal rooting entails destruction of the stem, as shoots are formed that completely absorb nutrients. After waiting until the shoots learn to get food from their own root system, they begin to plant them in separate containers.

Experienced flower growers advise not to disturb the dracaena and not to dig out the ground to check if roots have formed. Cuttings take root, as a rule, within a month or a little longer.The formation of shoots will take about two months. The absence of roots indicates an incorrect rooting procedure. Then the event will have to be done again.

Popular types of dracaena with photos

Botanical literature contains information about several varieties of this culture. They are able to grow in the form of shrubs, dwarf shrubs, or stunted trees. We will consider the external features of the most common types below in the article.

Dracaena bordered (Dracaena marginata)

Of all the existing names, dracaena bordered acts as the most unpretentious in terms of cultivation. The first thing that catches your eye is a distinct tree trunk and foliage reddish with a purple tint. Under natural conditions, the length of the culture is sometimes up to 5 m.

Dracaena fragrant (Dracaena fragrans)

One of the highest representatives. The height of the shrub reaches up to 6 m in the wild, but in apartments the perennial barely reaches 2 m. Bright leaf blades have wavy edges. Dracaena blooms fragrant with snow-white fragrant flowers. Their scent is reminiscent of freshly cut greenery.

Dracaena deremskaya (Dracaena deremensis)

Comes from subtropical regions. The foliage is predominantly dark in color. Dust quickly accumulates on the surface of the plates, so indoor species require regular wet cleaning.

Dracaena unbent (Dracaena reflexa)

A tree with evergreen foliage hanging down. It blooms only occasionally in apartment conditions. Adult bushes of dracaena folded back look like a small fluffy palm tree. Near the base, the shoots branch in different directions.

Dracaena Godsef (Dracaena surculosa)

It differs from other dracaena in the shape and color of leaves. This dwarf shrub has cream-colored white specks on dark green plates.