Owners of dracaenas are aware that these attractive plants, which come in a range of sizes and shapes as well as being adaptable and low maintenance, make a wonderful addition to a collection of indoor plants. However, a lot of people are unaware that you may alter a Dracaena’s growth to alter its shape.
Planting many Dracaenas in the same pot or encouraging the canes to branch are the greatest strategies to make your plant look bigger and bushier. Pruning the cane will cause the plant to generate new stems at the node just beneath where you cut it, which will stimulate branching.
While some Dracaenas may spontaneously branch out, others require assistance to do anything other than grow straight up. The species of Dracaena will determine this, but there will also be variations between different specimens. However, the techniques outlined below can be used to shape the majority of dracaena species.
Can a dragon tree be grown from a cutting?
Dragon Trees (Dracaena) are very simple to grow from seed. It doesn’t actually take a plant that is really mature to propagate one because everything is done with top or stem cuttings.
Dragon trees are quite simple to grow and are frequently referred to by its Latin name, Dracaena. To propagate a plant, you don’t actually need a mature one because top or stem cuttings work just as well. In the spring and summer, they develop rather quickly, so you won’t have to wait very long for fresh growth. Because there are few stages and a high success rate, they are also a fantastic plant for beginners in propagation.
Why propagate a Dragon Tree?
First of all, they don’t always develop the way we want them to. They occasionally have a tendency to grow vertically, too leggy, and extremely tall. Maintaining your plant’s proper size for the area can be achieved through propagation.
You can decide to divide your dragon tree into new plants if you see any issues beginning to arise with any portion of the plant. The health of your plant might be impacted by overwatering, sunburn, etc. You may decide to reproduce the portion of the plant that is still healthy if your attempts to revive the plant have failed. It’s a fantastic strategy to keep the plant, at least in part, alive.
Last but not least, receiving free plants is our favorite reason! A fantastic approach to increase the quantity of greenery in your home without actually buying extra plants is through propagation. If you already have too many houseplants, cuttings also make wonderful gifts for friends and family, so there are an almost unlimited number of reasons why you might want to propagate one…
What methods can I use to propagate my Dragon Tree?
A Dragon Tree can only be multiplied in one of two ways: by top cuttings or stem cuttings. Although chopping off the plant’s top may appear fairly intimidating, it is the only practical technique to reproduce your plant.
How many cuttings you get from each procedure makes a big difference. While larger stem cuttings can produce numerous new plants, tip cuttings will only produce one new plant. You may find a step-by-step explanation of each technique below.
How can I thicken the stem of my dracaena?
How Do You Handle a Weak Dracaena?
- A dracaena’s top can be removed, and it can be rooted. Continue to water the bottom, and new growth will appear there as well.
- Give your dracaena a quarter turn every so often to keep the stems neatly upright.
- This dracaena marginata is getting enough light, as seen by its thick stems and large leaves.
How can I cut a piece of a dragon tree?
The Dracaena marginata, often known as a dragon tree or a Madagascar dragon tree, is a wonderful indoor plant that is also quite simple to maintain. But how challenging is it to spread?
To multiply a Dracaena marginata (dragon tree), cut a length of stem that is at least 20 cm (8 inches) long. Note which end goes downward. Put the cutting in some water or damp soil.
When the plant is actively developing, which is most likely in the spring or early summer, is the finest time to take a cutting. If you have rooting hormone, use it to hasten the growth of your roots. Utilize cutters or knives that have just been sterilized with rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or vinegar. Keep the soil moist, or, if you’re hydroponically propagating, replace the water at least once every week. It is possible to propagate stems with no leaves as well as “tops” or rosettes. Rosettes have a higher likelihood of surviving. Keep the cuttings away from direct sunlight and in the brightest light you can.
Can you propagate dragon tree in water?
Dracaena cuttings can be taken from the top or through stem cuttings, respectively. The method of dracaena plant propagation choice is just a matter of preference for the grower because both methods of generating new dracaena plants will take root swiftly.
Top Cuttings
The first choice is to collect top cuttings, which are produced when the plant’s top is cut off. Although entirely removing the top of the parent plant may seem scary, growth should rapidly return from the clipped growth nodes.
Make a cut below the plant’s leaf line, being sure to incorporate many of the stem’s nodes. Cuttings can be inserted into a vase filled with fresh water or into a container filled with damp soil for planting. The amount of time it takes for roots to form on cuttings propagated in water is short. Put the plants in a pot once their roots start to form.
Stem Cuttings
One of the most popular methods of plant propagation is stem cuttings. This method of growing new dracaena is ideal for gardeners who want to grow several plant clones at once. This technique might appear extreme to novice plant propagators, but rest assured that growth will restart as long as at least half the plant stem is preserved.
Repeat the top cutting procedure to obtain stem cuttings from dracaena. However, you will just remove a greater piece of the stem, rather than going back past one to two leaf nodes. Take great notice of which end is the top and bottom as you cut the plant’s stem into 8-inch (20-cm) sections.
As instructed by the top cutting procedure, plant the cutting segments in the ground or in water. Put the containers in a room that is warm and gets some indirect sunshine. Note: If desired, you may supplement the cuttings with rooting hormone.
A Dracaena can be rooted in water.
I can send your cuttings to any of two locations. But first, you need to soak the bottom of each cutting and dip it in the rooting hormone solution if you’re using one. Any extra should be tapped back into the bottle.
Some gardeners advise against doing this; they suggest taking a small bit out of the bottle for each project and discarding any extra; nonetheless, I do this and haven’t encountered any problems.
After being dipped, I like to stick the cutting directly into the ground. You’re done when you firm the earth with your fingers so the cutting stands straight.
So that the cutting won’t collapse over, you want to press enough of its stem into the earth. In order to prevent the cutting from collapsing or leaning, firmly push the earth around its base. You can manipulate the plant’s orientation to force it to grow vertically.
I prefer to leave a thin layer of dirt between the cutting’s base and the base of the container it will be placed in. About a half-inch will do. This plant doesn’t require a lot of fertilizer at all, therefore a light layer of compost on the soil’s surface is sufficient.
Your dracaena cuttings can also be rooted in water. The cutting is simply placed into a pot without drainage holes and left for a few weeks while roots form.
It would be preferable, in my opinion, to wait until your cutting’s roots are approximately an inch long before repotting them in a new container. If you choose this course of action, hormone powder is not necessary.
In all honesty, you could leave the dracaena in its aquatic habitat forever. Once or twice a week, replace the water, and you’re done. I think donezo is a fantastic term. I don’t believe I came up with the phrase, but I sure do use it that way.
However, if you determine that the best way to propagate dracaena is to let your cuttings grow in soil, wait until you can see the roots forming before potting it in the manner stated above.
Tend Your Cuttings
Keep your dracaena cuttings in an area that is well-lit, but try to keep them out of direct sunlight to prevent sunburn.
Depending on the conditions the plants are in and how moist your growing media was, you won’t need to water the cuttings for around a week.
Keep in mind that all you really have here is a stick in a cup of dirt. If you continue to water it, the growing medium will get saturated and, to put it another way, nasty, and your dracaena will decompose into a foul-smelling ball of goo.
Never water your dracaena cuttings before they actually need it; nobody wants that.
I always pick up the container a plant is growing in to determine how much water it requires. Is there any weight to it? If you said “yes,” your plant most likely doesn’t need water.
But if the weight seems like cotton candy instead of earth, your plant needs a drink of water. I gradually add more, take a ten-minute break, and then give it another sip.
This is my incredibly scientific technique for giving the soil enough time to absorb the first sip while also wetting its whistle for the subsequent one.
Your dracaena propagation effort is now practically complete; you only need to wait a few weeks to a few months for the results. Well done!
My Dracaena is leggy, why?
Hello, Shanamarie Thin stems on a dracaena plant are typically, though not always, a problem when there is insufficient light. The top 2/3 of the stem must be removed in order to revive your plant, which I know will be quite difficult.
Can I cut the Dracaena plant’s top off?
About 40 adaptable, simple-to-grow plants belonging to the genus Dracaena have strappy, unique leaves. The dracaena is most frequently grown as a houseplant, even though it can be grown outdoors in USDA plant hardiness zones 10 and 11.
Depending on the cultivar, dracaena can grow as tall as 10 feet (3 meters) or even more, therefore regular dracaena trimming is likely required. The good news is that dracaena plant pruning is not challenging. You can trim dracaenas to any desired height with little to no complaint from these hardy plants.
Where is a dragon tree cut?
So how precisely do you prune the tree in a right manner? By pruning your plant properly, you can ensure that both the parent plant and the fresh, propagated clippings will thrive for a very long time.
Cutting the top off the Dracaena plant
While it may seem like a dramatic change to make, cutting off the top of the dragon tree may be just what it needs. As noted earlier, the remaining stem will sprout additional shoots, resulting in a fuller plant. Be aware that it will take some time before you notice that new growth, so be patient.
As long as a sizable portion of the stem is still present, you can also replant the cuttings. You’ll have a second dragon tree on the way once it takes root.
Make sure your pruning shears are clean and sharp
A pair of fine, sharp shears are the perfect instrument for the job if you want to maintain the health of your plant. Jagged, uneven cuttings not only look less attractive, but they also increase the likelihood that the plant will get sick. To rid it of any bacteria, sharpen your knife or blade and wash it in a bleach and water solution.
How to cut the stem of your dragon tree
Snip the stem of your dragon tree at an angle to cut it. This encourages new development while reducing the likelihood that your plant may contract illnesses.
When to prune the dragon tree
The easiest way to keep dragon trees’ height moderate and their leaves full is to cut them at least once every one to two years because of how quickly they develop. Don’t prune it unless the plant is actively developing, which is in the spring and summer. When your dragon tree is dormant in the fall and winter, avoid cutting it because this will harm the plant and prevent further growth.