The smooth, gray stems of the Dracaena marginata eventually reach a height of 20 feet. Crowns of slender, leathery leaves up to 2 feet long and 1/2 inch wide form the ends of stems. Deep glossy green leaves with a reddish crimson border. Dracaena is a fantastic houseplant for rooms with low lighting, and it looks particularly good when planted in pairs to flank doorways.
Dracaena prefers bright, indirect light for growing; it may survive lower light levels, but development will be slowed. With typical indoor potting soil, typical house temperatures, and ordinary humidity levels, the plant thrives nicely. Maintain a wet but not soggy soil by fertilizing frequently with a complete fertilizer in the spring and summer (like a squeezed-out sponge). Reduce your watering frequency and discontinue fertilizing during the fall and winter. Regularly clean leaves with a wet cloth or relocate your plant so it can receive a moderate shower to keep Dracaena healthy and looking its best. Avoid using commercial leaf shine. Simply use a pair of scissors to remove any brown tips that appear on your plant, being careful to preserve the natural form of the trimmed leaves. Dracaena is rarely troubled by pests or diseases and can endure a pot-bound environment for extended periods of time.
Can Dracena endure dim lighting?
About 120 tropical plants belong to the genus Dracaena, and most of them are renowned for being simple to grow. Due to their tolerance for low light and minimal water requirements, they are common indoor plants. Additionally, dracaena are available in a variety of sizes, hues, and shapes. Dracaena deremensis ‘Janet Craig’, fortunate bamboo (Dracaena braunii), maize plant (Dracaena fragrans), and the song of India (Dracaena reflexa), to mention a few, are popular Dracaena home plants.
Dracaena fragrans is able to grow in low light.
Easy and low light: The maize plant, which looks fantastic as a focal point in a large area, is another favorite for many homes and offices. Although it can survive low light, this plant grows best in settings of bright light. It is a slow-growing plant that accepts neglect, just like other dracaenas. The worst things to do are to put it over water, sit it in the sun over an extended period of time, or allow it get too cold.
What plant needs the least amount of light?
With its rich, compact leaves, this Dracaena stands out from many others in its family. It can grow tall, but it will remain very thin. Therefore, this is a perfect option if you have a little space and don’t want a plant to splay and spread out but still want some height. Actually, if you’re seeking for plants that can survive low light, the entire Dracaena family makes a fantastic choice. Recently, we discovered that the little Janet Craig Dracaena performs particularly well.
How much light are required by Dracena plants?
Although it can tolerate in low light, your dracaena fragrant prefers medium to bright indirect sunshine. The presence of brown patches or pale, bleached leaves on a plant typically indicates that it is receiving too much light. Small new leaves, limited growth, and less variegated leaves are signs of inadequate light.
After giving your plant a good soak, wait until the top 75 percent of the soil has dried before giving it another watering. Before watering in dim light, let the soil entirely dry up. In the winter, when light levels are reduced and development has slowed, water your plant less. Overwatering will result in root rot, yellowing and eventual loss of leaves, as well as the final death of the plant.
In areas with ordinary humidity, your dracaena will thrive, but it will benefit from routine misting.
The ideal indoor temperature for this plant is between 65 and 80 degrees. When it is below 55 degrees, they struggle. The leaves might be harmed by chilly winter drafts and blowing heaters.
Very little plant food is necessary for Dracaena Fragrans. Use a basic houseplant food diluted to half the suggested strength to feed your plants once or twice a year in the spring and summer. The burnt leaf tips can result from using too much fertilizer.
Pets and humans both become sick from eating Dracaena Fragrans leaves. Usually, eating will make you feel sick to your stomach and mouth, and you might even vomit.
You should check your tap water for chemicals if you see that the tips of your Dracaena’s leaves are starting to turn brown. To allow some of the toxins in tap water to evaporate, use filtered water or put it in an open container overnight before planting.
Does Dracena thrive in the shade?
Landscapes with dracaena can provide drama and beauty if they are in an appropriate environment. There are numerous types with a wide range of heights, forms, colors, patterns, and textures in the leaves. Since these plants aren’t particularly finicky, almost any type of soil will do. However, to offer it the optimal conditions, add compost or other organic material since they thrive in richer soils.
Select a location that is not directly in the sun for lighting. Many sources of indirect light, but not too much shade, are ideal for most dracaena. Ensure your plant receives adequate water, but steer clear of standing water. It ought to be in an area with well-draining soil. During the growing season, apply a basic fertilizer every two weeks to promote greater growth.
Make sure you are aware of the particular requirements of the dracaena variety you select. Although they ought to be relatively similar, there might be some differences, particularly in terms of size and how much room the plants require. While some kinds stay at a short height, others can reach heights of up to one meter.
You won’t need to give your dracaena any care or attention once it has established itself outside. Given the proper conditions, these plants are renowned for being simple to cultivate, and cultivating them outdoors is no exception.
Where should a dracaena plant be placed?
These growth advice are here to help if you’re unsure how to take care of dracaena. Care for dracaenas is typically not too difficult.
Light: A spot with filtered inside light is good (for example, through a sheer curtain in front of a sunny window). A dracaena plant should never be placed in direct sunlight as the rays will scorch the leaf.
Dracaenas demand less water than the majority of houseplants. By lightly sprinkling the soil (never saturated) and the leaves with water, you can keep the plants hydrated and ensure proper drainage. Before watering, the top soil should always be allowed to dry off. Avoid overwatering to prevent root rot.
Overwatering or poor drainage may be the cause of drooping or yellowing leaves, but if you observe that the bottom leaves are starting to fall and turn yellow, you shouldn’t be alarmed. It is typical for dracaena to lose leaves so that new ones can grow.
It is crucial to use filtered water when caring for these plants because they are sensitive to fluoride, which can be found in tap water. Fluoride toxicity may be indicated by leaves that are dark brown and by dead patches that have yellow borders.
Dracaena loves daytime temperatures between 65 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Even if nighttime lows can drop by approximately ten degrees, the plant will suffer from chilly drafts and temperatures below 55 degrees. Make sure to keep any heaters or air conditioners away from where you display your dracaena. Although the dracaena is a hardy indoor plant, it does prefer the higher humidity of its native rainforest home. Natural room humidity is fine. A commercial humidifier can increase humidity, as can setting the plant on a tray of pebbles with water just below the tops of the pebbles.
Toxicity: If consumed, toxic to cats and dogs. Dogs and cats can both exhibit symptoms including vomiting, excessive salivation, and lack of appetite. Cats may also have dilated pupils. Being aware of the plants that are poisonous to our furry friends can help you choose your indoor plants carefully as a pet owner.
Pests and issues: Serious insect or disease issues rarely affect dracaena plants. Scale, spider mites, and mealybugs are things to be cautious of. Scale and mealybugs are both treatable with pyrethrin-containing insecticides.
If you reside in a subtropical location, dracaena is a flexible, low-maintenance house plant that thrives both indoors and outside in partial shade. If you’re ready to grow a dracaena plant in your own house now that you know how simple it is to take care of one, check out our variety here.
For indoor plants, what is low light?
It’s time to welcome a new plant into your house, which also means that you need figure out how much light your room gets! The most important factor to take into account when choosing a new plant mate is how much light they demand. And although it could seem a little perplexing at first, don’t worry! This website was created just to help you make a successful plant selection for your environment. We’ll determine the amount of light that comes into your space, explain what concepts like strong indirect light truly imply, and, of course, make sure that your option is the ideal one with recommendations for each room in your house.
What is Indirect Sunlight?
What distinguishes indirect from direct light, and what does “low light” mean according to green thumbs? While some of these phrases can’t be defined precisely, having a rough understanding of each one will help you choose the proper plant.
Direct light is the light that enters via windows with a southern or western orientation. Direct light exposes plants to the sun’s rays directly and is the most intense form of lighting that indoor environments receive. The majority of common houseplants don’t like direct sunshine, but some do, including cactus, succulents, fishtail palms, and birds of paradise.
Bright Indirect Light is constant and bright despite not being direct. Consider the areas that are immediately adjacent to windows that receive a brief amount of direct light each day (up to an hour) before it is blocked. For the plants in this collection, it is perfect.
Areas of a room with medium light are those that are roughly half way between a window and the rear wall. These regions continue to receive constant, indirect light from the windows. Numerous palms, Dracaenas, Philodendrons, and other plants in our medium light selection thrive under this light.
Low Light – Low light locations include those that are at least seven feet from windows as well as those that have no natural light, such as certain offices and restrooms. Many plants can adapt to low light, and some thrive in it. Although low light plants grow more slowly than other plants, there are still a wide variety of choices. Our low light collection is a treasure trove of indoor plants that prefer shade.
Can I Use Artificial Light for my Plants?
Yes, to answer briefly. Light from lightbulbs, and grow lights in particular, emits artificial light. Although they nonetheless make a contribution, standard lights and overhead lighting do not provide enough light for plants to photosynthesize. , so you should choose a low light plant if the only light sources available are standard lamps and overhead lights. But grow lights, which you can learn more about here, provide light that plants can easily photosynthesize.
Understanding Your Light and Space
Which type of lighting do you use? A fast hand test is a quick way to find out. Hold your hand about a foot away from a piece of paper or another flat surface so that it is between the light source and the paper. You are receiving low light if there is little or no shadow visible. You will see the shadow of your hand in medium light as hazy or fuzzy, and in strong light as a sharp, distinct shadow.
It will be easier to decide what kinds of light you’re working with if you know which way your windows face:
North Facing Windows
True north-facing windows are never exposed to direct sunlight (at least in the Northern Hemisphere). They constantly receive mild, diffuse light. When placed four or more feet from north-facing windows, plants from the Medium Light Collection including the Dracaena Lisa, Braided Money Tree, and Snake Plant will thrive.
South Facing Windows
Any room with south-facing windows is the highlight because they receive the most natural light throughout the day. The sun rises in the east, and as the earth spins, it shines through windows facing south from late morning until midday. Most plants will enjoy being close to this window because south facing windows offer bright light for the majority of the day, especially light-loving plants like the Bird of Paradise, Fishtail Palm, and Desert Cactus.
A word about direct sunlight: Most plants don’t like to be in the harsh direct rays of the sun, and unblocked south-facing windows will receive a considerable bit of it. When positioning specific plants in front of a window that receives a lot of direct sunlight, use caution.
East Facing Windows
East-facing windows are illuminated in the morning (the sun rises in the east). East facing windows are a nice match for plants that prefer indirect bright light because morning light is often mellow. An east-facing window is one from which you can view the sun rising. It’s a good idea to place plants that appreciate bright indirect sunlight close to east-facing windows, such as the Fiddle Leaf Fig and Monstera Deliciosa.
A word about direct sunshine: Most plants can tolerate direct sunlight from east-facing windows, and morning sunlight is typically a mellow light. Keep an eye on things in the summer, when the sun may become too harsh for plants that would usually enjoy basking in it throughout the rest of the year, if you live somewhere that receives a lot of sunshine (lucky you!).
West Facing Windows
The sun is high in the sky by midday and getting ready to start its gradual ascent as it sets in the west. West-facing windows will receive some sunlight from mid-afternoon till dusk. Your window is west-facing if you can see the sun set through it in the late afternoon. Most plants should be positioned outside the regions where direct sunlight hits because the light obtained by windows facing west is particularly strong when it is direct. A Braided Money Tree or Tiger Evergreen will benefit from the indirect light coming from this direction, and desert cacti and succulents are among the few plants that can withstand the direct sunlight coming from a west-facing window.
You can also use a compass (which seems hard but is incredibly convenient and is a very useful tool!) or landmarks to establish which way your windows are facing.
Meet Your (Light’s) Match
For every level of light, choose from this selection of our all-time favorite plants. Some plants may appear on many lists, as you may have noticed. There is no error here! Some plants are fortunate enough to grow in various levels of indirect light. These superstars include snake plants and braided money trees.