Why, when and how to cut dracaena at home?

How to properly cut a dracaena at home is of interest to many flower growers, because the appearance and development of the plant depends on it.

Content:

• Features of the structure of dracaena
• When and why should you trim it?
• Everything you need to know about pruning
• Cutting site processing
• Bonsai pruning

Features of the structure of dracaena

Dracaena belongs to the genus Asparagus and has more than a hundred species. According to the modern classification, they are combined into a separate Dracene family. Some of them are trees, there are also succulents. All dracaena grow naturally in the tropics, some have taken root in northern latitudes and have become houseplants.

Description of the plant:

1. Treelike forms are characterized by a stem that thickens in a special way during growth, different from ordinary trees.
2. At the ends of the branches, apical rosettes are formed from young leaves.
3. Leaves, depending on the type of plant, are thick, leathery and large or thin and long, lanceolate. It is these plants that are cultivated everywhere in our country. Old leaves fall off during the growth of the tree, as a result of which a beautiful pattern forms on the trunk.
4. The root system of the plant is club-shaped. It does not give root shoots.

Dracaena are green-leaved and variegated. In the latter, along the green background of the leaf, there are longitudinal stripes of white or pink. Their care and pruning methods are the same. In nature, dracaena bloom with inconspicuous panicles of white or pink color, but in room conditions this practically does not happen.

Dracaena grows slowly and lives for a long time.

It can grow several (2.5) meters in height and not even fit in the room. Correct and timely pruning will help to solve the problem. Dracaena loves sunlight, but it should be protected from direct sunlight. In winter, the temperature is maintained at least 12 ° С, in summer - within 18-27 ° С.

Dracaena does not like waterlogged soil, in which the roots can rot. When drops of moisture get into the axils of the leaves, the process of decay of tissues can also begin. If pruning is not carried out in time, the plant may die.

In general, dracaena is not a plant with special care requirements. The main varieties for growing at home:

• Godsef
• Manginata
• Dragon tree

When and why should you trim it?

Dracaena pruning is carried out in such cases:

• Rejuvenation of an old plant.
• Giving the crown a beautiful shape.
• Salvation from injury and disease.
• Dracaena reproduction.

The last point can be combined with the first two cases. Healthy shoots cut during crown formation are used for reproduction.

There are several types of dracaena pruning:

1. Formative
2. Sanitary

Sanitation is carried out when the trunk or shoots are broken off, when they are affected by diseases or pests. Most often, dracaena is brought from the store with a formed crown. Three branches extend from the main trunk, at the ends of which juicy panicles are located. If it is only one, its shape can and should be changed independently.

More information about cropping can be found in the video:

Do not begin to form the crown immediately after the plant is brought into the apartment.First he needs to acclimatize. If pruned immediately after purchase, the plant will weaken and may die or be sore for a long time.

Do not form a crown at all in diseased or weakened plants. First, they are treated and fed. This is necessary in order for the tree to quickly acquire a beautiful and well-groomed appearance. After all, pruning is a significant stress even for healthy and strong plants. But if signs of disease (rot) are noticed on the branches, the damaged areas are cut off. In this case, waiting for the start of sap flow is impractical, the plant may not live to see it.

Dracaena is not pruned in winter.

At this time, the plant is dormant, so it is not advisable to disturb it. Better to wait until early spring. Pruning can be done until late fall. If the dracaena branch broke during the dormant period, it is not necessary to wait for the start of sap flow, it is better to cut off the top on the day the damage occurred.

The property of forming lateral shoots is based on the fact that many dormant buds are located on the trunk of the dracaena. After a part of the trunk is cut off, those of them that are located closer to the place of the cut are activated and begin to grow. As a result, lateral shoots appear with panicles at the ends.

Everything you need to know about pruning

Pruning a plant:

• Formative pruning is carried out during the period of active sap flow. This will accelerate bud activation and shoot growth.
• Young plants, up to two years old, have a trunk covered with leaves. They haven't started to fall off yet. Pruned anywhere to form side shoots. The main thing is that the plant is healthy and takes root in the conditions of the apartment. Use a sharp blade or knife that will not damage nearby tissue. They must be clean. To do this, they are disinfected with alcohol or ignited on a fire.
• Some growers do not peel off the tops of the dracaena until it grows to the ceiling. But by this time, the crown of the plant will become heavy, and the risk of breaking it off increases. Therefore, it is better not to allow it to grow with one trunk above 40 cm. Cut off 10 cm tops with leaves.
• In a plant older than 2 years, they retreat from the lower leaves by 5 cm and cut off the top. The height of the tree should be at least 30 cm. Such pruning is carried out periodically, after the branches of the dracaena have become long and ugly bare. A beautiful tree can be formed by cutting each trunk at a different height. Then the dracaena will receive several tiers of panicles in a few months.
• It is good if the length of the cut shoot is approximately 20 cm. Then the cut branches are set in water and wait for white roots to appear at their end. Shoots are used to propagate dracaena. Treatment with Kornevin or another root former will help speed up the process of root formation.
• If pruning is carried out due to the fact that the trunk of the dracaena has broken off, the cut is made under the place where it was broken. Areas with damaged tissues are not left, they are cut off to healthy wood.
• Dracaena with signs of rotting on the branches is urgently cut. During the operation, it is not the appearance of the remaining plant that is taken into account, but the removal of the completely affected areas. Sometimes, after such pruning, the tree remains ugly, one-sided for a long time. But this is not scary for him, after a while young shoots will grow back and give him a beautiful shape.
• Areas affected by pests are also cut off. But here they take into account what will be easier: treat the plant with insecticides or pruning.

Cutting site processing

There are different approaches to treating a post-cut wound:

• Some growers advise not to treat the cut site with anything, water the soil in a pot and cover it with a jar or film. Then place the flower in a sunny place, away from direct rays, and water into a tray without opening the trunk. In a month and a half, young shoots will appear on the flower. But for this it is necessary that the temperature inside the shelter is 20-25 ° C, and the humidity is about 75%.
• Others argue that the cut site must be processed so that it does not fester. To do this, use crushed charcoal, sprinkling it on the cut site. You can fill it with melted paraffin. When it cools down, it becomes hard and protects against the penetration of pathogens. Sometimes they are treated with a special wax to treat the cut site.

A palm tree in this state is not afraid of spraying and sweating moisture through the cut. Therefore, it is carefully sprayed for several days, because after pruning the dracaena it loses a lot of water. The temperature and humidity are kept within the same limits as in the previous method.

Good results are obtained by processing the trunk after pruning with Zircon, it causes increased growth of young shoots.

The number of young buds may vary. After all, dormant buds are arranged in a spiral alignment. Some of them will dry up, others will continue to develop and be covered with young foliage. After a few months, you will need to carefully examine the tree and decide which of the shoots decorate it, and which interfere with the creation of a beautifully shaped tree. Most often, three processes are left, the next time three are left on each of them again.

Bonsai pruning

Growing a small bonsai-style tree from a tall dracaena is not easy. For this, it is necessary that the crown and the root system develop with the same strength:

• Take a young plant up to 30 cm high with a well-formed crown, take it out of the pot.
• Cut the roots to a third of the length.
• The remaining plant is transferred to a flat dish, at the bottom of which a thick layer of drainage is laid.
• Install it so that the root collar protrudes 1 cm from the ground.
• They wait for the plant to take root for several weeks.
• When new leaves begin to grow, the crown is cut.

In the future, the roots are pruned every 2 years. Lignified shoots at this time are cut off near the trunk. This is how tops are formed. This leads to that. That the trunk thickens below the cut shoots. Unnecessary sprouts are also removed. The plant can be shaped in this way. For example, raise the root collar by a couple of centimeters, all sprouts, except for the largest one, are removed.

Caring for a bonsai-style dracaena is more difficult than one that grew under normal conditions.

It is necessary to constantly wipe the leaves of the plant, cleaning them from dust, spray them, trying not to get into the axils of the leaves. If an ordinary dracaena needs 60% air humidity for normal development (50% in winter), then for bonsai it needs to be increased further. This is achieved by spraying from a spray bottle. The plant is grown in a pot with a double tray, the soil around it is planted with moss.