How to care for dracaena at home?

The tropical plant, whose homeland is Africa, is very popular even away from places with its usual climate. If you know how to breed and transplant dracaena at home, how to organize optimal environmental indicators for it, you can count on a bright and attractive green pet to delight pets at least 10-15 years.

Dracaena is a shrub represented by a rosette of leaves on straight stems, which, as they grow and develop, form a trunk of wood tissue. Bright green plates of plant leaves can reach 70 cm in length, but despite this, the representative of the flora will not cause much trouble. He is not too demanding on the conditions and almost always looks great.

Creating optimal conditions and basic plant care

Plant care begins with the creation of suitable conditions for it. Contrary to popular belief, it is not enough to put a tub with a sprout or an adult under direct sunlight.

The optimal indicators for the flower will be the following:

• Lighting. Dracaena is very fond of light, but it is not recommended to place it on the southern windows. It is better to put the pot on the east or west side. If possible, light should be scattered. If the color of the leaves began to change, this indicates a lack of light. It is noteworthy that care in this regard for species of dracaena with variegated and dark leaves varies. Second instances of light need much less.

Dragon dracaena

• Watering. He loves flower and moisture, so he needs to provide plentiful watering. Watering intensity is determined by many factors (season, soil composition, pot size and plant age), but care in this area can be simplified if you follow a simple rule. Once the soil has dried 2-3 cm in depth, dracaena can be watered. Before the procedure, the soil needs to be loosened. Water is used filtered or boiled. In the summer months, it is additionally recommended to spray the leaves of the flower with filtered or settled water at room temperature.

• Air humidity. Only dracaena species "Dragon" and "Godsef" can be looked after without regular spraying, they are resistant to dry air. All other flower varieties prefer high humidity.
• Top dressing. Caring for Dracaena during the growth period involves the use of fertilizers. Top dressing is administered no more than once every two weeks between the end of March and the beginning of autumn. The best option is specialized mixtures, which can be easily found in specialized stores.

In general, dracaena home does not need any additional caring manipulations. But each owner must know how to propagate, transplant, trim and protect against common diseases.

Dracaena Godsefa

Propagation of dracaena by seeds, cuttings and layering

Dracaena can be propagated in several ways, but at home, the method with cuttings is most often used. It is simpler and after its application the plant does not need to be looked after in a special way. Manipulation is as follows:

• We select a young and strong stalk, cut it with a sharp knife into pieces of 4-5 cm (each of which should have at least two buds).We act carefully, trying not to crush the stem during processing.
• On the one hand, we cut a bark on each workpiece and stick it into the prepared soil with the same part. We clean in a warm place to which direct sunlight does not reach.

Tip: Propagation of dracaena, regardless of the chosen method, is best done immediately after the period of hibernation before the beginning of intensive growth - in the spring.

• Specific care for the cuttings is not needed, just monitor the maintenance of high humidity. To simplify the process, it is allowed to create a mini-greenhouse (we cover the blanks with plastic or bag).
• After 1-1.5 months, the first shoots should appear. Here they already need to be looked after, periodically spraying with a little warm water.

Dracaena edged, or marginata

If for some reason it is not possible to propagate the dracaena with cuttings, you can try the option using layering. To do this, simply take the top of our shrub (layering) and place it in a glass with filtered water at room temperature. For additional disinfection, add a tablet of activated carbon to the liquid. After three months (additional care is not needed), the layers will give roots and it can be transplanted into the ground. Seed propagation is not used so often, because the method is quite troublesome and is not suitable for all types of dracaena.

How to transplant dracaena?

Timely and correctly transplanted plants guarantee him longevity and attractiveness. Dracaena, regardless of species, have a voluminous root system, which after a while becomes closely in the pot. In some cases, the first transplantation of a flower is necessary after the purchase, because during the stay in the store it could grow noticeably. This can be verified by comparing these figures: if the height of the plant has reached 40 cm, then the diameter of its pot should be at least 15 cm.

When performing the manipulation, the following points should be considered:

1. We handle the roots carefully, although they do not look fragile.
2. We use special soil for palms.
3. At the bottom of the pot, it is recommended to lay out a little drainage.
4. If it is obvious that the soil is of good quality and has not yet exhausted its resources, you can not change it. In this case, it is enough to transfer the dracaena into a larger pot.
5. After the completion of manipulation, we must water the soil.

The flower does not need any special care after transplantation, but some gardeners prefer to use growth stimulants for several days when watering.

Features of pruning plants

If you take care of the dracaena in accordance with all the rules, then from time to time it will need to be cut off. In this area, the plant is unpretentious. The process itself activates the growth of lateral buds and starts branching. Cut off parts of the plant can be used for its further propagation. The best time to start the procedure is spring and early summer. In this case, the height of the dracaena should be at least 30 cm. To determine the place of the cut, we retreat 5 cm from the last leaves on the trunk. If the tree trunk has not yet been formed, then we are guided by considerations of decorativeness.

Before proceeding to the procedure, it is worthwhile to think a few times and weigh everything, because the length of the stem after the session will become constant and will not change. If the decision is made, then we are preparing a very sharp knife, activated carbon in the form of a powder and the Zircon preparation. We cut the stem, do not try to break it, the cut should be clear and even. Then we cut the place of cut with activated carbon, after which - “Zircon”. Now dracaena needs a more thorough care. We put the pot in a warm place, we monitor the lighting and watering. We use the cut off parts for reproduction.

Common flower diseases and recommendations for controlling them

At home, dracaena rarely gets sick, especially if care is provided to her in accordance with all requirements and rules.When the recommendations are still violated, the flower may be attacked by parasites:

• Shield. Leaves turn yellow, the plant stops growing. In cases of minor damage, you can wipe parts of dracaena with a soap solution with a small amount of vodka. In advanced cases, treatment with Actellic will be required.
• Spider mite. Leaves dry, turn yellow. The parasite usually starts in conditions of increased air dryness, therefore, first of all, you need to introduce regular spraying of leaves. In addition, it is recommended to use specialized chemicals.
• Thrips. Very small black insects that parasitize on leaves and leave behind silver streaks. They are destroyed by applying a soap solution to the leaves, which is washed off after a day. If necessary, the manipulation is repeated several times.

The given manipulations are quite enough to maintain the dracaena in perfect condition for several years. Of course, each particular type of plant has its own characteristics, but they are insignificant and do not significantly affect the care, reproduction, and maintenance of the health of the green pet.