And although the plants are known for their ability to thrive in low light, they grow best in bright but indirect light. This dracaena grows best in USDA zones 10 through 12 and reaches maximum heights of 20 feet outdoors but only 6 feet when grown in a container. The mix I created was roughly 1/2 potting soil and 1/2 rock. In order to enhance drainage, pour clay pebbles or small stones into the pot to form a layer at the bottom. … Soil If you opt to grow your houseplant in aerated potting soil rather than in water and rocks in a container, it is imperative that you keep it moderately moist all the time. To improve drainage, choose a potting soil that contains peat moss. The corn plant (Dracaena fragrans) is an oldie but goodie in the houseplant industry.Europeans have been using these tropical African evergreens as indoor plants since the mid-1800s, and they’ve been popular in the United States since the early 20th century. Create your own, ideal dracaena planting mix by combining equal parts of potting soil and vermiculite. Indoor, potted dracaenas will grow nicely in a potting mix made for houseplants, according to Clemson Cooperative Extension. Dracaena reflexa is a popular houseplant that’s known for its beautiful leaves. To make sure the soil drains properly, grow the indoor tree in a container with drainage holes. The addition of perlite helps to aerate the soil and improve drainage. Mold can survive the acidity, but your plant's roots may not! The plants are the complete package: interesting to look at, easy to care for, and generally hardy. Transplant when the plant grows too large for the pot. Most dracaenas are grown as houseplants. University of Florida Extension: Dracaena Reflexa 6. Direct afternoon sun may burn the leaves even indoors. Light:It prefers full sun but needs some shade in very hot afternoon sun. Pot your dracaena plant using a well draining, all-purpose potting soil. Outdoors, choose a location that does not collect standing water and has rich, loamy soil. About 1 to 2 inches should remain between the top of the soil and the container’s rim. Here’s a fun fact: lucky bamboo isn’t actually bamboo! Give your cuttings the best possible start to ensure you get big, healthy plants. When it’s time to plant or repot your Dracaena, mix a loamy soil and peat moss together before adding it to the pot. Texas A&M University Extension: How Much Water Does Mulch Save? Purdue Department of Horticulture: Indoor Plant Care 9. There are about 40 species of dracaenas and many more cultivars, which range widely in size and shape. It tolerates low light indoors. Popular Dracaenas to Grow Dracaena fragrans, or corn plant. You will probably only need to re-pot your dracaena … Avoid using straight garden loam in your dracaena’s pot, as such soil is often too heavy and dense for a container garden and can lead to root rot. When I transplant it next spring, I’ll use a locally formulated potting soil which is nice & chunky, some of the lava rock & … It helps block out weed growth while also adding nutrients to the underlying soil. Too much water is a common problem in dracaenas. For the best results, spread 2 to 3 inches of mulch onto the soil surface of both your indoor and outdoor dracaenas. For the best results, the Cornell University Extension recommends that you spread a couple inches of compost over the planting site and mix it into the top 6 to 8 inches of soil. And while dracaenas can tolerate all types of soil, most of the commonly used varieties thrive best when given soil that’s rich in organic matter. This will help ensure roots won’t wallow in water, which could be fatal to it. Use a potting soil that is peat-based & formulated for indoor plants. If you choose to grow your dracaenas outdoors, add compost to the planting site, suggests the National Gardening Association. It can be grown in decorative planters or bowls filled with just rocks and water, making it one of the most tolerant houseplants you can grow. Next, fill in around the root ball until completely covered with soil. Dracaena marginata is an attractive, stiff-leaved plant with colorful foliage that sometimes goes by the name \"dragon tree.\" Most of the time its sold simply as Dracaena marginata or just Dracaena. Dracaena marginata is a slow-growing plant, so you’ll only need to repot every few years to keep this plant happy. Soil and Transplanting. Mulch serves several purposes in terms of creating the best soil conditions for your dracaenas. Meanwhile, bolster the soil’s fertility levels by using any liquid plant fertilizer — labeled for use on foliage houseplants — once a month during the spring and summer. Children are fascinated by the plant's common name -- the Madagascar dragon tree -- and by its sword-like leaves. If you wish to raise them outdoors, the most commonly used varieties of dracaenas thrive throughout U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 11, including Dracaena fragrans, Dracaena marginata, Dracaena deremensis and Dracaena reflexa. Dracaena marginata is a striking plant that grows on a slender, twisting trunk topped with a mass of long, slender leaves. Indoor Dracaena marginata plants thrive at a temperature of 60 to 70 degrees. To improve drainage, choose a potting soil that contains peat moss. Avoid using straight garden loam in your dracaena’s pot, as such soil is often too heavy and dense for a container garden and can lead to root rot. Too much direct sunlight may burn the foliage. Use a spray bottle to saturate the soil … Use a well-aerated potting mixture made up of at least 50% or more organic matter. Outdoors, choose a location that does not collect standing water and has rich, loamy soil. Example mulch material includes shredded leaves, shredded bark and wood chips. Soil / Transplanting My Dracaena Lisa is planted in a combo of lava rock & potting soil. National Gardening Association: Dracaena 7. Add a layer of potting soil and place the dracaena on top. Also known as the corn plant for its corn-like leaves, it is hardy in USDA zones 10 through 12 and will grow to heights of 50 feet if left alone in the ground. Growing Dracaena from Cuttings. Start a new dracaena plant by inserting the cut cane into a pot of moist sand or a glass of water placed in a brightly lit window. Corn plants grow fairly slowly from one or more thick canes (stems) that produce long, narrow leaves (like those of corn) toward the top. Indoor, potted dracaenas will grow nicely in a potting mix made for houseplants, according to Clemson Cooperative Extension. General potting mixes tend to work fine when potting Dracaena plants, although they do prefer a more acidic mixture. Tips for Growing Dracaena Trifasciata. Clemson Cooperative Extension: Dracaena 2. The closest relative of the Compacta is the Dracaena janet craig, but the Compacta is quite different in appearance. When roots form in the water, plant the cane in a container of potting soil. Adjust the position of the plant if need be, to keep it centered. If you’re buying commercially prepared compost in bulk from a garden store or nursery, this amounts to approximately 16 cubic feet of compost for every 100 square feet of garden space. Use a houseplant potting mix, but add vermiculite or peat moss to improve drainage, and be sure the pot has holes at the bottom. A month after planting, start feeding with plant food. The "worms" under the Dracaena marginata pot may have been millipedes. Containers should have drainage holes in the base to allow water to drain quickly from the soil. Indoor Soil Requirements Most dracaenas are grown as houseplants. Select a container that is the appropriate size for your dracaena plant with good drain holes. The perfect potting medium for the dragon plant should be a mixture of loamy soil and peat moss. The appropriate potting soil should allow water to drain freely. Dracaena plants like loose, well-draining soil. Water your draceanas whenever the top couple inches of soil has dried out. Fill a container with well-draining potting soil with a pH range of 6.0 to 6.5. Soil:Loam based potting soil. Always use room temperature or warm water; cold water may shock this heat-loving plant. Cinnamon is a much safer and effective option. Water when the top inch of soil is dry, avoiding city water if possible. Else overwatering can kill your plant. Learn which plants thrive in your Hardiness Zone with our new interactive map! Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →, Missouri Botanical Garden: Dracaena fragrans, Missouri Botanical Garden: Dracaena marginata. If you don’t have a green thumb, try your hand at growing dracaenas. Outdoors, they can be grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and 11, with some species and cultivars able to tolerate temperatures in USDA zone 9. are an excellent choice for home gardeners with children. Use fresh potting soil rather than re-using the old soil, to help prevent diseases and boost nutrition. Whether you go the indoor or outdoor route, providing the right soil conditions is one of the few critical requirements needed by this hardy, low-maintenance plant. Fertilizing Your Dracaena Marginata Dracaena marginata plants need to grow in a light potting mix with excellent drainage. Instead, use any commercially prepared potting mix labeled for use with houseplants, warns the Clemson Cooperative Extension. Pruning Both in water and in soil, Dracaena Sanderiana does not stop growing. Once you’ve set up the best soil for your dracaenas, regular maintenance is necessary. In poorly drained soil, the tree is at risk of root rot and other fungal diseases. In other words, your soil should neither be totally dry nor soaking wet. Apply the liquid fertilizer according to the manufacturer’s product-specific guidelines, as nutrient potency varies widely by product. Pour enough potting mix soil into the container to hold the dracaena plant in place and moisten the soil. It is often referred to as Pleomeles because it used to be classified under the genus Pleomele. The Hawaii growers use lava rock to increase drainage & aeration. When watering, apply enough irrigation to moisten the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches — if you’re growing your dracaenas outdoors — or until moisture appears out of the planting pot’s bottom drainage holes. I alternate between Happy Frog & Ocean Forest. Of course, you can also pot it into soil for more robust growth. My one word of advice is to avoid the use of vinegar. Like all Dracaenas, the marginata flourishes in a humid atmosphere. Growing Dracaena marginata in a pot requires good soil mix that can be amended with ⅓ compost, if you’ve got some at hand. If you don’t have houseplant potting mix on hand, the Purdue Department of Horticulture suggests that you combine one part peat moss with one part garden soil and one part coarse sand. Dracaena fragrans is the most commonly grown species. Your Dracaena may not be growing in a mix with rock so I’ll leave alternative mixes (with 2 ingredients) down below. Pot dracaena plants in a well-draining potting mix. Dracaenas (Dracaena spp.) Dracaenas are tropical plants and are not frost tolerant, so for that reason, they are usually grown indoors. Mix the two together well, fill the pot halfway with it and water it well. If so, they are largely harmless to the plant itself, but can indicate … You can add perlite to increase the soil drainage. It is often referred to as Dracaena fragrans or Dracaena deremensis. Wait until spring to repot your dracaena. In fact, in the test published in the Junior Master Gardener curriculum by the Texas Cooperative Extension, mulch added to Dracaena marginata plants reduced the dracaenas’ watering needs by 25 percent. Replenish the mulch layer as needed to maintain its thickness. Instead, use any commercially prepared potting mix labeled for use with houseplants, warns the Clemson Cooperative Extension. In addition, the plants are sensitive to fluoride, so if your tap water has added fluoride, don't use it to water your dracaena. Dracaena massangeana in a pot The Dracaena massangeana plant requires good soil mix that can be amended with ⅓ compost, if you’ve got some. Temperature:Does best at 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit but for short periods will tolerate slightly colder temperatures. The Ideal Soil Dracaena marginata prefers a soil that has a high nutrient content and is slightly acidic. Dracaena marginata plants like loose, well-draining potting soil with a pH of 6-7, which is on the acidic side. One of the best things about dracaenas is that they are easy to grow, but don't let your little ones be too eager to water the plant. Lift the plant from its current container and gently remove any soil clinging to the plant’s roots. University of Florida Extension: Dracaena Marginata 4. Cornell University Extension: Using Organic Matter in the Garden 8. Press the soil against the plant and tamp it down. A good mix would include 1/3 pine bark, 1/… To improve drainage, choose a potting soil that contains peat moss. Dracaena marginata soil and planting Soil. This ingredient may leach fluoride into the soil, and dracaenas are sensitive to fluoride, which can kill the plant. The Clemson Cooperative Extension reports that they’re prized as houseplants because they require little care and have few, if any, problems with plant diseases or insects. Another option is planting in lava rock. All, however, have the same basic soil and cultural requirements. Sometimes you’ll have a Dragon Tree shipped directly to you planted 100% in lava rock as well – but it’s not a bad idea to mix in some potting soil and a little bit of fertilizer just to really fuel that plant as it balances itself out in relation to its new home. While some homemade potting mix recipes may call for perlite instead of sand, avoid such recipes and any commercially prepared mix that contains perlite. Mist the leaves occasionally, and keep the plant away from dry rooms with excessive central heating. Add more soil if necessary. Pull potting soil up around the trunk to the same level as it was in the previous pot. Even though all species in the genus Dracaena are easy houseplants to care for, they can’t stand in soggy soil. We cannot see them clearly in the photo, but they are more common in potting soil than earthworms would be. It actually belongs to the plant family of Dracaenas, just like Dracaena marginata, or the Madagascar Dragon Plant. You will need to refresh your potting soil every spring, but you can do this by taking out ⅓ of it and replacing it with a new layer of topsoil. When potting or transplanting use a well-drained soil to avoid soil becoming heavily soaked when watering. Don't forget to wear gloves when working in soil to protect yourself from soil-borne pathogens. The top of the plant’s roots should be about three inches below the container’s rim. Although the plant does best in humid conditions and likes moist soil, its soil must drain well. For dracaena growing in the potting mix, it is also better to use special fertilizer mixtures. All Rights Reserved. Make sure the pot has drainage holes. Do not use a soil mixture that contains perlite since this contains fluoride. University of Florida Extension: Dracaena Fragrans 3. The potting mixture should be allowed to reach dryness in between watering. Humidity:Mist the plant with non-fluoridated water regularly if it is in a very dry environment. You’ll need to check it daily to strike a balance. Soil. As for soil, buy or make a loamy, well-draining mix with a pH of 6-7. Transfer the plant to a larger pot and surround it with fresh potting soil around the base. Dracaena tolerates a range of soil types, but drainage is important. These plants are perfect for a beginner gardener because they're very easy to grow indoors. While peat moss is a popular choice, the sustainability of this resource is debatable. Comments, questions, and suggestions are always appreciated! Compost improves soil moisture levels, which this plant enjoys. Containers should have drainage holes in the base to allow water to drain quickly from the soil. 10. … Avoid extreme light conditions; your plant should receive filtered, bright sunlight for the most part of … University of Connecticut College of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Mulch Basics, Check Your Soil: a Sermon Based on Mark 4:1-25, How to Build Effective, Productive and Profitable Relationships in 21st Century Soil, In U.S.-Mexico Sports Battles, U.S. are an excellent choice for home gardeners with children. Team Deserves Support when Playing on Home Soil, « Things People Use for Fertilizing Plants. In containers, however, the plant only reaches maximum heights of between 4 and 6 feet. Caring for Your Plants Water the plant roughly once a week. The Dracaena compacta plant, a compact, slow growing member of the Dracaena family, is native to South East Africa. Copyright Leaf Group Ltd. // Leaf Group Lifestyle. Use a potting soil with a loamy soil (a mixture of silt, sand, and clay), along with some peat. Overall, mold in potting soil is very easy to treat. Standard houseplant potting mix works just fine for this. Root rot may occur if the soil becomes waterlogged. In order to enhance drainage, pour clay pebbles or small stones into the pot to form a layer at the bottom. The soil mix should have good drainage. Potting and Soil Choose a pot with drainage that’s just a few inches larger than the root ball so the root system has room to grow. Lucky Bamboo care is extremely easy! Dracaenas are tropical plants and are not frost tolerant, so for that reason, they are usually grown indoors. Your dracaena prefers to be a little root-bound and is slow growing, so the pot you grow your dracaena in needs to be only slightly larger than the root ball. University of Florida Extension: Dracaena Deremensis 5. 1. 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