QA

Quick Answer: How To Care For A Dracaena Marginata

Dracaena marginata is a low maintenance plant that can last for years. It prefers a bright or lightly shaded spot but will also tolerate lower light levels. It likes moist compost but is tolerant of erratic watering. Wipe the leaves occasionally to keep them dust free and shiny, pulling any that have died off.

How often do you water a dracaena marginata?

Dracaenas do not require a lot of water and are happiest when their soil is kept slightly moist but never soggy. Water your dracaena about once a week or every other week, allowing the soil to dry between waterings.

Does Dracaena marginata need much light?

Your Dracaena Marginata prefers medium indirect sunlight but can survive in low light situations. Bleached leaves with dry brown spots usually indicate the plant is getting too much light. Pale leaves, slow growth, and small new leaves indicate it is not getting enough light.

What causes brown tips on Dracaena marginata?

The most common cause of browning leaf tips among Dracaena plants is under-watering, or allowing your Dracaena to sit dry for extended periods of time. In the winter, you can allow your plant to dry out more between waterings, but be sure to boost humidity with regular misting, a humidifier, or pebble tray.

Should I cut the brown tips off my dracaena?

Trim off brown leaf tips or spots with clean shears. Cut off only the damaged tips or spots leaving a tiny margin of brown so not to damage the remaining healthy foliage on the plant. If the entire leaf has turned brown, remove individual leaves at their base. Pull the leaf gently; it may come off on its own.

Does dracaena need sunlight?

Growing conditions: Dracaena prefers bright, indirect light; it tolerates dimmer light, but growth slows as a result. The plant grows well with standard indoor potting soil and average house temps and humidity.

Are dracaena easy to care for?

Dracaena is an adaptable, easy-to-care for house plant that does well indoors or outdoors in partial shade if you live in a subtropical area.

How do you care for an outdoor dracaena?

Most dracaena do best with a lot of indirect light but not too much shade. Make sure your plant gets enough water but avoid standing water. It should be somewhere with soil that drains well. Use a basic fertilizer every couple weeks during the growing season to encourage more growth.

When should I repot my dracaena marginata?

Don’t worry about over pruning or harming a dracaena marginata its a tough cookie and easy to prune and care for. Repotting: Repotting should be done about once every two years or so. If they become root bound growth is likely to be very slow.

Why is my dracaena plant dying?

When a dracaena is losing leaves, overwatering is the first place to look, but the problem can also be caused by too little water. Dracaena leaf drop might also be caused by a cool wind or too much heat. Check the location of the container and move it farther from a window or heater.

How do you save an overwatered dracaena?

How to Save an Underwatered Dracaena Marginata Plant. Luckily, a neglected plant is much easier to save than an overwatered one. Do not overwater the plant. Instead, bring a dracaena marginata plant back to life by giving it small amounts of water over time until it starts to bounce back.

When should I water my dracaena?

PRO TIP: When it doubt, let it drought! The most common mistake made with these plants is overwatering. Dracaena trees prefer the soil to dry between waterings, but not completely through the pot. Typically, watering every 10-14 days will keep the soil with a nice even level of moisture.

How do you care for a dracaena Warneckii?

The Warneckii requires less water than most indoor plants. When watering, water lightly and slowly from above with purified water, allowing water to soak through to the roots, then tip out any excess water. Always allow the top 1 inch of soil to dry out before watering. Soggy soil should be avoided.

Why are my dracaena leaves drooping?

If the plant gets too wet or the roots become rotten, your Dracaena Marginata will droop and its leaves will begin to fall off. If the soil feels very dry and the plant is drooping, give it a thorough watering until there is water running from the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.

Does Dracaena need drainage?

A dracaena needs very well-draining soil, as this plant is very sensitive to overwatering. When you’re using well-draining soil, your Dracaena gets the water it needs and nothing more.

Can I put my Dracaena outside in summer?

Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’ makes a better houseplant than an outdoor plant. If you want a Dracaena you can take outdoors during the summer months and indoors the rest of the year, grow Dracaena draco (dragon tree). It will grow in higher temperatures and some direct sunshine while outdoors.

What is bright indirect light?

To sum up, bright, indirect light is bright enough to cast a shadow—though not a dark, clearly defined one—and to read by. It can be found near north- and east-facing windows or shaded south- and west-facing ones, as well as a few feet back from unshaded south- or west-facing windows.