Dracaena comes in a variety of species and cultivars that make excellent houseplants.
The more common varieties should be available at your local nursery, or even better, from a friend willing to offer you a cutting.
You may even get dracaena plants online for added convenience. Begin with one of the following suggested varieties:
Dracaena Fragrans var. Massangeana (Corn Plant, Mass Cane)
This dracaena type is the most cheap of the dracaenas, making it a popular indoor plant.
It’s also low-maintenance, slow-growing, and can handle lower light levels than other types, making it an excellent choice for your interior environment.
Long glossy green leaves with vivid yellow center stripes and sturdy, woody canes distinguish it.
American Plant Exchange sells plants in six-inch pots through Amazon.
Dracaena Marginata (Dragon Tree)
This stunning evergreen tree may reach heights of around six feet indoors, though it is sluggish growing and may take up to ten years to achieve that height.
Curved stems and slender, arching green leaves with scarlet margins characterize the dragon tree.
It is a popular choice for indoor cultivation because it is one of the most tolerant of the dracaena species.
Dracaena Reflexa (Song of India, Song of Jamaica)
D. reflexa, the most common species grown as a houseplant, is known for its brightly colored leaf.
Bright yellow stripes run through the pointy, slender, deep green leaves. It’s quite flexible, making it an excellent choice for indoor gardening.
Song of India (also known as Song of Jamaica) plants are sold in four-inch pots at Walmart.
Tip #1: Provide Plenty of Sunlight
The greatest technique to speed up the growth of your Dracaena is to give it plenty of bright indirect sunlight. Dracaenas can endure reduced light levels, but they will develop more slowly than usual as a result. If planted in direct sunlight, its foliage might become scorched, so avoid placing them in areas where they will be exposed to strong rays. Things’s all about getting it just perfect.
Dracaenas get their energy from the sun, which they use to create new growth. Photosynthesis, which uses the sun’s energy, helps the plant to grow larger. More light equals more energy, which equals faster growth.
Place your Dracaena near, but not immediately in front of, a southern-facing window. A plant placed about 4-6 feet away from the window will receive plenty of intense light while avoiding being injured by the intensity of the rays.
Is Dracaena marginata slow growing?
Because Dracaena marginata is a slow-growing plant, you’ll only need to repot it every few years. If the soil becomes compacted (hardened and pulls away from the pot’s edge), you should replace it with fresh soil.
How big do Dracaena marginata grow?
Dracaena marginata is a common houseplant that can reach a height of 6 feet or more if not cut down. It has the narrowest leaves of any of the commercially available dracaena species.
Why is my dracaena not growing?
Dracaenas, like all living things, require energy to grow, and since sunshine is a key component of photosynthesis, a lack of sunlight is the most likely cause of poor growth. Dracaenas can grow in low to medium light, but they will develop considerably faster if they are given enough of bright, indirect light.
Move your Dragon Tree to a brighter spot to help it grow faster. To avoid scorching the leaves, make the transition gradually and out of direct sunlight. During the summer months, if you have a covered or shady outdoor spot, you can relocate your Dracaena there as long as the temperature does not go below 55 degrees.
Indoors, the greatest sun falls on south and west-facing windows, so a location near one of these would be ideal for a slow-growing Dracaena. However, avoid placing your tree near a window where it could be damaged by cold drafts or the heat of direct sunshine. Instead, drag it a few feet back into the room. It will be able to get a lot of brilliant indirect light this way.
Is Dracaena marginata A fast grower?
Dracaena marginata is a species of the broad plant genus Dracaena, which has a wide range of leaf sizes, colors, and trunk forms. Once developed, the marginata is one of the most commonly observed indoor plants that grows into an appealing plant and makes a superb focal point of a room.
When compared to other Dracaenas with arching leaves, the leaves of this Dracaena are rather slim. There are three types: one with a dark red outer edge and a green center, another with a green center with red and yellowish stripes, and a third with broad red margins. When the trunk sprouts stems (cane) from the side that need to be trained, the leaves appear (keeps them growing upwards). Because the Dragon tree’s stems contain a grayish brown bark (the trunk) that can also create smaller ones, the plant must be clipped to keep it from growing in all directions.
These are sluggish growers that can take up to 10 years to reach a height of over 5 feet, but once they reach that height, they look rich. They resemble palm tree plants in appearance.
Level of maintenance: The Madagascar dragon tree is one of the easiest house plants to cultivate, and it can take a lot of abuse before quickly recovering with the right conditions and care. The one I gave to my sister (who is roughly 5ft tall) over ten years ago was ignored more than cared for, but it is currently in excellent condition.
Leaves falling: Don’t be alarmed if your plant’s leaves begin to die and fall off at the bottom. This is natural, and it’s comparable to how yucca trees shed their bottom leaves to make room for new growth. Once you see that they are deteriorating in appearance, you can remove them.
This plant is poisonous to both cats and dogs. The issue with cats is that they enjoy nibbling on the leaves, as I discovered with my parents’ cats. Although they just nibbled a small quantity, my parents’ cats were alright. They probably think it’s a grass because the leaves are so thin. The ASPCA has further information on pets and the effects of poisons.
Dracaena marginata is one of the plants on NASA’s air filtration plants list (part of the NASA clean air research) that reduces benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene levels in the air.
Is Dracaena marginata toxic to dogs?
No, is the quick response. Both cats and dogs are poisoned by dracaena. Or, to be more precise, saponin, a chemical component contained in the plant, is poisonous to them.
Vomiting (with or without blood), diarrhea, weakness, drooling, loss of appetite, and sadness can all occur if a dog eats dracaena leaves.
The same symptoms will appear in a cat that eats dracaena, maybe with the addition of dilated pupils.
How fast do dragon trees grow?
It appears that it takes just as much effort to grow a dragon tree as it does to destroy that famous dragon. The slow-growing dragon tree takes about 8 to 10 years to achieve a height of 2 to 3 feet (0.5 to 1 meter), and 30 years to reach maturity. Only the very end of a dragon tree’s youngest branches produce new leaves. Those bare limbs slowly evolve into spreading pedestals for the leafy crown.
How tall will a dracaena get?
Depending on the cultivar, dracaenas can reach a height of 2 to 10 feet. If desired, these plants can be kept at a lesser height. Types that stand upright are usually no more than 2 feet broad.