How to Care for Dracaena House Plants
The Dracaena is one of the most popular indoor plants, often seen in offices, homes, malls and other businesses. The Dracaena is an excellent "green" house plant, because it processes toxins and "scrubs" the air. Approximately 40 different species of Dracaena exist, all with assorted sizes and appearance. Dracaena species' mature height can range from two to 20 feet tall and is easy to grow. Average indoor room temperatures are well-suited for Dracaena plants, making them a great choice for house plants. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Planter with holes in bottom
- Potting soil
- Extra perlite (optional)
- Pruning shears
- Insecticide (optional)
Instructions
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Plant your Dracaena in a pot that has adequate holes in the bottom. Your Dracaena house plant needs plenty of drainage. You can add more perlite to the potting soil to assist with proper drainage.
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Place your Dracaena house plant indoors in the shade or in indirect bright sunlight, but preferably not in strong, direct sunlight. The Dracaena likes temperatures to stay around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Allow the soil to nearly dry out between watering. Dracaenas like slightly drier conditions. Avoid giving your Dracaena water containing fluoride, because this will turn its leaves brown and can even kill the plant. If you have city water in your home, don't use the tap water to hydrate your Dracaena. Purchase fluoride-free bottled water for your plant.
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Prune your Dracaena house plant by cutting the cane back to the desired height. You can also prune the new growth in the center of the plant. Remove any brown or unhealthy-looking leaves.
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Watch for pests attacking your Dracaena, such as mealy bugs, spider mites and scales, especially after you first purchase it and bring it home. Use an insecticide that is safe for your Dracaena plant to get rid of these pests. Any insecticide commercially made for house plants will do, but you can use a neem oil-based plant spray as a natural alternative.
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Tips & Warnings
If your Dracaena house plant displays paleness, brown tipping, rotting, dwarfed new growth or stinky stalks, you're overwatering the plant. If the plant develops bright-yellow lower leaves, droopy heads and wrinkled stalks, you're underwatering it.
Don't fertilize your Dracaena. Fertilizer is not only unnecessary, but also potentially harmful to your Dracaena.
