Distinctive features of dracaena, care rules, recommendations for independent reproduction, diseases and pests, interesting facts, species. Dracena is a tree-like evergreen of the Asparagaceae family, but some varieties take on the shape of succulent shrubs (plants that can accumulate moisture in their stems and leaves). The number of representatives of this genus in different literary sources varies from 40 to 150 units. Most of these specimens of flora "chose" the territory of the African continent for their growth, and some lands of southern Asia and only one species grows in the tropical zone of Central America.
The plant got its scientific name thanks to the translation of the word "dracaena" meaning "female dragon". In the Russian interpretation, it turned out "dracaena", however, in the dictionary of Vladimir Dahl, a different term is already used - "dragon".
Plants of this genus are conventionally divided into two groups, depending on the characteristics of their growth:
- tree specimens, which have strong trunks and rigid leaf plates, located on the tops of shoots and branches; grow mainly in arid and semi-desert areas and are called "dragon tree";
- shrub varieties that are smaller and slender stems with leafy plates that have a flexible xiphoid or belt-like shape; most often grow as an undergrowth in forests growing in the tropical belt of the planet.
Outwardly, dracaena is very similar to cordilina, but in the former, the trunk does not form and there is a thickening in the underground part, and there is also no development of stolons. Roots and rhizomes are colored orange.
In height, the plant sometimes reaches 20 meters in conditions of natural growth, but there are specimens with a height of only a few tens of centimeters. Leaf rosettes are located directly on the erect stems of dracaena, which become lignified over time (woody tissue grows). The leaf plates are predominantly leathery and have a beautiful bright green tint. They are slightly elongated at the base, and sharpened towards the top. The length of the leaf varies between 15–70 cm.
When flowering, creamy, whitish or pale pink buds appear. From them are collected panicle inflorescences with great friability and branching. After flowering, the fruit ripens in the form of a berry with a yellow or orange color scheme.
When grown at home, dracaena can reach 15 years of age, but if the conditions for caring for it are not violated.
Agricultural technology for growing dracaena, home care
- Lighting. The plant prefers to “bask” in diffused lighting so that direct sunlight does not cause sunburn. Therefore, a window facing east or west is suitable for dracaena.
- Content temperature. For a plant, the thermometer values are kept within the range of 18-22 units, and with the arrival of autumn, the heat indicators are reduced to 15 degrees.
- Watering. In the spring-summer period, dracaena is moistened every two days, but if the soil is dry enough. In the case when the leaf plates began to fade, the frequency and volume of watering increases. With the arrival of autumn and throughout the winter, the soil in the pot is moistened every three days, since the dracaena goes into the winter rest mode. However, if the plant is placed next to central heating radiators or heaters, then the frequency of spills should be increased. And they moisten the earth when the outer layer of the soil is completely dry, but the main thing is not to allow the substrate to flood.
- Air humidity when growing this plant, it must be high, so it is worthwhile to carry out daily spraying of the deciduous mass, and even more often in the summer. Only soft and warm water is used for spraying. However, there are varieties that cope well with dry indoor air - these are Dracaena the dragon and Dracaena Godsphere.
- Fertilizers for dracaena it is carried out only during the activation of its growth, which occurs from mid-spring to September. The regularity of fertilizing every 14 days. They use specialized preparations designed specifically for the "dragon tree". These can be the means "Dracaena", "New ideal", as well as "Rainbow" or "Ideal", in the indicated dosage.
- Transplant and soil selection. The plant requires a timely change of pot and soil. For example, for a dracaena with a height of 40 cm, a container with a diameter of at least 15 cm is needed. The roots are fragile and therefore it is better to transplant by transshipment, without destroying the earth's coma. A layer of drainage material must be laid on the bottom of the new pot.
The soil for dracaena should be light, you can use a substrate for palm plants. After transplanting, it is worth watering, and it is recommended to add a little growth stimulant to the water.
Dracaena self-propagation rules
You can get a young plant of this unpretentious beauty by sowing seeds, grafting or applying cuttings. The spring time is selected for reproduction, when the dracaena comes out of winter "hibernation".
Before planting, the seeds are soaked for a day in a solution that stimulates further growth at a temperature of 28-30 degrees. The container is filled with palm potting soil, slightly moistened and seeds are spread over it. From above, they are only slightly powdered with the same substrate. Then the container is covered with a film to create a mini-greenhouse. The place for germination should not be in direct sunlight. After a month or two, sprouts will appear and when they reach 5–6 cm in height, a dive is carried out. It is important to ventilate and moisturize the soil.
When grafting, choose a strong and young stem and cut it into 3-5 cm pieces with a very sharp knife. The main thing is that the tool is well sharpened, and the stem is not cut off at the cut. Each of the parts must contain at least 2 buds. On the one hand, the bark on the stalk is incised and placed in the ground with it. The cuttings are covered with a plastic bag and placed in a place with diffused lighting. It is important to monitor the humidity in a makeshift greenhouse. The first signs of rooting will appear 1–1.5 months after planting. After the young shoots of the cuttings appear, it is required to regularly spray with soft and warm water.
When cutting the top of the stem, it is cut off and placed in a vessel with water with room heat. An activated carbon tablet is dissolved in a liquid. After 3 months, the cuttings will release the roots and are planted in a prepared pot with a substrate.
Diseases and pests during plant cultivation
Among the pests that infect the "dragon tree" are spider mites, scale insects and thrips. When traces of the presence of harmful insects have just been noticed, it is necessary to carry out an insecticide treatment.
Interesting facts about the dragon tree
There is a legend associated with the second name of the dracaena - the dragon tree. Along it, on the island of Socotra, once a terrible dragon lived, feeding on the blood of elephants. But one day an old elephant sacrificed himself, fell and crushed the predator. Their blood mixed and colored all the land around, and when trees grew in this place, they began to be called Dracens ("female dragon").
And on the territory of South and Central America this plant is called the "tree of happiness", as another legend of the Aztecs contributes to this. According to which the warrior, seeking the hand of the leader's daughter, was forced to water a stick, which the high priest stuck into the ground. And only then could he marry the chosen one when a bunch of foliage appeared on the stick. If this had not happened within 5 days, the warrior would have been executed. However, the leaves appeared and the lovers were able to get married. Since then, there has been an opinion that if a small part of the dracaena trunk is cut off at midnight on a full moon, it will bring happiness.
The sap of the plant is used to make varnish for coating metals, dyeing fabrics, or local peoples tint the color of wines. If you mix dracaena juice with grape juice, then it can be successfully used in the treatment of skin diseases or stomach ulcers. Hair dyed with juice has a golden tone. There is information that in ancient times, the Guanche tribes (the natives of the Canary Islands) embalmed the bodies of their dead with this juice. Also, dracaena sheet plates serve as raw materials for the manufacture of coarse fibers, from which ropes are then made.
Dracaena species
Dracaena sanderiana (Dracaena sanderiana) has a herbaceous form of growth and a long life cycle. The height can reach meter indicators. The leaf plates are slightly curled. Their color is grayish-green, with a length of up to 23 cm. The stem is fleshy and this is its difference in relation to bamboo shoots. This is a rather unpretentious variety, often popularly called "Lucky Bamboo", that is, "bamboo of happiness" or "lucky bamboo", although dracaena has nothing to do with this plant. Shows sufficient vitality, so it is very difficult to destroy it by improper care.
Dracaena cinnabar red (Dracaena cinnabari). This representative of Iglitziaceae is distinguished by its resinous sap with a red tint. It is endemic (a plant that is no longer found anywhere on the planet, except in the indicated territory) of the Socotra island lands. There, this species can be found everywhere - on rock formations and cliffs, climbing to an altitude of 500 to 1500 meters above sea level. The height of this tree can be close to 10 meters. The barrel is thick in outline. Its crown has the outlines of an umbrella turned inside out, characterized by thickened branches. When the plant is still young, a kind of deciduous cap is formed in the upper part of the stem.
The leaf plates in it are distinguished by linear-xiphoid outlines and a pointed tip, sticking out. Over time, branches appear that have dichotomous branching (sequential division into two parts). And to the top of the shoot, each of the branches will end in a leafy bunch. The leaf plates in this formation are very closely spaced to each other and differ in a leathery surface. The tops of the leaves are also strongly pointed. Their length ranges from 30-60 cm. Inflorescences with paniculate outlines and large branching. The flowering process occurs during the monsoon rains. When fruiting, the berry ripens.
Dracaena dragon (Dracaena draco) can be found under the name of the Dragon tree. The native habitat is in Africa, in the tropical and subtropical zones, and can also be found on the island lands of Southeast Asia. Usually grown as a room culture. In the dictionary of Vladimir Dahl, this plant corresponds to the term "dragon dragon" and it is a symbol of the flora of the island of Tenerife.
The tree has thick branches that end in bunches collected from peaked leaf plates. A thick and very branched trunk reaches 20 meters under natural growth conditions, at the base having a diameter of up to 4 m. There is a secondary growth in thickness - when the deposition of wood (secondary xylem) occurs, which completely changes the initial (primary) structure, which is a distinctive feature branches of trees and shrubs.
Each of the branches, which is formed as a result of branching, ends at the top with a dense bundle of leaves. Their arrangement is very dense, the color is grayish-green, the surface is leathery. In shape, the leaf plate is linear-xiphoid, its length ranges from 45-60 cm with a length of up to 2-4 cm at the widest point of the leaf. There is a slight narrowing towards the base, and at the top there is a strong sharpening, veins stand out strongly over the entire surface.
In the inflorescences, large flowers are collected, bisexual and with the correct shape, the perianth has separate petals and a corolla-like structure. In the bundle inflorescence 4-8 buds are connected. Some trees of this species have reached the life limit of 7-9 millennia.
Dracaena fragrans (Dracaena fragrans) is an evergreen plant with a shrub growth. A dense rosette is collected from the leaves. The surface of the leaf plate is glossy with a green color, along it there are wide stripes, the shade of which varies from light green to yellowish. The length of the leaf can approach meter indicators with a width of up to 10 cm. In conditions of natural growth, the height of the trunk can reach 6, 1 meter values, when grown at home, these indicators are much more modest. The flowers have white petals, a strong aroma, and because of this, the variety got its name. The smell is so strong and pleasant that not only insects, but also some species of hummingbirds flock to the flowers.
It grows mainly in Africa - in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Angola, Ghana and Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and other nearby countries.
Dracaena ombet can also be found under the name of the Nubian dragon tree. It is a plant that differs in height from 3 to 12 meters. The crown has an umbrella shape. The leaf plates are xiphoid, thickened. They can grow up to 40–70 cm in length, with a wide-oval base. A cylindrical racemose inflorescence is collected from the flowers. There is a whitish or pale pinkish perianth, consisting of three pairs of lobes with narrow, oblong-lanceolate outlines. Ripening berries are colored yellow or orange.
The native area of growth falls on the lands of Egypt. Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, and the plant can also be found in Djibouti, Somalia and Saudi Arabia.
Dracaena reflexa (Dracaena reflexa) has a tree-like shape and can occasionally reach 6 meters in height, but its usual sizes vary within 4–5 m. The trunk is also sometimes distinguished by branching. The leaf plates are lanceolate. Measured in length 12–16 cm with a width of only 1, 8–2, 5 cm in the central part. The base is narrowed to 0, 4–0, 7 cm. The foliage color is green, with striking variegation, the leaf surface is dense, leathery, covered with thin veins. There are garden varieties in which the leaf edge is decorated with a cream or green-yellow tone.
Small whitish flowers gather in an inflorescence, represented by panicle outlines with loose branching. After flowering, the fruits ripen, which black-and-white maned lemurs feed on. This animal is endemic to the island of Madagascar.
The native habitat is in the islands of Madagascar and Mauritius, as well as in the neighboring island territories. In folk medicine of the tribes living on these lands, they are used to cure malaria, various poisonings, dysentery and dysmenorrhea, they are also used because of antipyretic and hemostatic properties. Teas are brewed on the basis of other local plants and leaves and bark of dracaena folded back.
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