Dracaena Is A False Palm. Home Care, Reproduction, Transplant. Photo

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Dracaena Is A False Palm. Home Care, Reproduction, Transplant. Photo
Dracaena Is A False Palm. Home Care, Reproduction, Transplant. Photo

Video: Dracaena Is A False Palm. Home Care, Reproduction, Transplant. Photo

Video: Dracaena Is A False Palm. Home Care, Reproduction, Transplant. Photo
Video: How To Grow a Cordyline From Cuttings and Growing Tips 2024, March
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Dracaena (Dracaena) - one of the most spectacular decorative deciduous plants. It has about 150 species, native to tropical and subtropical Africa and the islands of Southeast Asia. Recently, many connoisseurs of indoor plants have fallen in love with the dragon tree. The specific forms of this flowerpot differ significantly from each other in shape, color of leaves and flowers, which means that dracaena can “sound” very differently in the interior. How to care for dracaena at home, propagate, transplant and fight its diseases, we will tell in this article.

Dracaena
Dracaena

Content:

  • How to distinguish dracaena from cordilina
  • Dracaena care at home
  • Dracaena transplant
  • Dracaena reproduction
  • Diseases and pests

How to distinguish dracaena from cordilina

Earlier in the botanical classification, Dracaena, as well as the genera Cordilina and Yucca, belonged to the Agavaceae family, but later a separate Dracaenaceae family was distinguished. The new classification (APG III) includes the genus Dracaena in the Asparagaceae family.

Some of the adult dracaena are mistakenly called palm trees, confused with yucca, often referred to as cordilina dracaena, and vice versa. Systematic scientists have long figured out the systematic position of dracaena and cordilin. To avoid mistakes in caring for these plants, you need to be able to distinguish dracaena from cordilina.

In decorative floriculture, dracaena are distinguished from cordilin by their roots. In dracaena, the roots are orange-yellow and smooth, while in cordilin rhizomes are white and thickened. Dracaena's leaves are sessile (that is, without cuttings), linear, leathery, with parallel veins. In some species of dracaena, the leaves are collected in a bunch at the top of the stem, in others, they are located throughout the stem in whorls or spirals.

Dracaena care at home

Location

Among the dracaena there are many plants with variegated leaves. Such dracaena should be kept in bright light so that their leaves do not lose their pattern. Green-leaved dracaena are placed in a bright place, but protected from direct sunlight.

Many consider the dracaena to be a shade-loving plant, but in fact, in a dark place, it will wither. Intense light is needed for good growth and development. If there is enough light in the summer, then in winter the dracaena should be rearranged closer to the window, because in winter there is usually not enough light.

Temperature

Moderate, not lower than + 15 ° С, most dracaena prefer a cool winter at a temperature of + 10- + 12 ° С.

The optimum temperature for dracaena in summer is + 18- + 25 ° C. Hardy dracaena (dragon tree, fragrant dracaena, Hooker's dracaena) feel good in the fresh air, protected from drafts. These are plants of cold greenhouses; in winter, they calmly tolerate temperatures of + 12 ° C and even lower.

Watering

It is necessary to constantly maintain an even moisture content of the substrate in the pot with dracaena, but not to allow waterlogging. Drying out the earthy coma is also undesirable. At low temperatures, it is necessary to reduce the watering of dracaena to a minimum, alternating it with light loosening of the soil. The air in the room should be humid and warm; when it gets very hot, spray the plant once a day.

Frequent spraying of dracaena is a kind of prevention against the appearance of spider mites. Periodically give the plant a warm shower to wash off the dust and refresh the plant, but it is imperative to cover the ground with a plastic bag so as not to overmoisten it.

Fertilizer

During the growth period from April to August, every two weeks, dracaena are fed with special complex fertilizers for indoor plants. In autumn and winter, feeding dracaena should be done less frequently.

Dracaena
Dracaena

Dracaena transplant

Dracaena can be replanted every two years in the spring, or, if it grows very quickly, every year. For transplanting dracaena, a larger pot is taken, shards or pebbles are placed on the bottom as drainage, then a mixture based on earth or peat. Recommended soil mix: equal amounts of turf, leafy soil, humus, peat and sand. Dracaena roots need space; a pot with a diameter of 15 cm is suitable for a 40 cm plant.

Dracaena reproduction

Dracaena is propagated by apical cuttings, layering, or by pieces of stem, rooted under a film in the soil at a temperature of 25 ° C. You can propagate in several ways:

1. Apical cuttings: the upper part of the old plant is cut off and the apical cutting is rooted, applying phytohormones and lower heating.

2. Layers: air layering is obtained from the top of the plant, which is then cut off.

3. Stem sections: 5-7 cm long stems are used as stem cuttings. Stem sections take root under the film at a temperature of + 25 ° C. Breeding dracaena is not difficult, since the pieces of the stems perfectly tolerate transportation and serve as planting material. More resistant are plants with green leaves. Dracaena with narrow rigid xiphoid leaves require increased attention.

Diseases and pests

Dracaena leaves can dry out with insufficient watering, and light dry spots appear when the leaves are burned by direct sunlight. In this case, it is necessary to establish watering and spraying and find a suitable place for the plant.

Of the dracaena pests, they are most often affected by the scabbard (brown plaques on the underside of the leaf) or spider mite (a small bug that lives on the lower half of the leaf). The upper side of the affected leaf is covered with yellow spots, and a cobweb appears between the leaves.

The scabbard is removed with soapy water, after which it is advisable to treat the plant with an insecticide; in case of severe damage to the pest, the treatment must be repeated weekly. Spider mites are fought by spraying with acaricide. But it is worth repeating that with regular spraying and rubbing the leaves with a wet cloth, the pests usually do not affect the dracaena.

Dracaena
Dracaena

I share my personal experience: we have a dracaena about 5-6 years old already. A completely unpretentious plant, it has now grown to an impressive size. No special care - abundant watering and replanting at the right time! I must say, it grows very beautifully upwards, like in the jungle!

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