Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Dracaena

Julles writes~ Locally, I found a dracaena with three stems in one pot, about 3- 3 1/2' tall. The trunks are bare, and all the foliage is at the top.

I placed it where a palm died, which gets filtered morning sun from an east-facing window, plus afternoon sun from a west-facing window (but this window is covered with shutters, so it's only cracks of sunlight that get in), and is of normal temperature. Do you have any info on this plant?

A. Dracaena is a wonderful hardy plant which will do better than the palm fared, since it is much more durable and does not insist on such a high humidity. They are commonly planted three per pot to make a fuller display. The bottom leaves fall off as the plant grows taller, so that bare area is natural, even in the wild.

They are generally rugged, carefree house plants with a robust and tropical appearance, widely used for both home and office plantings. Many tolerate low light conditions, but prefer that morning sun you have and filtered afternoon light.

Dracaenas can grow 2 to 10 feet tall, depending on the cultivar and care! It is easy to maintain these plants at shorter heights if desired. Upright types will usually be no more than 2 feet wide. Dracaenas are grown for their strap-shaped foliage which is colorfully striped in many of the cultivars. I have grown a beautiful 'variegata', in addition to the purple-edged 'marginata'.

In the home, plant diseases are very rarely a problem. Too much or too little water plus insects and mites are the main problems. Root rot usually results from a soil mix that does not drain quickly or overly frequent watering. Scale insects and mites are the most common insect pests of dracaena. Dry tips and edges are usually caused by too little humidity. Round dry patches and streaks on the leaves may be caused by excessive sunlight on the foliage. A sudden loss of many leaves can be caused by changes in temperature, drafts, too much water, poor drainage or heavy insect infestations. Leaf tips and margins may burn or become yellow if plants are fertilized too heavily.

Dracaena is very sensitive to fluoride. Symptoms include yellowing of the tips or margins of the leaf or dead, scorched areas. Avoid potting soils that have a high percentage of perlite and keep the soil pH between 6.0 and 6.5 to prevent fluoride from causing injury. Do not use fertilizer which contains superphosphate since it often has high levels of fluorine.

Most dracaenas grow best in bright, indirect light, but many are also tolerant of lower light. If a plant that has been growing in dim light is moved to a brighter spot, the new leaves will be thicker and stronger and growth rate will increase, but do not allow to burn!

Allow the pot to dry slightly between waterings. Wait until the soil is dry down one inch, then water thoroughly. Never watering with cold water, please.

Dracaenas are best grown in normal house temperatures of 60 to 70 F during the day. Ideally, night temperatures should be about 10 F cooler. If the humidity in the house is below 30 to 40 percent (usually during winter), plants will benefit from misting their foliage.

A standard commercial house plant potting mix may be used. Feed dracaenas with liquid foliage plant fertilizer once a month during the spring and summer months. Time release fertilizer pellets may be used also.

If the plant's stems become too long and bare, cut them off at the desired height and new leaves will soon appear.

Dracaenas are easy to propagate by air layering, tip or stem cuttings, or by the removal and rooting of basal shoots in spring or late summer.

With assistance from home.att.net