Dracaena Marginata Plant Care

Plant Care for Dracaena Marginata

Potted Dracaena Marginata Plant

My last post was about the Mother-In-Law Tongue plant, the most searched and researched indoor plant and its care, at least on my website.

This post is about Dracaena marginata, the second most searched for indoor plant. The dracaena marginata is sometimes called Dragon Tree. We just call her Marginata or Marg... 

Marginata is my favorite Dracaena, I just love the thinner, long, delicate and arching leaves of the marginata.

If your Marginata has been growing in really good light in a nursery, the leaves may be thicker and stiff. As it grows in new foliage acclimated to the lower light in your home (or office), the leaves will thin and become more graceful and arching. That is the way I like them best!

Dracaenas in general are really easy to care for once you get them settled in and learn how to water them properly. Many of the plants that we use in our interior landscapes are dracaena varieties. They adapt well to the lower light available in many business offices. 

It might interest you to know, if you don't already, that the plant sold as "Lucky Bamboo" is not bamboo at all, but a dracaena! I guess Lucky Bamboo just sounds better than Lucky Dracaena??!!

Anyway, one question I often get about Marginata is how to prune them. That is very easy as you can just cut back the stalk, or cane, at any point above the soil level and a healthy Marginata growing in sufficient light will produce new heads from just below where you cut the cane. Not immediately, of course, you will have to wait a little while. :)

Read more about Dracaena marginata plant care here...

Read more about how to water your indoor plants to keep them healthy...

Read more about light and your house plants...

 

Read More

My Dracaena Plant is Too Tall, Now What?

Dracaena Warneckii Plant

Plant Questions and Answers

Here is a recent email question from Grace, someone looking for some help with her houseplant...

"I got a plant for my moms funeral and now it's very tall and don't know if and how to split it. Any help? I attached a picture of it. Card that came with it says it's a dracaena but couldn't find any helpful information on line."

Hi Grace,

Thanks for the picture. Your plant is a dracaena Warneckii. You can cut back the stem any place that you want to and it should regrow from that point.

Is that what you wanted to know? Your plant looks nice and healthy! Good job.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if I did not tell you what you wanted to know....

Hi again Grace,

Forgot to mention that you can root the piece you cut off in moist sand, then you can plant into its own pot when the roots get a few inches long.

You should remove the leaves (from the cut piece) when you are rooting. The leaves often die anyway, so help your dracaena grow some new roots faster and remove them.

You can cut the dracaena cane into smaller pieces and root them all.  Three to four inches long is a good size. Using a rooting hormone is also helpful�

good luck with your plants and thanks for visiting PlantAndFlowerInfo.com.

Read More

One Very Popular Houseplant-Dracaena marginata

Dracaena marginata plant

Dracaena Marginata Plant Care

The marginata plant is one of the most popular houseplants. It is one of my favorites and I get so many emails asking questions about Dracaena marginata that I have to think it is one of everyones favorite indoor potted plants.

One of the care questions that I get most often about this beautiful, indoor plant is about pruning. Is it alright to cut it back if it is too tall? Where should I cut the stem?

The answer to the question is yes, you can cut back the stems or canes of dracaena marginata. You should cut the stem just above the height that you want new growth to start. It is best to do this in the spring time when most plants do much of their growing.

If you look closely at the stem you will see rings that encircle the stem. This is where the leaf nodes are and where your dracaena marginata will push out some new growth. You will most likely get a few new "heads" starting before you know it.

It is best to do this before your plant gets so tall that it needs support to stay upright. Also, it may be a shock to you when you see your plant cut back so far. It also encourages healthy new growth and keeps your plant fuller and healthier looking. 

Read more about dracaena marginata plant care and about other indoor plants....

Read More

Pruning Mystery Plant - Dracaena Warneckii

Warneckii

A recent letter from a PlantAndFlowerInfo.com visitor:

"Hello. When I purchased this plant it was distressed and about 1 foot tall. It is now 7'2" tall. Is it a type of Dracaena? It's in an 18" pot. It does not have a woody looking stem. The leaves are 20" long, and are dark green down the center, with a small white stripe on each side of the dark green, and then a lighter colored green on the outside of the leaf. I would like to know the name of the plant. Can I cut it shorter? Can I plant the piece I cut off? Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Attached are 2 pictures - one is a full view and the other is a close-up of a leaf.Thank you very much. Hortie"

Close up of Dracanea Warneckii leaf

At first, I had not received the attached pictures and replied that it sounded like a Dracaena Warneckii. Eventually the pictures confirmed that it is a Dracaena Warneckii. 

Yes, you can cut or prune the stalks back to whatever height you would like. The plant will put out some new "heads" below the cut. The cut piece can be rooted in moist sand. You can cut into many pieces if you like and plant when the roots are a few inches long.
Dracaena Warneckii is a great indoor potted plant and requires little care. They really add a touch of color to any room. One of my favorite Dracaenas.
Read more about Dracaena Warneckii...

Read More

Great Houseplants, Dracaena Janet Craig

Houseplants and Care, Dracaena Janet Craig

Dracaena Houseplant

A member of the Dracaena family, Janet Craig, or Corn Plant, is one of the more common Dracaena found in homes and interiorscapes. Dracaena Janet Craig is grown in a variety of forms including the tip, bush and cane. This glossy, dark green plant can be anywhere from one foot tall to twenty feet tall, though it is uncommon to find them at that height except in interior landscapes or the tropical jungle.
If you are trying to find a nice looking houseplant that will tolerate lower light, the Dracaena Janet Craig...read more about this great indoor plant

Read More

One of My Favorite Houseplants, Marginata

New Marginata

A Favorite Houseplant, Dracaena Marginata

Dracaena Marginata is one of my favorite houseplants. That might be because it is one of the first large indoor plants that I ever owned.

I was the Plant Lady at the huge Xerox Research Center in Palo Alto, California. They had a 6 foot tall Dracaena Marginata in lower light that was getting a little leggy and it was decided with my contact person, Gary, that it would be replaced with a brand new plant.

He did not want to keep the old plant and told me that if I wanted it, I should take it home. That is exactly what I did! 

The Marginata did quite well at my house, placed next to a large sliding glass door in bright light. Ever since that time, Marginata has been one of my favorite houseplants.

They are really easy to care for once you know how. And they are very beautiful and graceful plants when they are grown in the home. You can let them grow large or easily keep them at the size you want them.

Read more about Dracaena Marginata plants and their care... 

Read More

Dracaena Marginata HouseplantsPruning and Rooting

My Little Dracaena Marginata

Question from Gilbert:

  I have a marginata house plant, It's about 2 1/2 feet tall, my question is: can I cut it in half and if I do will It continue to grow or will it die? And can I replant the top half? Also, will the trunk grow in diameter? 

Answer:

Yes you can cut back the trunk of your Dracaena Marginata. It will put out at least one new shoot, if not three to four or more new shoots. It will not die as long as you are taking good care of it.

You can re-plant the cut-off top, but Dracaena can be a little harder to root than say, a Pothos plant that you can just leave in water and it will grow forever.

You can air-layer your plant.

Another option is to root in moist sand. You can lay the piece of Marginata trunk down on its side in moist sand and it should eventually root, although it may take some time. This has worked for me before. If you want to root it in its upright position, try some rooting hormone. It is a little more difficult to keep the piece standing upright but it can be done. Just use your imagination. Don't let the roots get too long before planting permanently.

Yes, the trunk of your Dracaena plant will grow in diameter. I recently saw some Dracaenas in Hawaii with trunks as big as the foot of an elephant! They were, of course, growing outside and were quite old. Thanks for your question, hope this is helpful! Read more about Dracaena Marginata....

Read More