How to Care for a Marginata Candelabra
The marginata is part of the Dracaena plant family and is sometimes called a "marginata candelabra" because its natural shape resembles a candelabra. The Dracaena marginata is a tropical palm-like plant with many long, woody stalks, or "canes," that can grow from 2 to 20 feet tall. The marginata has dark green leaves with dark red margins around their outer edges. Dracaena marginatas are easy to grow and care for, making them popular house plants that can add a bit of tropical flair to an indoor environment. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Dracaena marginata plant
- Planter pot with drainage holes
- Drainage dish
- All-purpose potting mix
- Bed sheet (optional)
- Liquid plant fertilizer
- Slow-release fertilizer pellets
- Pruning shears
Instructions
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Plant your Dracaena marginata in bright, indirect sunlight outdoors if you live in a semi-tropical or tropical climate or indoors in a planter pot. When planting the marginata in a pot, be sure to select a planter pot that has adequate drainage holes in the bottom and fill the pot with an all-purpose, well-draining commercial potting mix. Place the pot in a drainage dish.
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Keep your marginata's environment at about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a marginata planted outdoors, protect it when frost threatens by covering it with a sheet.
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Water your Dracaena marginata once every one or two weeks, when the soil dries out. Water the soil to moisten it thoroughly and ensure that the excess water drains away.
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Feed your marginata a liquid plant fertilizer at half the normal dosage once every month or two. Insert slow-release fertilizer pellets into the soil around the marginata during the winter dormant period. Follow the directions on the package for dosage instructions.
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Cut back the marginata's canes to the height you desire using clean, sharp pruning shears. Prune away the new growth in the center of the plant if you're satisfied with the marginata's height.
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Tips & Warnings
If your marginata has dwarfed new growth, is pale and has brown-tipped, smelly and rotting stalks, you're over-watering it. Remove the rotting stalks and cut back on watering. If your marginata has wrinkled stalks, drooping heads and yellowed lower leaves, you're under-watering it.
Avoid watering your Dracaena marginata with tap water if you have city water, because this often contains fluoride. Marginatas do not tolerate fluoride well and their leaf tips will turn yellow. Water your marginata with distilled or fluoride-free water instead.
Don't allow your marginata to sit in a drainage dish full of water, because this could cause root rot. Empty the drainage dish promptly when it fills with water.
