Liven up almost any space in your home with these adaptable houseplants.
TheDracaenagenus is a large group of popular houseplants that tolerate a variety of growing conditions.
As they grow, some types of dracaena take on the appearance of bamboo.
Credit:BHG / Phoebe Cheong
In fact, one of the most commonly grown dracaenas is marketed aslucky bamboo.
This guide explains how to grow and care for dracaena plants as houseplants.
Some varieties of dracaena are winter hardy in semitropicalUSDA Zones1011, where the temperature remains at least 50F.
Credit:BHG / Phoebe Cheong
These outdoor specimens grow much larger than dracaena houseplants.
The small, bushy form of young plants suits mantels, tabletops, and desks.
Dracaena plants are toxic to dogs and cats,so place them in areas that pets can’t reach.
Credit: Jay Wilde
Dracaena Care Tips
Dracaena plants are easy to grow indoors with a little basic care.
They usually do well in the same indoor conditions that people find comfortable.
However, keep the plant in indirect light or thefoliage may get sunburned.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Soil and Water
Provide your dracaena with well-draining potting mix.
Let the soil dryto the touch between waterings.
Dracaena plants prefer humidity at 60 percent, although they tolerate average indoor humidity.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Fertilizer
Fertilize dracaena once a month during spring and summer to encourage new growth.
Use a liquid houseplant fertilizer applied at half strength.
Growth naturally slows or stops in fall andwinter, so you might skip the fertilizerover those months.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Potting and Repotting
Grow dracaena in well-draining potting mix in a container with excellent drainage.
A better solution is to repot the dracaenaevery couple of years.
This also helps prevent the plant from becoming rootbound, which can interfere with adequate water and nutrient uptake.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
To repot, choose a container that’s slightly larger than the current one.
Remove as much of the old potting soil as possible from the roots.
You’ll know your plant has these unwelcome visitors if you see webbing and stippled foliage.
Credit:BHG / Phoebe Cheong
Prevent spider mites outdoors by rinsing dracaena regularly with water.
Mealybugs and scale are two more peststhat are troublesome for dracaena plants.
Mealybugs leave a sticky residue on the leaves, and scale insects look like small bumps on the leaves.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Both of these cause the affected leaves to turn yellow and stunt the growth of the plant.
However, they can be treated with neem oil or insecticidal soap.
Leaf spot is a fungal diseasethat appears as small brown spots on the plant’s leaves.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
It is usually brought on by overwatering or poor air circulation.
Remove and discard any leaves with brown spots and improve the air circulation around the plant.
If this occurs, discard and replace the soil (and don’t overwater)!
Credit: Jay Wilde
Water the plant until the soil is moist but not soggy.
Use well-draining potting soil in a container with adequate drainage, and the plant should recover.
Brown tips on dracaena leaves might be sparked by watering with tap water.
To start, identify a healthy stem on the dracaena plant and cut it with sanitized pruners.
see to it the cutting includes several leaf nodes and at least two leaves.
Dip the bottom of the cutting into arooting hormone.
Most of the rooting hormone will dissolve into the water.
Don’t submerge any of the leaves.
Place the container in a warm location where it receives bright, indirect light.
Replace the water every other day.
You’ll see the roots as they develop.
Place the pot in an area that receives bright, indirect light.
The potting mix should remain moist but never wet.
It takes about six to eight weeks for roots to form.
Types of Dracaena
There are more than 170 species of dracaena houseplants.
Here are some favorites.
This shrubby plant adapts well to low-light conditions.
It has broad leaves brilliantly spotted with creamy yellow, which give it the nickname “Gold Dust.”
It grows well directly in water or a gravel-filled pot with water.
Stems of tree-form plants often are trained to grow with crooks or bends.
Deep green straplike leaves are edged with a narrow band of maroon.
It is sometimes grown in terrariums because it remains shorter than most other dracaenas.
Leaves are edged with a band of gold and are 6 to 8 inches long.
It is sometimes sold asPleomele reflexa.
Tricolor
Dracaena marginata’Tricolor' or rainbow plant is a lighter color version of Madagascar dragon tree.
Dracaena plants that grow outdoors in subtropical zones live much longer.
Foliage Plants for Removing Indoor Air Pollutants from Energy-Efficient Homes.Economic Botany,38(2), 224228. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4254614
