How to Graft Dracaena
Most often grown indoors for its attractive foliage, dracaena is a large family of plants that includes corn plants, lucky bamboo and Madagascar dragon trees. Although dracaena plants propagate easily from root cuttings, two dracaena can be grafted to form a single plant. The process involves joining the lower part of one plant, called the rootstock or understock, to a cutting, called a scion, from a second plant. Grafting is generally most successful in winter, when the plants are dormant. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Choose the scion, also called budwood, that you want to graft to the rootstock. The diameter of the dracaena scion should be equal to the diameter of the rootstock, or as close to equal as you can get. Cut the scion off the "donor" dracaena with the knife. Wrap the cut edge in wet paper towels.
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Cut a diagonal notch into the rootstock's stem where you want the scion to grow. Make sure the cut is deep enough to expose the inner tissue of the stem without cutting all the way through the stem. Leave the flap formed by the cut in place.
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Unwrap the scion and use the sharp knife to cut off the bottom of the scion's stem diagonally. Insert the cut end of the scion into the cut on the dracaena rootstock. Try to make the two cut edges fit together as closely as possible. Trim the scion stem, if needed to form a better fit.
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Press the flap of bark back into place to help hold the scion cutting. Wrap the graft with grafting tape and seal the grafted area with grafting wax. Both products are available at most gardening centers.
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Care for the dracaena as usual, keeping the plant evenly moist but not wet. Stand the pot on a saucer filled with pebbles and water to increase humidity around the plant. Cut back on watering in winter. Place the dracaena in bright, indirect light. Dracaenas tolerate some fluctuation in temperatures, but keep the plants out of drafts. Fertilize lightly with diluted, liquid houseplant food.
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Tips & Warnings
Nursery tape, rubber bands, string or plastic strips may be used to bind the grafted edges together.
If you accidentally cut off the bark on the rootstock when notching the stem, you can still perform the graft. Hold the scion in place with your fingers and wrap the union with the binding material, then cover the area thoroughly with the wax.
Monitor the graft site closely. Re-wax the union if the original wax cracks or breaks off, and make sure the binding material is not cutting into the tender grafted area.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
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Comments
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Interestng. I was under the impression that Dracaena propagates through air-layering and cuttings. That's what all the books and EDU pubs state. In fact, I have never read of successful grafting of Dracaena (nor can I see a reason to try). While the references here do detail grafting techniques and Dracaena info separately, they do not detail Dracaena grafting- I suspect, because it is not possible. What would be the point of attempting to graft a plant that will just die?
