The mysterious favorite of gardeners is the dragon tree. Features of home cultivation of dracaena dragon Dragon tree at home

If you are planning to start breeding in your house or on a plot of various trees and other plants that would have an exotic and pleasant look, but at the same time would not require significant costs for their maintenance and would not take you a lot of time - pay attention for dracaena. This tree-bush, originally from Africa, will be able to surprise any, even the most spoiled, guest, and a neat appearance will inspire you in the process of contemplating it to new feats on the basis of gardening. This article is devoted to the features of growing and caring for dracaena.

Legend

Dracaena was called the “dragon tree” for a reason, this is due not only to a certain feature of its structure, but also to the legend of the ancient Indians, who, as you know, loved nature and sought to find the roots of all phenomena occurring around them in it.

Since ancient times, the Indians used the sap of this tree as a healing agent and embalming material, which allows us to better understand the origins and main leitmotif of this legend.

According to this legend, once upon a time the earth was inhabited by countless powerful and no less intelligent than humans, dragons, who were also immortal.
People, wanting to get the secret of eternal life and great power, began to exterminate dragons in the hope that their blood would grant them the desired power and allow them to forget about death. However, the blood obtained in this way lost any miraculous effect.

Did you know? Literally, the name of this tree is translated from Latin as “female dragon”, which is probably associated with the general appearance of the shrub, resembling a bristling dragon with wings and paws raised upwards and brought together in the back and head area.

For many years, the extermination of dragons by people continued, many generations of people changed in this pursuit of eternal life and power, until only one, the last dragon, remained on earth.

People drove him for a long time, did not let him hide, overtook him in the most distant lands, and in the end the last dragon fell, but before his death he forgave the martyrs of his people and his killers. In the same place where he was buried, a tree has grown, capable of healing all sorts of wounds and giving eternal life to everyone who tasted its juice. This tree was the dracaena.
According to another legend belonging to the Aztecs, this plant has already received a slightly different name: the “tree of happiness”. It says that a young warrior who fell in love with the daughter of the high priest received a task from her father - to water the stick that he handed to the warrior with plain water for five days.

In the event that not a single leaf grows on a stick in the allotted period of time, the warrior will not only not get the hand of his bride, but he will be immediately executed.

However, to the great happiness of young people, at the end of the fifth day, leaves appeared on the stick - dracaena grew out of it. The priest's daughter married a warrior, and people have since believed that a branch of dracaena, which was cut on the full moon at midnight, can bring happiness in love affairs.

Description

Most species of dracaena can be found on the African continent, much less of them grows in South Asia, and one more can be found in the tropical part of Central America.

Dracaena belong to the Asparagus family and can grow as trees or succulent shrubs. It is the latter that have gained immense popularity as houseplants. Dracaena can produce both one powerful, woody stem with dark brown bark, and several (up to a dozen) smaller ones, the bark on which has a more delicate shade.

Most often, the bark is smooth, gradually thickens downwards. The stem passes at the top into a scattering of hard, elongated, narrow, green-colored leaves, numbering from 30 to 100. The leaves do not form a pronounced alternation on the stem, they are placed quite densely and in a chaotic manner.

Did you know? Dracaena is a long-lived plant, but due to the peculiarities of its structure, it can be quite difficult to accurately determine the age of a tree. Nevertheless, it is believed that the oldest dracaena on Earth is about 3 thousand years old.

Dracaena are characterized by the presence of a secondary thickening meristem in the trunk. The roots are quite well developed, have a branched structure, in nature they are located quite superficially, they are orange in color on the cut.

Dracaena blooms infrequently and for a very short period, at the time of flowering, white, purple or yellow flowers form on the tops of the stems, in each of the nests of the three-celled ovary of which a seed is placed.

Peculiarities

This plant in the process of its growth does not form annual rings at all, which is associated with the growth of wood mass in the trunk not according to the ring type, but primarily through horizontal growth, in addition, this phenomenon is facilitated by the structure of the dracaena wood itself.

In the wild, these trees can reach a height of 15-20 meters, and if there are proper growing conditions, even significantly exceed this mark.
If you make an incision on the stem of the dracaena, you can see the release of a colorless, thick juice-resin, which quickly acquires a red tint when it comes into contact with air.

Among the peoples of Central America, this substance is called "the blood of two brothers", or "cinnabar". Many tend to endow this substance with special mystical properties.

You can see that the branches of this tree almost always look vertically upwards, which adds to its beauty and explains why this tree is so popular among modern gardeners: such a structure of the branches almost completely eliminates the need for additional pruning of branches and crown formation.

Dracaena can often be found in mountainous areas or on rocky slopes. Its root system is perfectly adapted to keep the tree under the influence of almost any, even the strongest winds, and is able to provide the upper part of the plant with all the necessary substances, extracting them only from the upper layers of the soil.

Applying properties

The Aztecs, and probably also the ancient inhabitants of the Canary Islands, the Guanches people, used the juice obtained from the dracaena to embalm the dead leaders and high priests. The embalming properties of the juice of this plant, although true, are no longer of significant value against the background of many modern substances, for example, formalin.

Fibers from the leaves of some species of this plant are used in the process of obtaining ropes and coarse fabrics. The wood of this tree burns rather poorly, gives little light, but has a rather high heat capacity, which makes it a good heating material.

The use of dracaena wood as a carpentry material is difficult due to the natural features of its structure. The most valuable is the varnish extracted from the juice of this plant, which is subsequently applied to metal, fabrics and joinery.
In addition, hair dye is also made on the basis of this substance, which is capable of giving them a fairly persistent golden hue. Residents of places where dracaena grows wild often use its juice as a paint for alcoholic beverages.

Traditional medicine recommends using a mixture of grape alcohol and dracaena juice as a prescription for stomach ulcers. Alcoholic infusions of dracaena juice can also be used for the speedy healing of wounds and bruises, as well as a remedy for acne and purulent rashes on the skin.

Types of dragon dracaena

Growing indoor plants

If you bought a young dracaena in a pot, then most likely you will not need to carry out the transplant process in the first year you have it. Young dracaena requires transplantation at least once a year, during which you will have to not only change the pot, but also completely change the soil mixture.

However, if for one reason or another you were not satisfied with the pot in which you brought it, or the quality of the soil, or you simply prefer to know exactly the time when your plant will need to be transplanted next time, you can start the transplant process according to the following algorithm:

Take a pot, the dimensions of which should correspond to the size of the flower transplanted into it (for the first year dracaena, 3 liters of the pot is enough). The pot should be shallow and as wide as possible.
Lay a small layer of sand or any soil, 3-4 centimeters thick. Sprinkle a small layer of porous pebbles or rubble on top. Next, lay a layer (3-4 cm) of soil purchased from a garden store for succulents.
The dracaena extracted from the previous pot, preferably with an earthy clod, but it is possible without it, move it to a new pot. Straighten all the roots so that they lie flat and do not bend anywhere.
Next, fill the roots of the plant with soil for succulents in such a way as to completely cover the entire root system, and fill the rest of the pot with earth, not filling up to the edge by 2-3 fingers.
Next, water the transplanted bush well, wipe the leaves with a damp cloth and place the pot in a predetermined place.

Important! For older plants that are no longer growing up as actively, it makes no sense to carry out the whole process every year according to the same algorithm. It will be enough to replace the topsoil with a new one, rich in various nutrients.

It is best to place the dracaena somewhere in the back of the room, preferably directly opposite the window opening, because although it does not like bright light, it is extremely unreasonable to completely deprive the plant of a natural source of energy. The optimal temperature for keeping this flower throughout the year is the range from +20 to +45 ° С.

Throughout the hot period, the dracaena must be watered daily and it is advisable to wipe its leaves with a damp cloth. With the onset of cold weather, it is appropriate to reduce watering, and if the temperature in the room where the dracaena stands drops to +15 ° C, then it can be practically reduced to nothing.

To feed these flowers, mineral and organic fertilizers are used, which in the summer it is appropriate to apply in turn once every two weeks. From the best fit, either.

Among the best are nitrophosphate or. With the onset of cold weather, fertilization is stopped, and in the spring, when the average daily temperature begins to exceed +10 ° C, they are resumed again.

Important! Organic fertilizers are substances that are quite active in nature, so they cannot be used in their pure form. Mullein and bird droppings must be diluted in a ratio of 1:10 with water, and wood ash must be mixed with peat.

How they breed

The best period to start breeding this plant is the warm half of the year. The most effective method of breeding dracaena at home is propagation using cuttings.

First, take an alcohol-treated knife and carefully cut off the top from the mother stem. The incision should be at a height of 6-7 cm from its base. It would be better to make an incision at an angle of 45 degrees.
Then we can proceed in two ways: place the cutting in water and wait for the roots to appear, or immediately start rooting it. Practice shows that the second technique gives a faster and more reliable result.
The length of the handle must be at least 5 cm, otherwise there is a possibility that it will not be accepted. You can achieve the required length by removing a few lower leaves. Dip the tip of the plant in a solution of Kornevin or another growth stimulant and prepare a pot.
In a small pot, it is worth adding soil with a high content of peat, soil bought in a flower shop for succulents is well suited. It is necessary to form a small depression in the ground.
Insert the cutting into the recess and press it into the ground a little. For best results, the cutting can be placed under a hood or in a greenhouse.
Keep the cutting at a temperature of 22 to 26 ° C. Do not forget to water the plant in time and wipe its leaves with warm water. The pot is best kept on a windowsill. Do not worry if a few lower leaves fall off - for dracaena this is within the normal range.

In about a month, you will receive a completely independent plant, ready for transplanting to a permanent place of growth. Such a small dracaena will need to be taken out into the sunlight for some time after transplantation, so that it can synthesize all the substances necessary for its normal functioning.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in growing dracaena. Be careful with your home flowers, and they will delight your eyes with their well-groomed appearance for a long time.

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I like this plant because of its similarity with a palm tree. But in fact, the Dragon Tree Dracaena does not apply to it. I have it in a prominent place and is an important decorative element in my living room. I also like the amazing story of the origin of this indoor flower. Let's talk today about how to properly grow a Dragon tree (dracaena) at home and what are the features of care. Videos and photos are offered to help.

Dracaena Dragon tree is suitable for those who love the exotic. Indeed, the original trunk and the “cap” of leaves at the top look very decorative. The homeland of plants is Africa, Asia, Central America.

Under natural conditions, this is a huge tree, the height of which often reaches 20 m, and the thickness of the trunk is more than 4 m.
At home or on the site, the height of the plant reaches a maximum of 1 - 1.5 m. There are a lot of varieties and varieties of dracaena - more than 150.
Growing an exotic beauty indoors is quite realistic, you just need to know all the features of care.

The history of the Dragon Tree (legends)

Indians in ancient times used the sap of the tree for medicinal purposes, successfully treated and healed wounds, and also used it for embalming.
According to legend, earlier the Earth was inhabited by dragons, possessing great strength and immortality. People, hoping to get the same power, exterminated these creatures, but their blood did not have such miraculous power.
In the end, only one dragon remained. People pursued him, because the pursuit of eternal life did not give them rest. When the dragon was dying, he forgave all mankind before his death, and a mighty tree grew at the place of his burial, which was called the Dragon or Dracaena.
In translation, the word means "female dragon." The structure of the trunk and crown resembles this mythical creature: a strong and powerful trunk, as well as pointed leaves, resemble a dragon whose wings are hidden behind its back. According to legend, every person who tastes red juice will be granted strength and unprecedented power.
There is another version. The Aztecs called the Dragon Tree - the tree of Happiness. According to this love story, in order to marry the daughter of a priest, a young warrior had to pour plain water on a stick for 5 days. And it should have leaves. The task was successfully completed, the stick turned into a living tree, which received such a name. Since then, people have been respecting the dracaena, and they are sure that it brings happiness and love to young people.

Morphological description

Dracaena belong to the Agave family. It may look like a tree or a shrub - a succulent. Small dracaena bushes with an attractive crown and thick stem are very popular with flower growers.
The trunk may be in a single copy, or it may have additional shoots (up to 10 or more). The bark of the main one has a brownish-brown hue, while the young growth has lighter tones.
The bark is smooth in structure, thickens closer to the root system, and towards the top of the plant turns into branches with leaves. Branches grow straight up. This gives a clear outline to the dracaena. Such a structure eliminates trimming, since the form given by nature is simply ideal in itself.
The leaves have a rigid structure, elongated and narrow, saturated green. Their number varies from 30 to 100 pieces. On the stems, the leaf plates are not in any clear order, but are arranged randomly. The crown is quite dense.
The dracaena tree is considered a long-liver. The oldest one is 3000 years old. Age is very difficult to determine, since there are no rings on the cut of the trunk. Growth is expressed by vertical growth of the cortex.
The root system is well developed, has a superficial structure, branched, has many root processes. In the context it has an orange-red color.
The plant blooms rarely, expressed by three-celled ovaries with yellow, white and purple flowers. A seed is subsequently formed in the middle.
A distinctive feature of this plant is the secretion of juice from the bark. At first it is odorless and colorless, but after interaction with air it acquires a bright red saturated color, therefore it is called "dragon's blood".

Wood, sap and other parts of dracaena are successfully used in various industries and medicine, ranging from hair dye to varnish for carpentry and metal products. Wood is used for heating, and ropes are made from plant tissues.

Main types

There are different varieties and types. Some can be propagated independently, but some can only be purchased ready-made in a pot. It is better to buy a plant in a garden center or a specialized nursery. Consider the most famous and popular varieties.

Dracaena Dragon

The tree in appearance looks like a large cactus with a large and dense trunk. At the top of the plant, the trunk branches. The crown is a strong pointed leaves of bright green color, collected in rosettes.
The tree grows and develops very slowly. It has 3 main stages: youth, reproduction and wilting.
In the reproduction stage, many seeds are formed on the crown, and in the last phase, the dracaena sheds all the leaves, flowering stops, and red resin is produced from the bark.
For growing at home, there is a simpler option, easier to care for. The trunk of the tree is prickly, as are the leaves. Seeds can be purchased from garden shops or nurseries.

marginata

The plant is also called Bordered dracaena, Tricolor, Manzhent, Bicolor. Grows up to a maximum of 3 m.
The main trunk is divided into several branches. They are dense elongated leaves of dark green color.
There is a light stripe in the middle of the sheet. The upper parts of the leaves droop down. We can observe a great resemblance to a palm tree.

Dracaena reflexa Reflexa

Leaf plates grow from the root system itself.
The color is bright green with light vertical stripes. The leaves are tilted slightly down.
With proper care and regular soil moisture, the leaves rise up.

golden dracaena

Other names are Surculosa and Godsefa. On this flower, shoots are formed fairly quickly.
Leaf plates are more oval than other species. Their color is bright green with yellow spots or oblong stripes.
These dracaena are often found in various rooms, successfully grown at home.

Deremskaya and Fragrant dracaena are also especially popular. These plants are also grown by flower growers and are an adornment of any home. In order for the dracaena to have a really neat and well-groomed appearance, you need to know some of the features of growing this ornamental plant.

Rules for care and cultivation

If you just purchased a dracaena, then it is not necessary to transplant it. But if you don’t know when she was last transplanted, then you can do this procedure right away.

Transfer

Prepare the pot first. It is desirable that it be shallow, but wide. Moisten the ground in an old purchased flowerpot and carefully remove the plant with a lump.
In a new pot, fill the soil with a layer of several centimeters. Make a drainage layer on top so that moisture does not stagnate in the roots, and oxygen enters.
Next, prepare a nutrient soil, suitable for a special universal for plants - succulents.
Place the plant in a pot, and gently straighten the roots. Pour in the soil mixture, and slightly compact so that voids do not form.
Do not add soil 2 - 4 cm to the edge of the flowerpot. After planting, water the plant abundantly with water and determine to a permanent place. It is also advisable to wipe the leaves with a damp cloth.

In mature plants, it will be enough to simply replace the top layer of the earth and apply nutrients and fertilizers. This should be done no more than once a year, since dracaena grows quite slowly.

Location selection

Dracaena does not like places with direct sunlight. Therefore, the best place would be a place opposite a window with diffused lighting. You can’t completely deprive the bush of the sun. The temperature regime should be constant - from +20 to +45 degrees.

Watering

In the hot season, watering is carried out almost every day.
It is advisable to wipe the leaves with a cloth.
With the onset of cold weather, watering is reduced, and when the temperature drops to +15, then you can stop altogether.

Fertilizer

Feeding is carried out once every 14 days. Mineral fertilizers and organics are important for dracaena. Bird droppings, mullein and wood ash are suitable for this plant. From mineral, add nitroammophosphate or nitrophosphate.

In winter, feeding is stopped, and in the spring, at a temperature of +10, it is worth resuming again. Organic fertilizers are not used in their pure form, but are diluted with water at the rate of 1:10, and the ash is mixed with peat.

Conclusion

Dracaena Dragon tree is an original and beautiful plant that will decorate any room. Suitable for giving decorativeness, as the plant is exotic.
There are several species that can be bred at home and grown safely. In nature, the Dragon Tree is a tree with a height of 15 - 20 m.
Care is nothing complicated. Even a novice florist will cope with it. The main thing is to find a place with dim lighting, water on time and fertilize on schedule.

Dracaena dragon is the most popular house plant that has a very showy appearance. Most of the species in this family come from tropical rainforests. The distribution area of \u200b\u200bthis plant is tropical Africa and the island states of Asia.

The dracaena family is quite large and has about one hundred and fifty subspecies. Quite often, these beautiful plants are referred to as palm trees, but this is erroneous. Biologists classify cordilins and dracaena as part of the large dracaena family. To properly care for them, these plants should be distinguished. The main difference between these two species is in the root system. Dracaena have yellow rhizomes, and cordilins are white, thickened.

The foliage of this plant has a leathery structure, with longitudinal veins, without cuttings. Some dracaena have foliage located in a bunch at the very top, others - evenly spaced along all branches in the form of a spiral.
In the homeland of dracaena, there are cases when these plants reached gigantic sizes.

Dracaena is loved by many flower growers. It will decorate any interior well. Quite often it is bought for the design of office space. A small palm tree is suitable for decorating small rooms. How to properly care for dracaena, we will consider further. They are quite undemanding and hardy.

Rules of care and maintenance

Dracaena placement

They have variegated foliage. To make the drawing bright and clear, they need a lot of bright daylight. If the leaves of the plant are green, then it needs to provide good lighting, but at the same time protect it from direct sunlight. It is also worth observing the temperature regime. - These are tropical plants, so the optimum temperature for their cultivation is from eighteen to twenty-five degrees. Dracaena "Dragon" is quite hardy and can be kept outdoors. At the same time, it is worth taking care that the flowerpot is protected from drafts. In winter, they can tolerate temperatures of about twelve degrees Celsius.

Watering and feeding regimen

Since the plant comes from tropical rainforests, moisture should be regular and fairly plentiful. But do not allow both the drying of the soil and waterlogging. In the cold season, watering dracaena should be reduced to a minimum. Sometimes it will be enough just to loosen the soil. The room should be sufficiently humid and warm. On hot summer days, it is worth taking care of daily spraying of your pet. It will also be a prevention against spider mite infection. In summer, you can arrange a warm shower for the foliage.

During the period of active development and growth, the dragon dragon should be regularly fertilized with special liquid products on a weekly basis. During the winter dormancy period, fertilizer is carried out much less frequently, as is watering. But make sure the soil doesn't dry out.

Transplanting room dracaena

The mini-tree should be transplanted into new soil once every few years. If it grows actively enough, then transplantation should be done annually. The pot must be larger. A layer of drainage is pre-filled at the bottom. Dracaena feels great in a mixture of soil and peat.
The substrate should include:

Soddy soil;
leafy soil;
Humus;
Peat;
Clean sand.

reproduction

A houseplant reproduces quite simply. Main ways:

cuttings;
seeds;
parts of a woody stem.

stem propagation

When propagating dragon dracaena with pieces of stems, the places of cuts must be treated with paraffin. Such seedlings can survive long transportation or carrying before planting.

seed method

When propagating dracaena with seeds, they must be sown in early spring. The room temperature should be about twenty-seven degrees. Young seedlings are planted with a diameter of no more than seven centimeters. The temperature should be maintained at twenty-one to twenty-four degrees.

cuttings

When propagated by cuttings, they are cut from the top of the plant or lateral processes. In this case, it is necessary to cut off the old leaves from the trunk. The cut stem must be divided into small pieces up to seven centimeters long. Cuttings need to be planted in a sand-peat mixture. Contain seedlings at a temperature of at least twenty-four degrees. After the appearance of foliage on the cuttings, they are transplanted into flower pots.

The main problems that may arise when growing dracaena

If the foliage of the plant fades, then the watering regime should be adjusted. This is a tropical plant that loves moisture. Also, such a problem can occur if the room where the dracaena is kept is very cold. In this case, the flowerpot must be moved to a warmer place.
Do not allow stagnant water in plants, as this can cause rotting of the root system.
The brown tips of the foliage indicates insufficient air humidity. You should also pay attention to the presence of drafts in the room.
Brown spots on the foliage indicate insufficient watering.
Dracaena leaves twisted and soft in texture indicate too low a temperature in the room where the tree is grown. Such symptoms in young plants may appear after one night near a cold window.
talks about the aging process. The foliage lives for about two years, after which it gradually dies off.

Pests affecting dracaena

Mealybug is a sedentary whitish insect. You can determine it by the specific secretions that appear on the leaves of the plant. They look like cotton. In order for the leaves to be treated with soapy water.
- with a lesion, a yellowish or gray-white shield appears on the foliage of the plant. They must be removed from the plant and wiped with an alcohol solution. For disinfection, the flowerpot is treated with an insecticide.
The spider mite is a very small pest. It can be determined only by the presence of cobwebs on the foliage of the plant. To need to treat the plant with a soapy solution.

How to transplant dracaena at home Proper yucca transplant at home Features of caring for yucca at home How to water dracaena at home

The large crown of the tree is almost invisible. Foliage can only be seen at the right angle. small trees

Often grown at home.

Description of the dragon tree and its characteristics

This type of tree is relic. It looks like a large cactus. Possessor of sharp foliage. The resin has a red tint.

This culture has 150 species.

A big feature is the juice, which is clear at first, but when exposed to the air, it turns scarlet.

This is due to the pigment: dracocarmine and dracorubin.

As the juice solidifies, it becomes a thick compound that resembles glass. The juice can be used to make paint and varnish. Previously, the juice was exported from the island of Tenerife and Socotra.

There are several stages that are not related to each other:

The first stage of the tree is youth.
The second stage can be called maturity.
The third stage is old age.

More about youth. It continues until the age of 34. After the stage comes to an end, the plant begins to bear fruit.

Instead of scars, branches form on the tree.

stage of old age includes resin extraction. The tree does not have rings by which its age can be determined. It is thanks to this feature of the tree that it is very difficult to determine.

The benefits of the dragon tree

The Canarians consider this tree to be sacred. She was treated with resin.

It helps with internal bleeding and also helps to cure diseases related to the immune system. Resin can cure stomach ulcers, furunculosis, skin diseases.
The resin can be used to stop the bleeding.
It works great as a disinfectant.
Resin can also be used for cosmetic purposes. It has a positive effect on anti-aging properties.

Dragon tree plant: places of growth

One of those most famous trees grew exactly in the Canary Islands.

The growth of this tree is 21 meters.

The diameter of such a tree is 13 m.

A tree can grow and develop for about 6000 years.

Interesting. This copy has not survived to this day. In 1868, the strongest hurricane killed the relic. The plant grows in Africa. In also the islands of Asia sheltered the culture.

Now the oldest tree is considered to be the one that grows on the island of Tenerife.

This tree is about 3000 years old.

About 6,000 tourists come to the island to see this miracle of nature with their own eyes.

It is located in the park, which has the name "Drago". The height of this tree is amazing, it reaches 25 meters in height, its coverage is 10 m.

Interesting. You can not even talk about the weight of this tree. Since it weighs approximately 80 tons. The monument of culture surrounds the park, which occupies about 3 kilometers in a square. In this area there are many cultures, endermics.

Planting and caring for a tree at home

Dragon Tree Dracaena is excellently positioned to be grown in rooms and offices. Indoor view grows up to half a meter in height.

The culture is growing quite slowly. And the trunk has a feature to branch out.

plant can propagate by cuttings.

A stem cutting is used for this, apical cuttings are not suitable for this.

Need make segments, the length of which will be 6 cm, dry them and place them in the soil.
You need to cover the seedling with a container, to keep warm inside. But in this case, it is necessary to do periodic procedures: ventilate and spray.
Rooting plants at temperatures above 20 degrees. After 30 days, the stalk is suitable for transplantation.

Reproduction by seeds

Seeds that can be taken from the tree, perhaps in March.

Initially, it is necessary to soak the seed in a decoction of zircon, or another growth stimulant.

The substrate must be:

sod land;
Sand.

Shoots will appear after a month and a half.
A young seedling is moved to a pot or glass.
After that, the plant should be in a place where it is warm.
Also, the place should be illuminated.

plant care

It is necessary to properly plant the plant and take care of it. To do this, do not forget about pruning and watering.

The temperature for keeping this plant at home should be about twenty degrees Fahrenheit.
Light for this plant should be diffused.
It is best to place it in the room, so that it is not near the window.
In hot weather, the plant requires water.
It is also desirable to spray it.

When autumn approaches, it is necessary to reduce watering.

It is necessary to spray the culture when the temperature drops.

top dressing

When you carry out agrotechnical measures to care for a tree in the house, you can use fertilizers that consist of organic matter and minerals.

How to properly fertilize dracaena

They need to be applied in hot weather, when the temperature drops, there should be less top dressing.

In the winter period, we carry out one top dressing.
And if the temperature drops below 20 degrees, fertilization can be stopped.

Transfer

Seedlings require a transplant in the spring. Before this procedure, you need to prepare the soil.

The soil can be fertilized: foliage, peat, soddy soil, sand, humus. All ingredients must be used in equal parts.

Older trees need to be replanted when they themselves require it.

This can be done in a larger container. You can also limit yourself to replacing the earth, namely the top layer.

Pests

After the pests have been removed, you can stop processing.

We suggest that you read the article about the treeby clicking on the link.

The blood of both giants, having mixed, gave life to a growth of trees hitherto unseen: with mighty trunks like elephant legs, bunches of leaves sharp as teeth of a dragon, and blood-red resin.

Description

Indeed, dragon dracaena - very strong and long-lived plant, in natural conditions reaching a height of 20 m and re-growing in width to a thickness at the base of 4 m.

With its growth, annual rings are not formed, so the age of dragon trees is not entirely accurate; it is known that in some protected and revered specimens it is 3000 years or more.

Each branch ends with a dense bunch of narrow, long, sharp gray-green leaves.

If you cut the bark, a colorless juice-resin will come out, which in the air quickly acquires a rich blood-red color and is therefore called “the blood of two brothers” (according to legend) or “cinnabar” (which in itself means “dragon's blood”), and is also endowed with a special healing and magical power.

In room culture dragon dracaena retains both slow perennial development, and the exotic shape of the trunk, and bunches of sharp leaves, and blood resin, but does not grow above one and a half meters.

You can listen to a more detailed description in the next video.

Dracaena dragon: photo

Dracaena dragon tree: photo in natural conditions.

Dracaena dragon: photo of a plant in pots.

Home care

Lighting

You need a lot of light, it should come in large quantities, be bright, but mostly scattered, as near windows facing the southwest and southeast. On the purely south side, in the summer, care must be taken to ensure that this dracaena is not burned by direct sunlight.

In the summer months, "holidays" in the open air are very useful, while care should be taken that the plant is not in the sun.

If the dragon tree has just enough light, it will decorate the leaves thin reddish border.

Temperature

Optimum temperature range is from 18 to 25 degrees in summer. Wintering is preferable cooler, but the temperature should not fall below 12 degrees.

Air humidity

In spring-summer time dragon dracaena should be sprayed frequently using soft water.

in winter, in a room with a temperature of 12 to 15 degrees, spraying is stopped. If the wintering place is a warm apartment with central heating and dry air, spraying is still necessary.

The soil

You can use ready-made soil for palm trees and dracaena, or cook mixture, which includes nutritional components - leafy soil, soddy soil, humus; baking powder - coarse sand and fibrous acidifier - peat. All ingredients are taken in equal quantities.

Landing

planting container choose ceramic, porous, with a hole in the bottom.

At the bottom it is imperative to place drainage (expanded clay or small pebbles), then pour a layer of perlite or coarse-grained sand, then, with a slide - prepared soil, “seat” the straightened root system of dracaena on this slide and fill the soil to the desired level, carefully compacting it.

This planting will protect the roots from rotting, growing more to the sides than in depth.

Transfer

Young houseplants are transplanted annually, in spring time, adult specimens - once every 2-3 years, and in massive dracaena of venerable age, you can simply replace the top layer of the earth with fresh, nutritious.

After the purchase a new copy is kept in quarantine for about two weeks, and then a decision is made to transplant: a young plant, which is cramped in its capacity, can immediately get a new “apartment”, and an older one can wait with relocation to a new container until spring. When transplanting, it is better to keep the old earthen lump so as not to injure the sensitive root system.

If an imported dracaena is purchased in a transport substrate, it must be transplanted immediately, completely freed from the soil.

Watering

Summer watering is carried out quite often, as the top two to three centimeters of soil dry out - usually every other day. Use soft, well-settled water.

With the onset of autumn watering is reduced to one or two times a week, and in winter, at a low temperature of the content, watered even less often.

If the wintering is warm and dry, water it, as in autumn, not forgetting about regular spraying.

top dressing

In spring and summer a special complex for palm trees and dracaena, or alternating mineral and organic top dressing, is applied twice a month.

in winter top dressing is carried out once a month (keeping warm) or the plant is not fertilized at all (with a cool wintering).

Bloom

In room culture, the Canarian dracaena blooms exclusively rarely- a bunch of greenish small flowers with an unpleasant odor, giving orange drupes after pollination.

reproduction

You can propagate dracaena seeds and cuttings: apical and stem.

Reproduction by seeds

spring the seeds are soaked for a day in a warm solution of a growth stimulator, and then sown in palm soil, covered with plastic wrap and kept warm, ventilating the greenhouse and moderately moistening the soil. Germination time - from a month to two.

Seedlings should be kept at sufficient, but not excessive moisture, fed once a month and protected from excess sun.

When the dracaena grow to a height of 4-5 cm, they can be planted in stationary pots.

Reproduction by apical cuttings

There is two ways of harvesting such cuttings: air layering and direct pruning.

With the first method a T-shaped incision is made on the trunk below the top, into which moistened peat is placed, and then wrapped with polyethylene. For a month, peat and high humidity stimulate the growth of roots. Then the stem is cut off a little below the formed roots and the top is planted in a separate pot.

Second way consists in a decisive trimming of the part of the trunk with the top. The injured places are sprinkled with crushed charcoal, and the cut of the apical cutting is additionally treated with a root formation stimulator. The stalk is planted in a prepared pot with a drainage layer and moistened soil.

If the cutting has a very developed bunch of leaves, they can be shortened by a third. The remaining "stump" of dracaena is poured with paraffin; over time, a new shoot forms on the side.

Propagation by stem cuttings

A healthy young stem is cut into pieces with a sharp tool so that each part contains at least two growth buds. Usually the length of such segments is 3-5 cm.

These cuttings are planted in prepared soil, kept warm, protected from intense sunlight, and sprayed frequently. As a rule, after a month, young shoots appear on them.

This video tells about the care of dragon dracaena.

Diseases and pests

If the right conditions are provided, dracaena practically do not get sick.

With care errors, the dragon tree can hit rot and fungal infections. This happens with a combination of low temperature and waterlogging. In such cases, you need to place the plant in a warmer place and eliminate excess moisture.

If the processes of decay are widespread (this happens most often with frostbitten specimens), you will have to cut off healthy cuttings and root them, and get rid of the rest of the plant. For fungal infections, spraying with a fungicide solution is used.

Of the pests on the Canarian dracaena, spider mites and scale insects settle. The first remedy against them is to remove insects with a soapy solution, but only the use of appropriate insecticides will finally get rid of them.

If you take root dracaena dragon (Canarian), it will gradually, stretching like an umbrella, a dense branchy cover, grow over many years and remind of ancient legends, sanctuaries of exotic cultures and ancient beliefs that a tree with red "blood" is endowed with a special vitality.

In addition, this plant perfectly cleans the air from formaldehyde and benzene.

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