DRACAENA: Air Purifying Plant

Dracaena

Dracaena is one of the easiest to care for houseplants with over 120 species of plants and shrubs that are almost succulent in nature, the formerly known species of plants classified under sansevieria is also now a part of the dracaena family. The name dracaena is derived from Ancient Greek – drakaina, or “female dragon” and it is testament to the hardiness of the plant.

Common dracaena varieties: Striped Dracaena (Dracaena deremensis warneckii ulyses), Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata), Cornstalk (Dracaena fragrans), Corn Plant (Dracaena deremensis), Song of India (Dracaena reflexa), Gold Dust (Dracaena surculosa), Mass Cane (Dracaena fragrans massangeana), Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana), Snake Plant (Dracaena trifasciata)

Dracaena plant care

The dracaena is one of the best beginner-friendly plants for Indian homes, they love the light and humidity that the Indian weather affords them and grows stunningly with minimal care. However, they are toxic to pets and care needs to be taken if you have furry friends at home. Let’s take a detailed look at the care for dracaena plants.

Light: The dracaena varieties love the brightest indirect light they can get. While some varieties will tolerate the sun happily they do better with partial shade or a few hours of sunlight throughout the day.

Water: Water your dracaena houseplant regularly to avoid drying out the potting mix completely. Keep the soil moist at all times but not soggy wet, here it becomes extremely important to use the right kind of soil to avoid root rot due to constant moisture.

Soil: Since the red dracaena, massangeana plant, marginata plant, and also other varieties love their potting mix to be moist at all times, it is extremely important to have a very-well draining potting mix. Use a good mix of vermicompost, cocopeat, and garden soil for this plant.

Fertilizer: Use a well-balanced and generic houseplant fertiliser for your dracaena plant. They love a slow release fertiliser added at the beginning of the season or a generic indoor plant fertiliser/gogreen mix fertiliser for both root and foliar application every 15 days. Using NPK is also a good idea. Dilute the fertiliser as instructed and apply directly to roots once in 15 days and put it in a misting spray and do a foliar application too once in 15 days.