Hello Friends, Hope you are doing good!
Todays topic is on Dracaena plants � Some of its common Varieties like Deacaena Marginata,
Reflexa � song of india and song of Jamaica plant, and General Care and Tips on Growing
Dracaena trees indoors for home Gardening.
Stay Tuned�
Dracaena derived from the greek word� drakaina, meaning "female dragon", is a genus of over
100 species of trees and shrubs in the family Dracaenaceae.
The majority of the species are native to Africa, with a few in south Asia, northern
Australia and few species in tropical Central America.
Species of Dracaena have a secondary thickening meristem in their trunk, which is characteristic
feature of these plants and is termed dracaenoid thickening by some authors.
All Dracaena plants are very attractive plants grown at homes and offices in pots and also
in ground.
There are over 100 species, which are different in forms and sizes.
However, only the types of dracaena which grow between 2 and 10 feet are popular with
home gardeners.
They include Dracaena marginata, Dracaena fragrans, Dracaena Reflexa (Song of India),
Dracaena cinnabari, Dracaena sanderiana, Dracaena deremensis and Dracaena draco.
Dracaena Marginata is sometimes called the Madagascar dragon-tree or red-edged flower,
Ribbon Tree, Rainbow Tree and so on.
The marginata is probably the most versatile of all the Dracaenas.
Some confuse this houseplant with a palm tree.
This plant has leaves with red to purple stripes running along the edge and they really look
beautiful.
This Purplish-Red striped foliage and canes (canes are their stems and branches) are special
features of these plants.
They grow to a height between 2 to 12 feet and have a spread of 3-8 feet depending on
your pruning.
In my Next Dracaena Video series, please watch How to grow them from cuttings and also How
I tried to revive Dracena Reflexa (the song of India) plant kept indoors.
Well, Now Dracaena Reflexa which is another popular
ornamental plant, both in the landscape and the home.
Several Varieties are seen in this group, particularly variegated ones with cream and
yellow-green margins � that�s called The 'Tricolor' or three-coloured Madagascar dragon
tree and Dracaena Variegata (variegated Song of India) . It performs well as a houseplant,
tolerating infrequent waterings.
It prefers bright, filtered light, without direct sun exposure, restricted outdoors to
zones 10�11.
It has average water needs and should be fertilized every fortnight when actively growing like
with NPK fertilizer crystals.
Although it can survive in relatively low light levels, the plant may grow spindly if
given insufficient light.
When grown indoors, temperatures of 18 �C to 25 �C should be maintained.
It can be propagated via stem cuttings.
This another Dracaena Reflexa type � is known as Song of Jamaica, while the previous
tri-color is known as song of India.
Traditional medical practitioners believed Dracaena reflexa to cure malaria, poisoning,
dysentery + diarrhea, dysmenorrhea, and to be useful as an antipyretic and hemostatic
agent.
The leaves and bark are mixed with parts of a number of other native plants and mixed
into herbal teas.
Its effectiveness in any such treatment remains unproven.
Few Important Tips on Dracaena Care (common to all species)
� Light: this plant is quite tolerant to a wide range of light conditions.
It grows best in bright and indirect light.
Low light can be handled pretty fine as well, but the plant will grow much slower.
� Temperature: it should always be kept warm, regardless of the season in your place.
When the temperature falls below 65�F, the plant will not grow.
Sometimes, it even dies.
� Humidity: if the surrounding humidity is high, the plant grows well.
The humidity can be even increased with the help of pebbles placed below the plant � or
by making your own humidity tray.
� Fertilizers: In summer, usually not required and at other times just use NPK crystals that�s
NPK 20 20 20 fertlizer every fortnight.
You can watch the NPK video by searching NPK crystals in youtube search.
I have shown you how many crystals to add for different pot sizes.
One more last thing is: Why Do Dracaena Leaves Die?
Too commong problem - Plant�s leaves start turning brown from the tip, and then the entire
leaf becomes brown and dies.
Pruning dead leaves away, won�t solve the problem.
Think of the reasons that led to such results.
One of the commonest ones is that leaves were underwatered or overwatered.
Always use well-drained soil to avoid problems in the future.
Besides, it is important to make sure that the pot is well-drained too.
Also do not keep in a dark place if you are keeping it indoors.
I have faced this problem and in my next videos, will show you this problem and what I exactly
did to solve this problem.
Well, that�s all in this video friends!
See you in next video.
Till then Take care..