Houseplants

Proper care of dracaena at home

Dracaena flower

Succulent shrubs of the dracenaceous family have been cultivated for many tens or even hundreds of years at home, in greenhouses. Growing dracaena, leaving at home is not difficult, because the plant is very unpretentious. With proper cultivation, dracaena not only looks decorative, reaching a solid size, but also blooms.

About the plant

In the natural environment, the "dragon tree" grows in the subtropics, tropics in Africa, Asia, Europe. One of the species growing on Socotra Island has an interesting property: if its bark is damaged, reddish juice with healing properties starts to ooze from the trunk. The local population once used it as an antiseptic, an immunostimulant. Now these trees are very few.

At home, in offices, the plant blooms extremely rarely, and in greenhouses, where conditions are created that are as close to natural as possible - a little more often. It does not apply to palm trees, although it is very similar to it by the presence of a bare woody trunk with a lush mop of leaves at the very top. It grows slowly, but is able to gradually reach a great height. Among the darts there are dwarfs and giants, squat and slender, with juicy green and silver leaves.

Dracaena plant

At home, it is recommended to place dracaena in the bedroom, in the room of a sick person. It qualitatively cleans the air around itself of harmful chemicals (including those released by new furniture), helps to quickly recover from skin diseases, bone injuries, dental problems, and improves the condition of depression. The benefit of the “false palm” is undoubted, but the harm is also present: when eating the leaves of a flower, which is sometimes done by children and pets, the plant leads to an upset stomach, headache. Therefore, most copies should be placed so that the above subjects could not reach it. In people prone to skin allergies, reactions to the hairs formed on the stem, as well as to dust, which can accumulate on the "palm", are possible.

Types of Dracaena

In nature, there are more than 140 species. Among them there are purely green and striped forms, bushy and tree-like, with wide and narrow leaves. Only a few of them breed houses.

Most popular:

  • fringed dracaena (marginata) - unpretentious, decorative, grows more than three meters high, has a woody trunk. The leaves are narrow, one or two cm wide, 45-60 cm long, green, less often with red-purple stripes. The view is very resistant to overdrying;
  • fragrant or ordinary dracaena - smells pleasant during flowering. It has an upright trunk that grows more than two meters high, on it are slightly hanging leaves, in the middle of which there is a silver or yellow stripe. Blooms very fragrant snow-white flowers. It easily tolerates insufficient watering, poor lighting and a temperature of 10-12 degrees in the winter;
  • Dracaena Derema - has dark green leaves, with a pair of white stripes running along. Leaflets are slightly bent at the tips. The flower is suitable for growing at home, in the summer in the country, in the office;
  • Dracaena Sander is very elegant, with a thin stem up to 90-110 cm high. The leaves are usually grayish-green, with two stripes of yellow tint, slightly twisted around the edges, the plant likes warm, moist conditions. The spiral twisted shoots sold in stores called “bamboo of happiness” or “bamboo that brings good luck” are precisely Dracaena Sander, which was artificially shaped (grown in a narrow tube);
  • Dracaena Reflex (bent) - the upper part of the plant is decorated with a lush crown of shiny leaves sticking out in different directions with a golden edge, elongated shape, bright green color;
  • Dracaena Godsefa (Surculosa) is a shoot-forming variety of a flower that is very different from others. In shape, it resembles a bush with oval-pointed leaves. The leaves themselves are dark green, with creamy white or golden spots. If the room has several such instances, then a sunny, elegant look is provided to her.

Dracaena Godsef

Rules, tips for home care

Caring for dracens is quite simple - creating favorable conditions for her is quite easy. Acceptable humidity, temperature, illumination are suitable for ordinary, indoor, frequent watering and top dressing for most species is not required. The land is suitable peaty or sod-leaf, drainage is needed large, since most of the roots are located close to the surface.

Home Care

Temperature

The best temperature regime for the inhabitant of the subtropical latitudes of dracaena is moderate. In winter, a suitable temperature is 14-16 degrees, in the summer - 22-24 degrees.In summer, the flower can be put on a balcony, an open veranda, but the plant is very afraid of drafts, cold air from open windows in winter.

Spraying flower

Air humidity

Dracaena perfectly tolerates the dry air of office premises, as well as the heating season, even when placed near radiators. But in order for the “palm” to have a beautiful appearance all year round, its leaves are sprayed with water during the heating season and strong heat. From time to time, it is necessary to wash off the dust accumulating on the foliage, the trunk - to arrange a kind of shower, but not too cold.

Flowerpot of dracaena

When spraying, it is important that drops of water do not accumulate in the axils of the leaves - this often leads to decay.

Lighting

In winter, it is recommended that dracaena be kept in the south, southeast window, in summer - in the south room, but one and a half to two meters from the windows. The plant loves partial shade, diffused light, but direct sunlight can cause burns. Variegated leaves require more light than fully green.

Flower lighting

If the illumination is insufficient, variegated species gradually lose their decorative color.

Watering

The flower is not picky in terms of watering - in summer it can be watered every three to four days, in winter - once a week. It is undesirable for an earthen lump to dry out very much. About once a month the plant is very abundantly watered or for a couple of minutes immersed completely in room temperature water, along with a pot. Some species require more frequent, almost daily watering.

Watering a plant

Fertilizer

You need to feed approximately every 15-20 days with any complex fertilizer for indoor flowers. Such dressing is required for the "palm trees" in the period from mid-March to early September - during the period of the most active growth. Species with variegated leaves require specialized fertilizers, marked "for variegated plants."

Plant nutrition

Breeding methods

The question of how to breed dracaena sooner or later arises for everyone who decided to grow it at home.Reproduction is permissible at almost any time of the year, but it is better to choose spring-summer time. In winter, you will have to slightly increase the temperature in advance, provide additional lighting, watering.

Reproduction is carried out:

  • cutting off the upper part with subsequent rooting;
  • air layering;
  • stem cuttings;
  • seeds.

Dracaena propagation

The fastest, most popular, successful method of reproduction is the rooting of the apical part in the earth of a suitable composition.

Seeds

On sale, it is easy to find seeds of many types of dracaena. In nature, it blooms at the age of 10-25 years, at home - extremely rarely. In the conditions of the greenhouse, fragrant dracaena is sometimes observed to bloom, bent, draco, and deerema during flowering exudes an unpleasant odor. To obtain seeds, pollination is done with a soft brush. After receiving the fruits (the fruits are not always formed), they are cleaned of pulp, sown in moist soil mixture - it is recommended to buy special soil.

Landing is carried out to a depth of one cm, drainage is required. It is better to sow in March-April, the container is covered with film, glass, put in the warmest place - 27-29 degrees, it is desirable that it is heated from below. Germination occurs within - 40-170 days, all this time the earth should be moist. When the seedlings grow four to six cm high, they are transplanted into separate small pots. Now plants are allowed to be placed in cooler conditions - 22-24 degrees.

Seed propagation

To get the sprouts faster, they are germinated, wrapped in a wet cloth, which is placed in a bowl, put on the battery, periodically wetted.

Cuttings of the stem, cuttings of the apex

How is propagation of dracenic cuttings carried out:

  • a very sharp knife will need to be pre-treated with alcohol;
  • then the plant is cut off in five to seven cm from the beginning of the trunk;
  • cut off the top put in a glass of water, changing it twice a week - you need to wait until the roots appear, then transplant into a pot with soil mixture or plant in the ground immediately after trimming;
  • in the latter case, the length of the stalk is at least five cm., you can even remove several lower leaves;
  • the lower part of the stem is sprinkled with root powder, the pot for the first time will fit very small - with a diameter, depth of not more than 10 cm;
  • the stalk is inserted into the dug hole, pressed lightly, you can place the plant under a transparent plastic or glass cap;
  • the first two or three weeks it is necessary to ensure a temperature of about 26 degrees, frequent watering, spraying if the air in the room is dry;
  • spraying and watering is carried out only with water at room temperature.

Propagation by cuttings

The stump remaining after trimming should be greased with garden varnish or sprinkled with charcoal - even a pharmacy activated can do. From above it is also covered with a glass cap, waiting for the appearance of new shoots.

Another method is the cuttings of the stem, which is usually used only when the apical part has rotted or dried out. The living, non-sluggish part of the trunk is cut with a sharp knife into leaf scars, into pieces 4-15 cm long. With the horizontal version of rooting, the cuttings are laid on moist soil, slightly pressing into it, with the vertical one, a layer of sand is poured over the soil, about 6 cm thick, the handle itself is inserted there to a depth of two or three cm.

The optimum temperature for rooting is 22-25 degrees, a viable stalk takes root in a month and a half, gives shoots - in two.

How to crop

It is believed that in the house dracaena lives about 15-20 years. In this case, the leaves grow only at the very top, and the trunk gradually becomes bare. The leaflet has a lifespan of about a year, after which they dry, fall off, leaving scars on the trunk. If the plant is correctly pruned to get lateral shoots, it will become more “lush” due to the large amount of foliage partially covering the bare trunk.

Pruning dracaena

In the trunk of the "palm", almost over its entire surface, "sleeping" kidneys are scattered, so when pruned in new places, new shoots are quickly formed. Trimming is recommended during active growth - in the spring-summer period, but sometimes it has to be done according to emergency indications. If the stem is broken, it urgently needs to be cut below the fracture.

When cropping, consider the following:

  • the upper part, where the leaves are placed in the light - on this basis, plan the height of cutting;
  • so that new shoots grow from sleeping buds, they are provided with the most favorable conditions - humidity, heat;
  • tools that are used for trimming, sealing of a slice are pre-disinfected;
  • for successful pruning, take a plant with a height of at least 25-35 cm from ground level to the point of growth of the upper leaves.

Pruning is performed only when the draca is completely healthy, adult and not infected with pests.

How to transplant

When transplanting, it is recommended to observe maximum accuracy, it is necessary if:

  • the roots have grown so much that they are visible on the surface and the plant cannot eat normally;
  • the soil mixture has become “poorer" over time and is not able to meet the needs of a growing flower;
  • immediately after purchase - in stores, plants are usually sold in pots of the smallest size, which is not suitable for permanent "residence";
  • excessive water flooding with the risk of rotting, the inability to quickly remove excess moisture, which is fraught with the death of the plant;
  • defeat of the "palm" by pests;
  • scheduled, usually annual transplants.

Flower transplant

Transplantation is recommended in the spring, before the period of maximum growth begins. The pot is selected more approximately 2-3.5 cm in diameter, it is equipped with several drainage holes so that excess moisture quickly leaves. Soil for an adult plant is suitable sod-leaf with compost-peat - the components are taken in a ratio of 2 to 1 to 1 to 0.5.River sand, expanded clay balls, and crumb brick are acceptable as drainage.

Before transplanting, the “false palm” is not watered for 36-72 hours - it will be easier to remove it from the pot. The flower is held by the stem, pulled out, lightly tapping on the bottom of the pot, large specimens are transplanted together. Next, the root system is inspected - if there is damage, they are cut off, dusting the cuts with coal. An earth ball is sprayed with water from a spray bottle.

A drainage layer is put in the container where the transplant is made, then a little earth, plants are placed there, all voids are filled with soil, compacted, watered. Do not over-deepen the flower - this will complicate normal watering. The first two weeks need frequent watering, periodic top dressing with stimulants for root growth.

Some types of dracaenas are transplanted into a common pot, having received a peculiar mix with high decorativeness.

Flowering conditions

Few people manage to observe the bloom of dracenaceae in the interior of their home, apartment, office. Practice shows that neither excessive dressing, nor the huge size of flowerpots can help with this. The likelihood of the appearance of flowers in the "false palm" increases the presence of periods of winter dormancy, when watering and lighting are minimal, as well as strong differences between night and day temperatures. The latter option is easily achieved if the plant lives on a glazed balcony, loggia. In summer, it is necessary to maintain high humidity, but not to fill the flower too much.

Flowering dracaena

Pests, diseases, how to deal with them

Like all other plants, dracaena can be damaged by pests - scale insects, aphids, mealybugs, thrips, spider mites. They should be removed mechanically, and then apply insecticides. The attack of dangerous parasites occurs in the close proximity of already infected flowers, therefore, in the case of the purchase of a new specimen, it is kept separate from the rest for some time (up to three to four weeks).

Sometimes the "palm" is affected by various diseases:

  • powdery mildew (characterized by the appearance of plaque, similar to flour);
  • spotted wilting (the appearance of bronze-brown spots, stripes);
  • root rot (the trunk turns brown, becomes soft);
  • gray rot (spots covered with gray pile);
  • bacterial rot (tissues soften, watery spots everywhere);
  • Fusarium (yellow-red-brown spots on the leaves);
  • alternariosis (spots of beige color with a white dot in the middle);
  • bacteriosis (ulcers along the entire trunk, watery ends of the leaves), etc.

Dracaena Disease

This usually happens with weakened specimens that are not properly cared for. It is also important from time to time to wipe the leaves of each plant in the collection with a damp cloth or arrange a warm shower. But washing and spraying does not need to be done in sunny weather - water droplets on the leaves under the influence of the sun lead to burns.

What to do if dracaena leaves turn yellow

To stop the yellowing of the foliage, you need to identify why this happened. Often this happens among fans of overly caring for a flower - a constant stagnation of moisture in the axils of the leaves after a shower may well lead to yellowing. Overdrying or rotting the roots leads to the same effect. Yellowing foliage, gradually covered with dark spots - a sign of brown rot.

Yellow leaves

When attacking dracenic pests such as thrips, scale insects, spider mites, leaflets also turn yellow. Control measures are the simplest: thoroughly wash the “palm” with warm soapy water with the addition of a small amount of alcohol, if this does not help, use insecticides. When the top began to turn yellow, the flower must be removed from the draft, if the rest of the foliage became dull, the top was exposed to direct sunlight. Sometimes yellowing is a consequence of a lack of nitrogen fertilizers, excessive watering.

Why do the tips of the leaves dry?

When the ends of the leaves suddenly began to dry at the “false palm”, then most often this is a sign that the air in the room is excessively dry - constant moistening is required. The output will be frequent spraying, placement in the immediate vicinity of water tanks (for example, an aquarium). Do not place any kind of dracaena near the battery. The dried parts are cut off - they can no longer be saved. If the leaves dry and curl, this is a sign of insufficient watering.

The tips of the leaves are dry

Causes of rotting dracaena

The fact that the “tree of happiness" began to decay is immediately evident from its leaves - dry areas appear along them along the edge. With fungal diseases, the same thing happens. The root system - the "heart" of any plant, the roots will die - the flower will die. Rotting of the trunk usually occurs with excessive deepening of the root neck, lack of high-quality drainage, combined with excessive watering. If decay has just begun, the flower is taken out of the pot along with the roots, dried with an earthen lump. When the process has gone too far, but the top is not yet damaged, it is cut off, rooted.

Dracaena rot

Reasons for leaf falling

When the leaves suddenly began to fall, the cause of this phenomenon should be clarified as soon as possible - then there is a good chance of saving the specimen. If the foliage quickly and almost completely fell off, and the plant itself became sluggish, it means that the root system died due to some long-term illness that was not noticed on time. To prevent this, at the first sign of loss of foliage, it is recommended to apply potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.
Tip: it is important to know that periodic falling on one bottom leaf is a natural process that does not affect the general condition of the flower.

Leaves fall

Conclusion

"False palm" or "tree of happiness" is one of the most popular indoor plants. Under natural conditions, this tree is found less and less, it is carefully guarded.Dozens of species of perennials are very different from each other, but all grow well in apartments, offices, greenhouses, as well as in the summer outdoors. It is not difficult to grow dracenaceae - they require very little attention to themselves.



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