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| Dracena House Plant |
I rescued two lovely Dracaena houseplants recently. It was a spur of the moment decision, I had gone into the shop for compost!! Anyone who knows me will understand that I cannot resist a beautiful plant let alone two sitting unloved on a shelf. They were a quarter of the original price so an extremely good bargain, as long as I can keep them alive.
I do like to buy or rescue outdoor plants this way as bargains and bringing back to life the unloved and unwanted, but I have never bought a houseplant in need of rescue. Houseplants can be a little harder to restore to full health once they have been very neglected, but I wanted to give it a go.
So this Dracaena is a stunning-looking plant. Both were sadly completely dried out and shrinking from their pots which is not good. So the first thing I did was to put the pots into a bowl of water and allow the plant to drink what it wanted for an hour. This way I did not overwhelm it with water but it could quench its undoubted thirst.Next was to give it the very best of treatment. This means the correct position in the house, the food, water and environment it needs. It also means the correct soil, but on this, I am waiting as it is always stressful for a plant to be repotted and they had enough stress so far. So I will repot in a month or so when they are more settled.
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| Dracaena House Plant In Kitchen |
The Name Dracaena
This plant is named Dracaena which means female dragon in ancient greek. Apparently, the red stems that are found in many of these houseplants are like the colour of dragons blood! Sometimes it is also referred to as the Dragon Plant which I like.Dracaena Are Good For Us!
The Dragon plant is also a great air purifier and therefore very good to
have in our homes. It is a lovely thing to have a plant that is beautiful in
our homes and this one is stunning especially as it grows tall, but quite
another when it benefits us directly.
Our homes are surprisingly full of toxins and pollutants from our
furniture, paint, materials for building, clothing and cleaning chemicals we
use every day.
If we can help to offset at least some of this pollution with beautiful
houseplants we are doing our health good. Dracaena is one of the most
effective plants for air purification and so deserves a place in every
home.
Generally, for the majority of people this plant is safe to be around. For
most people, this plants leaves are not toxic if touched and handled, but
clearly as with any houseplant avoid anyone eating them. If anyone has
especially sensitive skin or allergies to plants then direct contact with
the plant is best avoided.
Dracaena Is Toxic If Eaten By Pets
It must be noted that beautiful as it is, Dracaena is toxic if our pets eat
it. It is the chemical in the plant, saponin that causes the issue. This will result in vomiting and diarrhea and if that occurs get your pet
to a vet immediately for treatment.
If you have pets it is wise to keep this houseplant out of their
reach.
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| Dracaena House Plant In Bathroom With Filtered Light |
Where to Position Dracaena
Dracaena comes from the floor level of tropical rainforests and arid deserts. I know mine came from Costa Rica. Dracaena like humidity so unlike the houseplants I have reviewed previously this one loves being in a bathroom or kitchen.
This is great news as I love houseplants in these rooms. To keep them
happy and in good condition, they appreciate regular misting of the leaves
and a humid environment so placing them on a dish of pebbles topped up
with water is also helpful.
The dragon plant likes to keep warm so heat of about 15 to 20 degrees celsius is good, but it hates direct bright light so after some thought I have positioned one in the bathroom window that is south facing but the window is opaque so it filters the suns rays very well which is just what this plant requires, filtered sunlight.
The dragon plant likes to keep warm so heat of about 15 to 20 degrees celsius is good, but it hates direct bright light so after some thought I have positioned one in the bathroom window that is south facing but the window is opaque so it filters the suns rays very well which is just what this plant requires, filtered sunlight.
This plant is currently quite small but it will grow much taller which is
not a problem here as the window is quite tall as well. The taller one is
in the kitchen again by a window this time east facing but quite sheltered
from the sun by the foliage in the garden. So I will see if it likes it
there.
The soil must always be moist for this houseplant but it does not like to sit in soggy wet conditions. The best soil is free draining so compost mixed with perlite would be a good combination. It allows for generous watering but permits good drainage to let excess water through. Always make sure there is an inch or to at the top of the pot to allow for easy watering.
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Leaves Of Dracaena House Plant |
Water And Food Requirements For Dracaena
The soil must always be moist for this houseplant but it does not like to sit in soggy wet conditions. The best soil is free draining so compost mixed with perlite would be a good combination. It allows for generous watering but permits good drainage to let excess water through. Always make sure there is an inch or to at the top of the pot to allow for easy watering.
Once watered allow the plant to drain through before you site back in its
outer container. I would recommend having the plant in a plastic or
terracotta pot then putting that pot inside a slightly larger decorative
pot. That way you can water thoroughly but allow it all to drain off
before repositioning.
If the leaves go yellow and droop then it has been overwatered and we
must cut down on the watering and ideally repot into fresh compost to give
it the best chance of recovery.
My two both need repotting and then placing into proper decorative pots but that will wait until they have settled down.
Feeding is quite important and a task we need to do every fortnight during spring and summer, reducing to once a month in autumn/fall and no feeding is necessary during winter. You can buy Dracaena feed or any usual houseplant fertilizer is fine.
My two both need repotting and then placing into proper decorative pots but that will wait until they have settled down.
Feeding is quite important and a task we need to do every fortnight during spring and summer, reducing to once a month in autumn/fall and no feeding is necessary during winter. You can buy Dracaena feed or any usual houseplant fertilizer is fine.
