Dracaena

Plant care basics

In order for the plant to actively grow and develop, it is necessary to provide it with the necessary conditions for its life.

Lighting and temperature

The lighting for the plant should be bright, but without direct sunlight, which can burn its foliage. Therefore, windows with an east or west orientation are ideal.

Since this is a plant of the tropics, it is quite thermophilic and therefore it will feel good in the fresh air in a thin shade. Summer temperatures should be between 25-27 degrees Celsius.

When the temperature rises above 35 degrees, it is better to bring it into a cool room. Since the roots at this temperature cease to absorb moisture, and the flower falls into stagnation.

In winter, the temperature should not drop below 17 degrees Celsius.

Humidity and watering

Watering should be balanced, but it all depends on how the flower is cultivated:

• In water;
• In the ground.

Watering bamboo of happiness from a spray bottle

If the plant is planted in the ground, then in the summer it requires abundant watering. In winter, at low temperatures, it is watered only when the soil dries out to half the pot. If, for some reason, the air temperature in the room has become below 17 degrees Celsius, then the watering is temporarily stopped.

If the plant is grown in water, then it is changed once a week all year round, and as the temperature rises, it should be changed every four days.

Soil and top dressing

Bamboo prefers nutritious and loose soil rich in various minerals. Purchased primer is suitable for Dracen. It can be purchased at specialty flower shops.

It is important that the soil has a high content of phosphorus and nitrogen. Therefore, if you select top dressing, then fertilizers for Dracen are more likely to be suitable, because exactly for. Bamboo is almost never produced

The frequency of dressing in the autumn-winter period is once in the fall and once in the winter. In the summer they are held quite often once every two weeks. In case of insufficient nutrition, the plant sheds its leaf mass

Bamboo is almost never produced. The frequency of dressing in the autumn-winter period is once in the fall and once in the winter. In the summer they are held quite often once every two weeks. With insufficient nutrition, the plant sheds its leaf mass.

Transfer

When choosing a pot, one must take into account the fact that its roots in the ground are located horizontally, and do not go into the depth. In this case, it is better to purchase a growing pot.

After examining the new pot, you need to make sure that it has drainage holes through which excess water will drain. At the bottom of the pot, expanded clay is poured, a small layer of earth, and Bamboo stalks are placed in a bundle or singly. Then the earth is poured around to the required level. After transplanting, it is worth shedding the soil well where the plant is planted.

How to trim and pinch correctly

Pruning is needed, since it has a very fast growth. If you do not pin it on or cut it in time, it will look like a rather long fishing rod.

When cutting off a part of the top, side shoots immediately appear, which can be left for propagation of a massive green crown or put on rooting.

Diseases and pests (diagnosis and treatment)

Plants get sick so rarely that the disease can be noticed if you do not take care of it at all.

Diseases:

• Yellowing of leaf plates - it is worth adding mineral substances to water for irrigation;
• The darkening leaf plates at the same time lose their elasticity and become lethargic - most likely the Bamboo is cold and should be rearranged to a warmer place;
• Black spots along the trunk and leaf plates - infection with a black fungus due to too humid content plus lack of fresh air. It is worth treating with any fungicide and adjusting watering;
• The tip of the leaf dries up - if it is winter time, then the flower is cold. If it’s summer, it’s too dry and hot. Pests:
• Spider mite - it is red and dark weaves webs between the leaves and feeds on the sap of the plant. It can be withdrawn with the help of Aktara.
• Mealybugs are easy to spot when you look at the leaf axils. There will be clusters that look like white cotton wool. To get rid of this pest, they are collected with a cotton swab, and then the plant is treated with an insecticide - Aktellik.

Bloom

Flowering is not fully understood. It is believed that it blooms once every 100 years, and then dies. There have been cases when flowering begins in a bamboo grove, which lasts up to 10 years, and then the entire grove dies. Now, to play it safe, one Bamboo variety is planted in botanical gardens.

2.Tulip tree at home

The plant is cold-resistant, moderately warm content at a temperature of 16 - 22 ° C is best suited.

2.2 Lighting

Loves well-lit places with direct sunlight in the morning and evening. On hot summer days, a little shading is required.

2.3 Care

A very unpretentious plant that does not require a lot of time and labor. Young plants are pinched to stimulate branching, then the spatodea forms more buds. Take the plant outside during the warmer months.

Plants should be fertilized every 14 days during the entire growing season.

2.6 Purpose

Ornamental flowering plant of extraordinary beauty. Flowers can be used for cutting - they retain their attractive appearance in water for a long time.

June to September. Individual flowers can appear at any other time of the year.

2.8 Air humidity

Plants appreciate good air movement - place them in a ventilated area. Spray the leaves periodically or use a room humidifier.

2.9 Soil moisture

Water in the spring and summer until the earthen coma is completely soaked, but allow the top layer of soil 3 to 6 cm thick to dry out before the next watering. When the weather becomes rainy in the fall, watering is reduced.

2.10 Transfer

Young plants are transplanted every year in spring. It is difficult to replant large tubs, so they change the topsoil annually.

2.11. Reproduction, tulip tree from seed

Spatodea is often grown from seeds, but vegetative propagation is possible using apical cuttings or offspring. Pots with seedlings are placed in a warm place with a temperature of 18 - 21 ° C. Young plants are watered only from below, so that their root system develops faster in search of water.

2.12 Pests and diseases

Spatodea rots with excess moisture. Aphids and red spider mites and whiteflies can appear from harmful insects.

Insects are pests

Insect name	Signs of infection	Control measures
Whitefly	Small light spots on leaf blades, yellowing and foliage falling off. Disturbed white, small butterflies take off from the surface of the leaves	Chemicals: Zeta, Rovikurt, INTA-VIR, Fufanol and even Karbofos, Actellik, Aktara, Confidor, Commander, Tanrek. Folk remedies: soap solution, garlic solution, infusion of yarrow and tobacco, infusion of dandelions, adhesive traps for adult insects
Spider mite	Subtle spider webs on the leaves, yellowing and foliage falling off with extensive lesions. The surface of the sheet plates becomes dead and covered with small cracks. Plant development slows down.	Folk ways. Plants can be rinsed in the shower and left in the bathroom in a humid atmosphere for half an hour. Irradiation with an ultraviolet lamp every week for 2 minutes. Chemical preparations based on pyrethrum, sulfur powders, Fitoverm, Actellik.
Aphid	Sticky droplets appear on the leaf plates, the leaf plates curl and deform, delicate buds and young leaves wither. Insect colonies can be seen on the tops of the shoots, buds or the underside of the leaf plates. The flowers of aphid-infested plants may become deformed.	Folk methods: infusion of nettle, decoction of rhubarb leaves, wormwood, soap solution, infusion of tobacco and dandelion, onions, marigolds, yarrow, tansy, dusting with wood ash. Chemical preparations: Sulfur powders, green mass treatment with green potash soap without getting into the ground, Decis, Aktellik, Fitoverm.

• Whitefly

• Spider mite

• Aphid

Note.

Hydroponics.

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Varieties of home plant dracaena and caring for them

   

Dracaena Dragon tree - Dracaena draco. Plants up to 18 m tall and 4.5 m in diameter, at the base of the trunk. Grows in open rocky areas in the Canary Islands. The variety is easily propagated by seeds and apical cuttings.

The leaves are very beautiful. Each branch ends with a dense bundle of densely spaced grayish-green, leathery, linear-xiphoid leaves 45-60 cm long and 2-4 cm wide in the middle of the plate, somewhat tapering towards the base and pointed towards the apex, with prominent veins.

   

Dracaena Godseff - Dracaena godseffiana. A semi-shrub with erect, thin, reed-like stems, covered with triangular-lanceolate membranous scales. Homeland - Congo.

Her flowers are greenish-yellow, fragrant, in the apical or axillary racemose inflorescences. In culture, it blooms extremely rarely.

The leaves are collected in false whorls of 3-5, oblong-elliptical, thinly pointed at the apex, sometimes slightly wavy along the edge, green above, with numerous white or cream spots.

   

Dracaena Hooker - Dracaena hookeriana. Grows in South Africa. The trunk is 1–2 m tall, sometimes bifurcating. There are garden varieties. Cultivated in warm greenhouses.

Leaves are leathery, sessile, lanceolate-xiphoid, 60–80 cm long and 4–5 cm wide, slightly tapering and wavy at the base, with whitish margins and a slightly protruding midrib on the underside of the plate.

   

Dracaena deremskaya - Dracaena deremensis. A tall (in indoor conditions up to 3 m and more) perennial plant with a thick ligneous, usually not branching, densely leafy trunk. As they grow, old leaves die off and fall off, leaving clear marks on the trunk. Homeland - the tropics of Africa.

Flowers are located in axillary racemose inflorescences, dark red outside, white inside, with an unpleasant odor.

The fruit is berry-shaped, orange, three-celled. In culture, it blooms extremely rarely.

Leaves up to 50 cm long, 5 cm wide, lanceolate, sessile, widened at the base, dark green.

Garden forms:

"Warneckii" - leaves with a wide milky-gray-green median stripe and two narrow white stripes near the edge;

"Bausei" - with a wide middle white stripe;

"Shriveriana" - with a wide yellowish-white border around the edge of the leaf.

Fragrant dracaena -Dracaena fragrans.

   

Unlike the previous species, it has wider, arcuate curved leaves clustered in the upper part of the trunk, and white or yellowish-green flowers. Homeland - the tropics of West Africa.

"Massangeana" - with a yellow-green stripe on the leaves;

"Victoriae" - with longitudinal light yellow stripes.

   

Dracaena Massanga - Dracaena Massanga. One of the most popular plants in recent years, combining both bright, pleasant colors, and good adaptability to various indoor conditions. Dracaena looks good both in small size and under 2 m in height. Plants from 1–1.5 m are arranged in several trunks in a pot.

   

Dracaena reflex - Dracaena reflexa. Dracaena not often found. A tree-like plant with a pronounced trunk.Young, small specimens look better in a group or in a composition, larger ones, from 1.5 m, can become a wonderful, not flashy, but stylish element for decorating an apartment, office or a country house. The plant is shade-tolerant, drought-resistant, thermophilic and extremely unpretentious. The maximum size is about 250 cm.

The lighting is moderate, with the possible replacement of natural lighting with artificial (fluorescent lamps). Watering is abundant, but with short periods of drying, avoiding stagnation of water in the pan. Dracaena reflex should not be sprayed. Normal room temperature is suitable (18–26 ° C).

   

Dracaena bordered - Dracaena marginata. This is the most common form of dracaena. A slender palm-like plant with a lignified unbranched stem, very picturesque and unpretentious. It becomes especially decorative at a more adult age, when the lower leaves fall off, and the remaining ones form a bunch of densely collected bright leaves at the top of a single or double trunk. Older specimens somewhat resemble a palm tree, as the leaves are collected at the top of the stem, which reaches more than 2.5 m in height.

Flowers in indoor conditions practically do not appear.

Caring for house dracaena plants of all the listed species is the same: it is necessary to carefully select the location for this species, since any, even minor damage to the leaves leads to a subsequent violation of the plant growth regime. If damage or deformation of the leaves appears, it is necessary to prune these leaves.

Description

Dracaena is a thermophilic plant. Heated rooms and proper care are more suitable for him. The tree has a tree trunk. Its foliage is oblong, ruled with a pointed end. The leaf has streaks that run parallel to the leaf plate.

The individuality of plants lies in the green cap of leaves on top of the shoot, and below the leaves turn yellow and crumble. Dracaena roots are even and smooth, have a rusty tint.

Blooming at home is rare. Inflorescences are small, have a light shade with a green tone and a sharp unpleasant aroma. Flowers are collected in panicles. When flowering takes place, 1 seed appears, which, after ripening, is called drupe.

Home care

Dracaena care is not difficult to manipulate. It is enough to fulfill some conditions and follow the recommendations, and the flower will grow well and please the owners with its presence.

• Dracaena loves warm and humid air. This must be taken into account when maintaining her home. Frequent spraying will benefit the plant. Three times a day, you can safely moisten it, and also wipe the leaves with a damp cloth if they are dusty. In winter, spraying must also be done, since central heating threatens to dry out the plants. Once a week, the plant can be taken to the bathroom and have a shower, rinsing the leaves well.
• Watering is recommended as the soil dries out. Although the plant is moisture-loving, it cannot be poured over: the roots can rot. In winter, it is necessary to reduce watering by 2 times. For irrigation, you need water at room temperature, previously settled.
• In summer, the best option would be to maintain the temperature regime within 20–26 ° C. In the winter months, the temperature can be reduced to 18 °, but 15 ° is already the limit, below which it is better not to fall. Otherwise, the plant can be affected by diseases. And with untimely treatment, it can generally wither away.
• Dracaena loves the sun, but not direct rays. It is enough to place it in a well-lit room. If there is too much sun, burns on the leaves may appear. If, on the contrary, it is not enough, they will become dull and lose their attractive appearance. In winter, lighting may not be enough, so the plant can be placed under lamps for several hours in the morning and evening.
• There are no special requirements for the soil, but it must be of high quality.It is better to buy a ready-made mixture for indoor plants in the store. It already contains all the nutrients and trace elements. Sometimes the soil needs to be loosened to provide air access. But in winter, it is better not to disturb the plant with unnecessary manipulations. And even more so, do not transplant. The topsoil of an adult tree is periodically recommended to be changed twice a year.
• Dracaena does not need special fertilizers. You can buy food for indoor plants: they contain the whole range of nutrients that are required for growth. They are usually fed in summer and spring, once a month or 2 times. In autumn and winter, the plant rests, and there is no need to feed it.
• The pot is suitable from any material: plastic, ceramics, glass. But it is desirable that it be long and narrow. The plant is not required in the width of the open space, but deep in the roots develop intensively. Therefore, the older the plant, the deeper the capacity it needs.
• If it's time to replant the plant, the most optimal months for this are spring. First you need to prepare the pot. The new one should be slightly deeper than the previous one. The plant is watered abundantly. Drainage holes are made in a new container, drainage is prepared in the form of pebbles, broken brick, expanded clay and laid on the bottom, then a little earth is poured. The plant is carefully removed from the pot along with a lump of earth and transferred to a new pot, then fresh soil is added, watered. The transplant can be done no more than once every 2 years.

How to care?

The indoor palm is loved by many flower growers. She not only does not create difficulties in growing, but also fits perfectly into the interior of an office and a residential building. This flower does not belong to the whimsical category, since it does not need special care. In order for the plant to be able to fully open up, it needs conditions that will resemble natural ones to the maximum.

Temperature regime

Dracaena is an unpretentious representative of the flora, so even an inexperienced gardener can start growing it. This plant needs a moderate indoor temperature. In summer - + 18-25 degrees, in winter - at least 15 degrees. In the warm season, the dracaena should be periodically taken out into the street for airing, but at the same time not put it in a draft or near an open window.

Humidity

Many of the dracaena species have a negative attitude towards dry air, therefore, they require constant spraying, regardless of the season. If you do not spray the plant twice a day, then its foliage may turn yellow. It is also worthwhile to constantly wipe the dracaena foliage with a damp cloth. Washing the tree with a shower is allowed.

Lighting

The best place for the normal life of the dracaena will be a well-lit area or partial shade, but not direct sunlight. The indoor flower belongs to the thermophilic representatives, it loves moist air and diffused light. Species that have striped foliage favor bright lighting.

In the case of lighting, a balanced light balance is the best option. Rules for the location of the dracaena in the room.

• In a southern or western room, the flower does not need to be placed on the windowsill, as this can lead to drying and yellowing of the leaves. It is better to choose a place near the window, but at the same time not close to the heating devices. If the window of the southern room overlooks a permanent shadow, then the dragon tree will be comfortable on the windowsill.
• The northern room is not the most suitable option for the location of the flower. But if there are no other options, then the pot should be placed on the windowsill close to the window, but it is better to abandon thick curtains. When the tree grows to 150 cm, it will need to be lowered to the floor.
• The eastern room will be ideal for dracaena. This plant will be comfortable under oblique sunlight in such a room.

Top dressing

When feeding dracaena, you need to observe the regularity and balance of the fertilizers applied. If you want to feed the flower, it is worth remembering that it is better to do this in the summer period of the year. The regularity of feeding corresponds to the growth phases.

• From April to August, this indoor flower grows intensively. To improve this process, it is necessary to feed it with complex fertilizers twice a month.
• From August to March, the dracaena stops growing, so a one-time feeding of 30 days will be enough for her.

The tree is quite demanding on the components of the fertilizer. An ideal feeding option would be a special complex for dracaena. It is as follows: sodium, phosphorus, potassium, minerals in a ratio of 3: 1: 3. If the dosage is exceeded, brown spots may form on it, and the green foliage will begin to die off.

Watering

Irrigation for dracaena is a very important event, but this procedure must be carried out correctly. Do not be zealous, as this can lead to the development of fungal diseases. During the spring-summer active growth phase of the tree, it is worth watering abundantly once every 7 days. For this event, it is worth using settled water that has room temperature.

From the second half of autumn, the tree begins a dormant period, so the intensity of irrigation should be reduced and carried out once every 30 days. If the dracaena is located in the immediate vicinity of heating devices, it is necessary to water the flower twice a month, guided by the moisture of the soil.

Waterlogging and stagnation of water is contraindicated for a plant of this type, therefore, a pot for dracaena must have high-quality drainage.

About diseases of the dragon palm

Most often, negative changes in the appearance of a false palm are not associated with diseases or pests, but with improper care, its absence or inappropriate conditions of detention. Actually, due to such violations, an exotic plant often gets sick:

Yellow foliage and dry tips

It can occur due to a lack of moisture, a palm tree in a draft or in dangerous proximity to heating appliances, depletion or excessive compaction of the soil. Similar symptoms occur if the dracaena is in direct sunlight or the air in the room is too dry.

To help the plant, the conditions in which it is kept or the rules of care should be reviewed.

Falling foliage

This can happen for quite natural reasons, because sooner or later the flower begins to age. In this case, no action is required. And also the foliage falls off with poor or too abundant watering, a decrease or increase in the air temperature in the room.

Barrel softening

This is an alarming symptom that occurs when the soil is waterlogged. The palm tree should be removed from the container, dried its rhizome and planted in new soil. In case of severe damage, it is impossible to save the dracaena, but you can cut off the upper part and grow a new palm tree by grafting.

Unfortunately, such symptoms can also occur against the background of the development of any infection or infection of dracaena with parasites. And then, in addition to correcting care, the plant needs drug treatment.

Most often, tropical false palms suffer from the following ailments:

• Alternaria (dry or black spot) - when a palm tree is affected by a fungus, pale brownish spots appear on its leaves, which later turn black. Dying off of the affected areas occurs, they are covered with a greenish bloom. Treatment consists in treating dracaena with a fungicidal preparation.
• Heterosporium - the disease is caused by a pathogenic fungus, when it develops on the foliage of the flower, light brown spots of an elongated shape are formed. To get rid of the fungus, you need to treat the plant, flowerpot and windowsill around with a fungicide.

  The development of Alternaria and heterosporiosis is facilitated by an increase in soil and air moisture. Spores of microorganisms can penetrate into the soil from the outside.

• Bacteriosis - often a palm tree gets sick, being in alkaline, excessively heavy or waterlogged soil. The disease is accompanied by the formation of ulceration on the petioles and stems of the palm, the appearance of yellow stripes on the leaves and brown rot at the tips. Bacteriosis is incurable, the plant must be removed.

For any changes in the appearance of an exotic palm, it is important to examine it, identifying the causes and promptly eliminating them

Feature and history of the appearance of dracaena

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