Planting DesignDiscover the right plants for your garden.
Proven Accents ® Spikes ( Dracaena indivisa ) . Photo by : Proven Winners
For beginning gardeners , one of the easiest plants to grow is dracaena . This turgid group of tropical plants is specially forgiving of low light and other challenging indoor spring up conditions , and they can also be grow outside ( some hardy down to Zone 7 ) . Dracaena arise as a expectant tree in its native habitat , occurring in shrubby or Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree - corresponding contour . The tenacious steel - determine foliage comes in an raiment of green , amber , and variegated color .
Categorization within this genus can be more or less confusing , with some species overlapping . Dracaenais normally err forCordyline , while the democratic Snake River plantSansevieriawas recently reclassified asDracaena .
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BASICS
Botanical name:
Dracaenaspp .
Common names:
firedrake tree diagram , corn plant , cornstalk plant , false thenar , typewriter ribbon industrial plant , money tree
Origin:
Native to Africa , southern Asia , northerly Australia and South America
Zones:
USDA zone 9 - 12 , withD. indivisahardy to USDA Zone 7
Care level:
Easy
Light requirements:
Dracaenaprefers bright indirect light , but is tolerant of low light weather .
Growth rate:
Slow
Foliage:
Smooth spear - form or grass - like leafage is solid , stripy or speckled , in colors of green , chartreuse , white , pink , red-faced , or gold .
Flowers:
clustering of star - shaped flowers in colors of white , pink or yellow seem on slender prow . Most motley seldom blooms indoors . Dracaena fragrans , which is the most likely species to bloom indoors , bears scented flowers .
Habit and size:
Bushy bush or vertical tree diagram - like form , 6 to 50 feet improbable and 3 to 25 foot wide
Toxicity:
Dracaenaproduces saponin , which are toxic to weenie and computed tomography . Dracaena plants are nontoxic to humans .
Dracaena lookalikes:
DRACAENA GROWING TIPS
' Song of India ' ( D. reflexa ) Photo by : VadimZosimov / Shutterstock
Where to grow:
Indoors , station near a window that receive at least 2 to 4 hours of bright indirect light . Plants can be placed alfresco in summer in a spot that gets bright indirect lighter , not direct sunlight or dark shade .
Temperature:
idealistic daytime temperature reach is 65 - 78 degrees F , with nighttime temperatures ten arcdegree cool . Keep away from heating system vents or stale drafts . Temperatures below 50 - 55 stage F may harm plant life .
Humidity:
Dracaenaprefers average melodic line humidness between 40 - 50 % . In winter when indoor gentle wind is ironic , mist foliage once or twice a week , or place slew on a shallow saucer filled with pebbles and water .
Soil type:
Use a in high spirits - quality , well - run out potting soil that is well - draining . Dracaenas opt a slightly acidic grease pH between 6.0 - 6.5 .
Pot requirements:
prefer a flock that is 1 to 2 inch large than the solution musket ball . check that there are fair to middling drainage holes .
DRACAENA CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Watering:
Keep grime equally moist and do n’t allow ground to dry out . Too much pee can stimulate root rot . Dracaenas are sensitive to tap water that carry fluoride . urine dracaena with distill or rainwater .
Fertilizing:
Dracaenas can get by with picayune fertilizing . Use a water supply - soluble houseplant fertiliser . Apply once a calendar month during spring and summer . terminate fertilizing in fall and winter when flora emergence slows down .
Pruning:
Dracaenas reply well to pruning . Do this during active growth in outflow and summertime . Trim off damaged leaves and fallible maturation . Cut back plant life to desired shape and size of it .
Repotting:
supercede top 2 to 3 inches of territory with fresh soil every spring to refill nutrient without disturbing the roots . Repot in bound every 2 to 3 years . habituate a container 1 to 2 inches larger than the previous pot . Remove plant from pot , brush out old soil and gently tease out roots . Add fresh soil , placing the top of the root ball at the same level and water exhaustively .
Pests:
diminished plants may be more susceptible to pest . These can includespider touch , scale , ormealybugs . pass over off affected folio with a cloth duck in 70 % rubbing alcohol . Treat with insecticidal soap as needed .
DRACAENA VARIETIES
Photo by : Proven Winners
Cordylena ® Ruby , Madagascar Dragon Tree — bribe now from Proven WinnersDracaena marginata
Size:18 to 48 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide
Deep gullible leaf with pinstriped red - cherry edges total contrast and drama to outdoor container or indoor outer space . Combine as an accent mark in a container withSuperbells ® Strawberry Punch ™ calibrachoaandGoldilocks Creeping Jennyfor a “ thriller , filler , spiller ” effect .
Proven Accents ® Spikes — Buy now from Proven WinnersDracaena indivisa
Size:24 to 36 inches tall and 15 to 18 inches wide
This favorite is more sunshine - tolerant and hardy ( USDA zone 7 - 11 ) than otherDracaenaspecies . The spiky foliage add up height and social organization , and is compatible with many other flora .
Photo by : alenysk / Shutterstock
Snake PlantDracaena trifasciata
Size:6 to 72 inches marvelous and 3 to 36 inch all-encompassing
Recently reclassify from theSansevieriagenus , the quintessential houseplant for start nurseryman . Especially liberal of downhearted light , varying humidness , and lacrimation condition .
Photo by : New Africa / Shutterstock
Lucky BambooDracaena sanderiana
Size:1 to 3 feet marvelous and 1 to 2 human foot panoptic when grown indoors
A traditional housewarming natural endowment , which is thought to fetch expert fortune and prosperity . The segmented stalks , which resemble bamboo , are typically twisted and braid together to form childlike or elaborated system . Plants can be grown in H2O or soil .
Photo by : plants_ka / Shutterstock
Corn PlantDracaena massangeana , syn . D. fragrans massangeana
Size:10 - 15 feet tall and 3 to 4 foot wide ; minor indoors , to 6 feet tall .
Named for the wide strappy leafage that resemble eatable corn works , young stemless plants finally grow a central brownish trunk with a tree diagram - like appearance .
picture by : VadimZosimov / Shutterstock
' Song of India’Dracaena reflexa’Variegata '
Size:12 to 18 feet tall and 3 to 8 foot wide ; smaller indoors , to 3 feet tall in containers
This variety produces vivacious dark green foliage with wide gold margins . The narrow pointed foliage , which can grow up to 12 inches long , is arranged in a spiral along thick branching stems .
picture by : Totokzww / Shutterstock
' Janet Craig ' Dragon PlantDracaena deremensis’Janet Craig '
Size:12 to 15 metrical foot tall and 2 to 4 feet wide ; smaller indoors , to 3 feet grandiloquent .
heavyset masses of lance - form dark unripe leaves give a full , lush appearance . Young plants are tidy with upright foliage . Mature specimen train retentive bamboo - alike stems with graceful arching leave of absence up to 24 inches long .
photograph by : Ostralfororu / Shutterstock
' Lemon Lime ' Dragon PlantDracaena warneckiisyn . D. deremensis warneckii
Size:5 to 10 feet magniloquent and 3 to 5 foot broad ; stay on lowly indoors
Attractive glossy grim - immature leaves have wide contrasting yellowish green gross profit . Young acaulescent plants finally break branching bole , with arching sword - shaped leaves 12 to 24 column inch long . For the most marked diversification , keep in brighter collateral Christ Within .
photograph by : WindOfHope / Shutterstock
amber Dust DracaenaDracaena surculosa
Size:2 to 3 foot tall and 3 to 4 foot blanket
This strange variety is characterize by smooth ellipse green folio liberally speckle with gold that are produced on farseeing , stringy stems . persist small and is wearisome growing than many other dracaenas .
TROUBLESHOOTING
DISPLAY IDEAS
Proven Accents ® Spikes ( D. indivisa ) . Photo by : Proven Winners
