{"id":2763,"date":"2019-05-18T00:04:51","date_gmt":"2019-05-18T07:04:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/pal-question-546\/"},"modified":"2023-08-04T09:40:44","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T16:40:44","slug":"dracaena-plant-culture-and-care","status":"publish","type":"pal","link":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/dracaena-plant-culture-and-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Dracaena plant culture and care"},"content":{"rendered":"

I inherited a Dracaena from a co-worker. She had it for 4<\/strong>
\nyears and it stayed nice and dark green the whole time, but it never<\/strong>
\ngrew. I’ve had it a little over 6 months and it has almost doubled in<\/strong>
\nsize. The trouble is that all the new leaves have lighter green streaks<\/strong>
\nand imperfections in them. I water the plant once a week, following my<\/strong>
\nco-worker’s instructions, letting the soil dry out on top. The plant is<\/strong>
\nabout 7 feet from a window that is covered with blinds, so it gets its<\/strong>
\nlight mainly from the ceiling fixtures which are 12-15 feet up. Any idea<\/strong>
\nwhat I’m doing wrong?<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The most common problem with Dracaena is usually over- or under-watering.
\nAlso, this plant is very sensitive to fluoride. Some varieties naturally
\nhave variegated leaves, but if your plant used to be dark green and now
\nis not, that can’t be the reason. Dracaena needs moderate to bright
\nindirect light, temperatures of 65-75 degrees, and fertilizing every 2
\nweeks in spring and summer (balanced fertilizer), monthly feeds in the
\nfall. Keep lightly moist but do not over-water. According to The Complete
\nHouseplant Survival Manual<\/em> by Barbara Pleasant (Storey Publishing, 2005),
\npale leaves with faded variegation patterns signify too little light or
\nnot enough fertilizer. In some office situations, plants may need
\nfertilizer every 2 weeks year-round. You may need a brighter site, as
\nwell. If, however, you would describe the leaves as droopy and yellow,
\nthat could be a sign of root rot from excess water (although I doubt
\nthat’s it, since you have been letting it dry out between waterings.
\nCheck anyway that the plant never has standing water at its base). Mature
\nplants can be re-potted every 2-3 years, and it sounds like your plant
\nmight need a larger pot. The fact that it grew so tall so quickly almost
\nmakes me think it’s striving for the light.<\/p>\n

Clemson University Extension<\/a> has a guide with general information on the care of this plant. To be certain of what the problem is, you might want to take pictures and bring sample leaves to a Master Gardener Clinic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I inherited a Dracaena from a co-worker. She had it for 4 years and it stayed nice and dark green the whole time, but it never grew. I’ve had it a little over 6 months and it has almost doubled in size. The trouble is that all the new leaves have lighter green streaks and imperfections in them. I water the plant once a week, following my co-worker’s instructions, letting the soil dry out on top. The plant is about…<\/p>\n

Continue reading Dracaena plant culture and care<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","keyword":[570],"class_list":["post-2763","pal","type-pal","status-publish","hentry","keyword-dracaena"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal\/2763"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/pal"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"keyword","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/keyword?post=2763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}