Today, quite a lot of people like to plant indoor flowers at home. Someone does it for sale, but there are those for whom this activity brings incredible pleasure. The most important thing is to know how to do it right.
In order for plants to be beautiful, it is necessary to carefully care for them. If you provide the dracaena with the right conditions, you can increase the life of the flower up to ten years. In shape, the culture of this species is more like a palm tree. It is also called lucky bamboo because it is similar to the Chinese symbol for prosperity. In this review, we will look at caring for dracaena at home.
Basic requirements
The main distinguishing feature of dracaena is a rosette of striped or green leaves on top. A noticeable feature can also be considered transverse stripes on the stems.
In order for a plant to please its owners with a well-groomed appearance for many years of life, it needs to create the right conditions. Soil acidity should be neutral. You can check this indicator using indicator strips. Also youYou can buy soil with the right pH value at a flower shop. To prepare the substrate, you can use the following proportions: 3 parts garden soil, 2 parts peat, 1 part sand. You can also use a mixture of sand, humus soil and peat. Any stable pot is suitable for growing the plant. A container for planting dracaena should be 25 cm high and 20 cm in diameter.
Temperature, humidity and light requirements
How to grow a dracaena flower? Caring for this heat-loving plant involves keeping it at a temperature of 19 to 25 degrees Celsius. In a cold room, the plant may simply die. You also need to monitor the level of humidity. Dry air can adversely affect the growth of dracaena. As a rule, the plant develops well in partial shade. But development in such conditions will be a little slow. Variegated varieties require more light. The best option is to place the dracaena near a window oriented to the west or east. If they face south, it is better to protect the plant from direct sunlight.
How to water properly?
Many housewives are interested in such a flower as dracaena. Home care for this plant involves regular watering. The optimal interval is every other day. It is unacceptable for the earth in the pot to become dry. In addition to watering, dracaena also requires frequent spraying with settled water. In summer, the flower should be irrigated daily. Dust may accumulate on the leaves. In this case, it is recommended to use a cotton swab or tissue.
Fertilizer andtop dressing
Dracaena care involves regular nutrition with useful substances. Usually this procedure is carried out twice a month. You can alternate mineral fertilizers with organics. The nutrient composition is usually added to water for irrigation. Dracaena are highly sensitive to chlorine and fluorine. Therefore, it is better to select fertilizers that do not contain these elements. It is not recommended to use chlorinated water for irrigation.
How to transplant correctly
What other procedures may require indoor dracaena? Care must necessarily include a transplant. When the plant becomes cramped in the old tub, it must be placed in a larger pot. The flower is removed very carefully, along with the root ball. The bottom of the new container should first be prepared. For this purpose, gravel, ceramic fragments or pieces of foam are laid on it.
Here is an approximate order of actions to be followed when transplanting a plant:
- Drainage from above is covered with a layer of washed sand and a part of pre-prepared soil.
- The root ball is placed in a pot. On the sides, you can add soil.
- The earth is properly watered.
- Substrate needs to be added. There should be 1.5 cm left to the top edge.
- At the final stage, the soil should be compacted and sprinkled with a layer of peat.
Until the age of three years, the dracaena should be transplanted every year. Then the procedure can be performed less often. At the same time, experts recommend once a year to change the uppera layer of earth in a pot.
How to care for dracaena in winter?
What else should those who are interested in dracaena know? Home care, photos of adult plants, requirements for keeping conditions in the cold season - such information is usually required by potential owners of this flower. As for the content of the flower in winter, in a warm room it will be the same as in summer. Best of all, it will endure cold at a temperature of 15 degrees. The number of sprays and waterings should be reduced to once every seven days. If the air in the room is too dry and warm, then the frequency of watering can be increased. In winter and autumn, the plant does not require additional feeding.
Reproduction
How does dracaena grow? Care and reproduction at home do not include any complex labor-intensive processes. As a material for cuttings, branches extending from the central stem are quite suitable. The main thing is to separate 12 cm of the top. The rest is cut into cuttings 7 cm in size. On the mother plant, the cut is treated with ash and crushed charcoal. In the future, new shoots may appear at this place.
The resulting cuttings should be rooted in a glass of water or a pot of wet sand. At the cut top, the leaves are shortened, leaving 5-7 cm each. The air temperature in the room should not fall below 20 degrees. You can also cover the top of the cuttings with a film. It must be removed every day to spray the substrate or ventilate. After 3-4 weeks, rooting will occur, and after a couplemonths you will be able to see new shoots. They can be divided and transplanted into different containers.
What else should you know about dracaena breeding and home care? Propagation by seeds is usually used exclusively by specialists. If you still manage to buy them, then before planting you need to soak in warm water. Five days later, seeds can be sown in moist soil. It is best to plant them in plastic boxes with lids or miniature greenhouses. They germinate long enough.
Growing problems
What problems can be associated with the cultivation of a flower such as dracaena? Home care, reproduction and normal development conditions are quite simple and do not require special training. However, some difficulties may still arise during the cultivation process.
In a dry room, the leaves of the plant may turn yellow and fall off. Another possible cause of this phenomenon can be cold air and a draft. In a month, under normal conditions, the plant may lose a couple of leaves. Incorrectly selected fertilizers or the presence of fluoride in the water can lead to brown and yellow spots. If the plant looks sick, it should be removed from the pot. Damaged and rotten roots are removed. Further, the dracaena can be transplanted. The plant after this process requires moderate watering and regular irrigation.
Sun rays can also cause burns. In this case, it is better to choose another place for the flower. When brown spots appear on the endsleaves should increase the amount of water when watering. Make sure the soil in the pot is always slightly moist. Over watering can also have negative consequences. In combination with a decrease in temperature, it can lead to the complete death of the plant.
Diseases and pests
Dracaena care must necessarily include the fight against diseases. This plant is rarely attacked by pests. But many modern varieties still have a high sensitivity to a number of infections. So, with a fungal infection, rotting of the roots and the base of the stem can be observed. The formation of black and red spots on the leaves may be a consequence of a disease such as fusarium. In this case, the plant must be treated with a biofungicide, and the soil with a solution of wood ash.
If white threads appeared at the base of the leaves, then most likely the plant was attacked by a spider mite. In this case, the plant should be wiped with a cloth moistened with a solution of laundry soap, and then washed under a warm shower. If a mealybug has been damaged, then the dracaena should also be treated with soapy water. After that, the flower is sprayed with an insecticide containing pyrethrin.
Dracaena: varieties
Dracaena is considered an exotic plant. Such a flower will easily fit into the interior of a living room or office. There are several varieties of this plant. Bordered dracaena, or Marginata, has a rosette of thin leaves. With a good plant, a flowerretains its decorative qualities for a long time. This species needs good lighting. The Colorama variety is characterized by a pronounced crimson hue. Dracaena Bicolor is characterized by a spectacular combination of green and pink flowers. This variety also needs good lighting and frequent spraying. Species Fragrang, or fragrant dracaena, is distinguished by glossy leaves in the shape of a lancet. There are also varieties with bicolor and tricolor leaves.
Conclusion
Dracaena is very popular with home flower growers. The plant will be in good harmony with dieffenbachia, variegated varieties of chlorophytum. Caring for dracaena does not cause any particular difficulties. The main thing is to choose a well-lit place. The plant needs regular watering and irrigation. Also, to maintain a thick rosette of leaves, experts recommend rinsing the dracaena with warm water from time to time. When buying a flower, pay attention to the leaves. The main thing is that their ends are not dry. He althy dracaena, with proper care, can retain its decorative qualities for up to ten years.
