Dragon Tree Plants are classic indoor plants. With their elegant slender stems and striking spike-like leaves, they have the ability to brighten up any room in any house. Those leaves are a luscious green in the middle, but have flashes of red along the edges. A wonderful combination of colour and stunning foliage gives the Dragon Tree plant a unique look, something a bit different for your home.
And that isn't everything! The Dragon Tree (dracaena) plant brings with it all the other wonderful benefits that you can expect from houseplants - it will help purify the air in your home, it will help you feel more calm and can even make you more productive. It's even been found to help remove cancer-causing pollutants from the air.
So, just for clarity, the Dragon Tree would make an excellent addition to your indoor plant collection. If you really want to make it thrive, though, you need to know a few things about Dragon Tree care. Fortunately for you, this blog will tell you everything you need to know about how to care for a dracaena plant - let's get straight into it.
Are Dragon Tree Plants easy to care for?
Before we get into the real meat of Dragon Tree care, let's address this important question. A lot of people don't want to take on a new house plant if it means a load more responsibility and effort. Well, if you're in that camp, we have some good news for you. Dragon plants are incredibly easy to look after, and are often seen as an entry-level houseplant as a result.
There main attributes that make them easy to care for are that they are slow growing, which means that they don't require much in the way of pruning or trimming; and that they are relatively drought tolerant, so you don't need to follow a strict watering routine. Basically, they don't require you to go far out your way to keep them alive.
We want to make sure all houseplants thrive, though. So follow our guide below to discover how to get the very best out of your Dragon plant.
What are Dragon Tree plants?
The Dragon plants, or the Dracaena marginata to give it its botanical name, originally comes from the island of Madagascar. In fact, it is sometimes referred to as the Madagascar Dragon Tree. They are tropical plants, but have adapted to thrive in a range of conditions - from wet forests to dry scrubland. This adaptability is another reason why they are so easy to look after.
They are actually members of the Asparagaceae family, the same as asparagus, although you wouldn't think that there were too many similarities between the two - a distant cousin, perhaps. They can produce small white flowers in the wild, but they rarely flower indoors. Also, a Dragon Tree grows much taller in its natural habitat, up to 6m tall! But the small tree that you will grow in your home, will only reach around 3m, and as it is slow growing, you'll be able to control exactly how tall it grows.
How to care for a Dragon Tree plant
Now we will go through everything you need to know about caring for a Dracaena marginata in detail, before we then provide you with a helpful quickfire guide to Dragon Tree indoor care.
We'll start with watering. As we mentioned above, Dragon Trees are drought tolerant plants, and can survive for weeks without any water at all. In fact, they are more vulnerable to over watering than under watering, so it's definitely better to adopt a 'less is more' philosophy.
The best way to check to see whether your Dragon Tree needs watering is to touch the top of the soil - if that is completely dry, then it could do with a little drink, but if it is moist, leave it a while and check again. As a rough guide, you probably need to leave it around 3 weeks between watering, but during the growing season (Spring and Summer) you may need to water more often. Always check the soil though - if it becomes too wet, you run the risk of root rot, which will harm the plant, and if you see brown leaf tips, then you are probably underwatering.
When it comes to light, the best place for your plant is somewhere that gets bright, indirect light. They can cope with some partial shade, but they may grow slower in lower light conditions. On the other hand, too much direct sunlight can scorch the leaves, so indirect sunlight is usually best.
As tropical plants, you will see a lot of benefit if you mist your plant regularly. Just a little spray with a water mist will help it thrive, and recreate their native habitat.
One other quick note - Dragon Trees can be toxic to children and pets, so best to keep it out of reach. And don't worry if you get dead leaves at the bottom of the plant, this is perfectly normal and the plant's way to encourage new growth.
Here's our easy-to-follow Dragon Tree Indoor care guide:
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Origins: Madagascar
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How much light: Bright indirect light, can cope with partial shade, try to keep out of direct sun
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Water requirements: Only when the top soil is completely dry - once every three weeks roughly
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Humidity requirements: A quick spritz with a water mist every now and then is ideal!
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Soil requirements: Well-draining potting mix is perfect - just make sure the water can drain through
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Temperature requirements: 18°C to 24°C, minimum 15°C.
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Pruning requirements: Remove dead or damaged leaves to encourage new growth
Propagating Dragon Tree Plants
You can propagate Dragon Trees easily from stem cuttings. All you need to is cut off a stem, roughly 8 cm long, from the parent plant, just above the node. Remove the lower leaves and put it in a jar of water, and after a few weeks, you will see that roots have started to develop. When this happens, simply pot it in some well draining potting mix, and you new plant will grow from there!
Expand your indoor plant collection with Prickle
Now that you know everything you need to know about Dragon Tree indoor plant care, it's time to think about what other houseplants you want as part of your display. The Dragon Tree works so well with other potted plants, so have a think about what you want to add in - we have some great bundles available in our house plant collection, as well as a new range of popular garden plants. Have a look through and pick out your favourites.
If you need any help or advice, our team would love to hear from you - you can get us on social media (@prickplantsuk) or on email (contact@prickleplants.co.uk). Let us help you create your perfect indoor plant setup.