4 ways to easily propagate dracaena

Dracaena is a rather non-capricious indoor palm, however, despite its unpretentiousness, it can lose attractiveness with age. In this case, it is not worth throwing it away - dracaena can be propagated, and making it at home is easier than it might seem. If everything is done correctly, it will be possible to grow several small palm trees and at the same time maintain the old one.

Methods of propagation of dracaena

You can get a young dracaena in several ways:

• from stem cuttings;
• from apical cuttings;
• from air layers;
• from the seeds.

Each of these methods has its advantages and disadvantages. So, propagation by seeds is carried out without damaging the stems. However, this method is rarely used, since not all types of dracaena bloom at home, and blooming flowers rarely delight with their flowers - sometimes the grower has to wait 8-10 years for this pleasant surprise. Without flowers, accordingly, it is impossible to get seeds.

Propagation by cuttings, apical or stem, is available, but this requires cutting off the palm stem or part of it. In this case, it is likely that the appearance of the plant will be irreparably damaged, and the cuttings will not root. Despite the riskiness of this method, it is used most often, since it is the simplest.

Reproduction using air layers most often allows you to maintain a good appearance of the mother plant and is almost guaranteed to get young dracaena. This option is not the easiest, but subject to all the rules - it is quite feasible at home.

Propagation using apical cuttings

One of the easiest and relatively safe ways to get a daughter plant is to propagate the dracaena using the apical cuttings.

1. With a sharp knife, cut off the top of the palm leafed leaf. The knife must be sharp so that the cut is as even as possible. The cut should be 15-18 centimeters below the outermost sheet.
2. Remove all old leaves from the cut stem - only a few of the freshest leaves should be left, but you can also remove them, since until the stem takes root, nutrition to the leaves will not come anyway.
3. Root the stalk by dropping it into a container of water, into which you need to add a little wood ash and root stimulants purchased in a flower shop before that. It is permissible to root it in a mixture of peat, sand and coal. When the plant takes root, it is time to put it in the steamed soil for dracaena for further rooting.
   

   Tip

   The root can be rooted immediately in the steamed soil, the composition of which is selected specifically for the cultivation of dracaena.

4. Create optimal conditions for rooting. This implies the presence of a film shelter, which must be raised daily by a quarter of an hour for ventilation. It is necessary to moisten the soil regularly so that the young roots do not dry out, but not too abundantly - if the humidity is too high, the root system will not develop, but rot. The temperature in the room with the handle should be maintained at a level of 20-23 degrees.

Rooting lasts quite a long time, usually this period is three months or more. After rooting, the plant should be grown in the usual way.

Tip

Cover the place of the cut on the stem of the mother plant with cellophane, and water the plant itself intensely - in a month, young shoots will appear at the place of the cut, which will become palm trunks.

Propagation by cuttings

An even simpler way to propagate dracaena is to grow a new palm from its stem cuttings. This should be done as follows.

1. Cut the stalk of dracaena into segments of 10-15 centimeters. Slices should pass exactly in the place from which the leaves once grew. Each handle should have kidneys, at least two. The edges should be even, clean. Exfoliation and splitting of tissues should not be allowed.
2. From one side of each handle you need to carefully remove the bark. The “bare” side of the cuttings should be buried in the steamed soil. They should lie horizontally or almost horizontally. As in the previous embodiment, it is preferable to use a special primer for dracaena.
3. Put in a warm place, do not forget to water.

In a couple of weeks young shoots will appear on the cuttings, although the root system will form at least one and a half months.

Tip

Propagation by stem cuttings may be the only possible way to give the palm a new life if its top has dried up for one reason or another.

Propagation by air layering

Propagation of dracaena by aerial layering is almost as common as propagation by cuttings.

1. Inspect the dracaena trunk. In one of the places where the leaf used to be, make a transverse incision to about the middle of the trunk.
2. Insert a toothpick or match into the cut so that it does not overgrow.
3. Wrap the notch with peat moss (sphagnum).
4. Moisten the moss with spray water.
5. Wrap moss with cellophane. Do not let it dry by periodically spraying.
6. When the roots begin to sprout through the moss, the film can be removed, and the young plant cut and planted in a pot.

There is a high probability that new processes will already form on the stem under the cutoff site by this time.

Seed propagation

Blooming dracaena is a rare success. If the grower managed to achieve flowering, do not miss the opportunity to grow many young dracaenas from seeds. Wait until the end of February - the beginning of March and proceed.

1. For each seed, prepare a cup by making a drainage hole in it, pouring drainage to the bottom, and on top - soil for dracaena from the flower shop.
2. Make indentations in the soil - not less than 5 mm, but not more than 1 cm.
3. Put seeds in the pits, sprinkle with earth, water.
4. Place the pots with foil in a warm place. The optimum temperature is 25-27 degrees. Do not forget to water and ventilate.
5. When shoots appear (this will happen in 30–40 days), remove the film.

When the length of the sprouts reaches 5 cm, they should be transplanted into larger pots, where they will grow constantly. At first, cover them from direct sunlight, make sure that the soil does not dry out, but is not too wet. Keep the room temperature at 23–25 degrees. After six months, the fate of young palm trees can no longer be worried - care for them will be needed the same as for adult dracaenas.

Reproduction of dracaena at home is a realistic task, feasible even for inexperienced gardeners. The main thing is to choose the appropriate method and clearly follow the instructions, understanding that even a small detail is sometimes crucial. There are four ways to propagate dracaena. The easiest and most reliable way is to grow young palm trees from stem cuttings, but in this case you will have to say goodbye to the palm itself. A more gentle way is to grow a plant from the top of a palm tree. Reproduction by air layering is similar to this method - it is a bit more troublesome, but much more reliable. The best way to propagate dracaena is by seeds, but getting planting material is a great success, since blooming dracaena at home is a rather rare phenomenon.