How to Grow a Dracaena

Lucky bamboo is a type of dracaena -- Dracaena sanderiana.

Dracaenas comes in a number of different cultivars, all of which are most commonly grown as houseplants. You can simply buy a young dracaena and allow it to grow, or you can take an existing plant and use it to make cuttings. Dracaena plants are grown for their long, pointed leaves, which range in color from green to red and include variegated types. Dracaena cultivars can grow from 2 to 10 feet tall, although you can control the height of the taller growing varieties by pruning. The plants spread about 2 feet.

Things You'll Need

• Pruners
• Glass jar
• Potting compost
• 6-inch plant pot
• Broken crocks

Instructions

1. Cut a section from the stem or trunk of the dracaena plant between 8 and 12 inches long. Use sharp pruners. Note which end of the stem cutting is in the direction of the bottom of the original plant.

2. Place the cut section in a glass jar with about 6 inches of water in it, with the bottom end of the cutting immersed in the water. Put the jar on a warm, light windowsill.

3. Pot the dracaena stem in a 6-inch pot in potting compost when you see white roots protruding from the bottom of the stem and one or more green shoots appearing higher on the stem.

4. Water the dracaena when the soil is dry, but do not leave it standing in water.

5. Repot the dracaena in a larger container after its first season of growth. Put a 2- or 3-inch layer of broken crocks in the bottom of the pot to aid drainage.

Tips & Warnings

• Grow your dracaena in a spot with plenty of natural light. Avoid putting it in direct sunlight.

• Dracaenas thrive best in daytime temperatures of between 60 and 70 F, with somewhat cooler temperatures at night.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Dracaena
• University of Missouri Extension: Home Propagation of Houseplants
• Clemson University Cooperative Extension: Dracaena