Dracaena deremskaya: description, reproduction and subtleties of care

Flowers live in almost every home. They enliven the space, fill the house with colors and aromas, and make it cozy. The choice of colors depends on the overall interior and the preferences of the owners. Many people prefer to choose plants that are easy to care for. One of these options is the deremskaya dracaena.

Dracaena deremskaya is an indigenous inhabitant of Africa, with about 80 varieties. At the same time, at least 10 species have taken root well at home. They can usually be found in apartments. While the dracaena is small, it is a bunch of leaves that grow from the ground. But gradually, as it grows, a trunk appears, on top of which leaves are located. In appearance, the plant is very reminiscent of a palm tree. Long leaves adorn white or yellow stripes in the center or at the edges.

Provided that the tree is not pruned, it can reach 3 m and will be a small slender palm tree. But most often the tree is pruned, and then it gives lateral shoots and becomes more compact and lush. In its natural environment, dracaena blooms, and the flowers have a very interesting color: red on the outside and white on the inside. After flowering, orange berries appear on the plant.

Dracaena care is not difficult to manipulate. It is enough to fulfill some conditions and follow the recommendations, and the flower will grow well and please the owners with its presence.

• Dracaena loves warm and humid air. This must be taken into account when maintaining her home. Frequent spraying will benefit the plant. Three times a day, you can safely moisten it, and also wipe the leaves with a damp cloth if they are dusty. In winter, spraying must also be done, since central heating threatens to dry out the plants. Once a week, the plant can be taken to the bathroom and take a shower, rinsing the leaves well.
• Watering is recommended as the soil dries out. Although the plant is moisture-loving, it cannot be poured over: the roots can rot. In winter, it is necessary to reduce watering by 2 times. For irrigation, you need water at room temperature, previously settled.
• In the summer, the best option would be compliance with the temperature regime within 20-26 ° heat. In the winter months, the temperature can be reduced to 18 °, but 15 ° is already the limit, below which it is better not to fall. Otherwise, the plant can be affected by diseases. And with untimely treatment, it can generally wither away.
• Dracaena loves the sun, but not direct rays. It is enough to place it in a well-lit room. If there is too much sun, burns on the leaves may appear. If, on the contrary, it is not enough, they will become dull and lose their attractive appearance. In winter, lighting may not be enough, so the plant can be placed under lamps for several hours in the morning and evening.
• There are no special requirements for the soil, but it must be of high quality. It is better to buy a ready-made mixture for indoor plants in the store. It already contains all the nutrients and trace elements. Sometimes the soil needs to be loosened to provide air access. But in winter, it is better not to disturb the plant with unnecessary manipulations. And even more so, do not transplant.The topsoil of an adult tree is periodically recommended to be changed twice a year.
• Dracaena does not need special fertilizers. You can buy food for indoor plants: they contain the whole range of nutrients that are required for growth. They are usually fed in summer and spring, once a month or 2 times. In autumn and winter, the plant rests, and there is no need to feed it.
• The pot is suitable from any material: plastic, ceramics, glass. But it is desirable that it be long and narrow. The plant is not required in the width of the open space, but deep in the roots develop intensively. Therefore, the older the plant, the deeper the capacity it needs.
• If it is time to transplant the plant, the most optimal months for this are spring... First you need to prepare the pot. The new one should be slightly deeper than the previous one. The plant is watered abundantly. Drainage holes are made in a new container, drainage is prepared in the form of pebbles, broken brick, expanded clay and laid on the bottom, then a little earth is poured. The plant is carefully removed from the pot along with a lump of earth and transferred to a new pot, then fresh soil is added, watered. The transplant can be done no more than once every 2 years.

If you want to get new plants, it's time to do this spring. There are several ways: cuttings - apical or stem, air layers, seeds. The last method is the most difficult, and rarely anyone manages to get seeds, since dracaena may never bloom at all at home. And in order to obtain seeds, it is necessary for the flowers to bloom and the fruits to form.

• First option - cut off the top with stems with a sharp knife. It is desirable that the distance from the previous leaves on the trunk is at least 10 cm. All leaves are carefully removed from the cut stem. Within 2 hours, he should simply lie down at room temperature. Then it can be placed in clean water with a cut down and wait for the root to appear, and then transplanted into the ground.

• Another variant - plant in the ground for indoor plants, cover with a transparent cap on top, creating the effect of a greenhouse. From time to time, the seedling needs to be watered, make sure that the ground is sufficiently moistened, and also ventilated by opening the cap for half an hour a day. To accelerate the appearance of roots, it is necessary to treat the places of the cuts with a means that stimulates the growth of roots. The plant from which the top was cut off should be covered with a plastic bag at the cut site and after a while the dracaena will give lateral shoots. This will revitalize the tree and improve its appearance. If you cut off not only the top of the plant, but also a little more, you can get several cuttings from the stem and try to root them all in the same way.

• More sophisticated breeding method - with the help of air layers. A leaf is found on the trunk of a dracaena and cut off. Under it, the trunk is cut across the trunk: it is there that the roots of the future new plant should form. A thin small stick is placed in the hole to avoid overgrowing. The place of germination is covered with peat moss, and on top with a film. Periodically, the film is opened and the moss is sprayed with water to maintain the necessary moisture. After a month or a little more, roots will sprout through the moss, then the sprout can be cut off from the main tree and planted in a separate pot.

The fact that the plant has captured some kind of disease will be indicated by its appearance. And then you need to take action.

• If the leaves begin to dry out or brownish spots appear on them, this may indicate that the dracaena received burns. To do this, you just need to remove the damaged leaves, and remove the flower from a sunny place and provide diffused rays.
• Another reason why spots appear is root decay.In this case, remove the plant from the pot, dry it slightly, add new soil and reduce the amount of watering.
• Pests that can infect dracaena are spider mites, aphids, scale insects, mealybugs. To prevent all these troubles from happening, you need to regularly dust off each leaf, and sometimes rinse well with a shower.
• When a plant is affected by fungal diseases, it must be treated with fungicides. Garden stores sell a variety of remedies to help get rid of the fungus.
• If a white bloom began to appear on the leaves, this indicates that the plant was affected by powdery mildew. In the fight against it, antifungal agents help. Processing will need to be done several times: every week for 2 months in the form of leaf spraying and watering. Controlling powdery mildew is not easy. It is best to change the soil in a pot to fresh. In case of any defeat by some kind of disease, the earth will have to be replaced: this way it will be possible to cope with the problem faster.
• If the leaves droop, and some even fall off, the plant does not have enough moisture. It is necessary to spray more often and make sure that the ground does not dry out.
• When pests appear, the plant should be carefully examined and all pests should be removed manually. They especially like to hide from the inside of the sheet. Then treat with soapy water. Repeat this procedure several times. You can buy a variety of solutions at the store that will also help deal with the problem.

You can see how to propagate the Dracaena deremska in the next video