You may already be growing a dracaena plant as part of your houseplant collection; in fact, you may have several of the easy-care houseplant dracaena. If so, you have probably learned that dracaena plant care is fairly simple. Colorful strap-like foliage appears on many dracaena houseplant varieties. Many cultivars are large, tree-like plants while others are smaller. The houseplant dracaena exhibits an upright form no matter the cultivar.
Growing a Dracaena Plant
Stems of the houseplant dracaena are called canes and can be pruned at any point to keep plants under control. Dracaena houseplant varieties D. fragrans and D. deremensis have cultivars that can reach from 6 to 10 feet (2-3 m.), so height control by pruning canes of older plants is useful when growing a dracaena plant. New foliage will sprout just below the cut in a few weeks. Propagate the removed cane for another plant.
Dracaena plant care involves keeping the soil of houseplant dracaena moist, but never soggy. Drooping or yellowing leaves indicate over-watering or poor drainage. Learning how to care for a dracaena includes finding well-draining soil in which to grow your houseplant dracaena.
Appropriate fertilization is also a part of how to care for a dracaena. Feed every two weeks in spring and summer with a balanced houseplant fertilizer. Reduce fertilization to once a month during fall. When growing a dracaena plant, stop feeding during winter months, as the plant benefits from a period of dormancy.
When growing a dracaena plant, locate it in brightly filtered light, such as through a sheer curtain in front of a sunny window.
Room temperatures of 60 to 70 degrees F. (15-21 C.) are best during the day, with night temperatures about ten degrees cooler. However, the dracaena is forgiving of temperatures, as long as they are not too cold.
Now that you know the basics of dracaena plant care, why not grow one of the many dracaena houseplant varieties in your home today?