If you’re looking for a gorgeous houseplant, the dracaena marginata is an excellent choice thanks to its lively green leaves and spiky look.
Plants bring beauty and life to the home, but it’s important to understand proper care techniques so you can enjoy yours for years to come.
Read these five tips that will help you care for your dracaena marginata so you can savor its beauty in any room.
1. Light and Temperature
This unique houseplant prefers moderate light to bright, indirect sunlight. Place it near a sunny window, but make sure it doesn’t get too much light or the leaves will start to show brown spots. Keep your room temperature between 65 and 75 degrees for best results. If your home gets chilly during the winter, make sure the room temperature stays cozy since this plant will not do well with sudden temperature changes.
2. Water and Food
The dracaena marginata doesn’t need too much watering or else it can die. Make sure you only water this plant whenever the top inch of soil looks dry, then thoroughly water it using room-temperature water. Don’t let your plant sit in a saucer of water or it could cause root rot. When it comes to feeding, use a liquid houseplant fertilizer and administer it every two weeks. Feeding times should be every two weeks during the spring and summer, and just once a month during fall and winter.
3. Repotting the Dracaena Marginata
You can move your plant to a new pot every two years, choosing a larger sized pot until it reaches your desired height. Once the plant gets to the ideal height for your needs, you can re-pot it every three years into a pot of the same size with new soil. You can find a Dracaena for sale that comes in a size you already prefer so you don’t have to change pots as often. When you do re-port the plant, use houseplant potting soil and try to remove as much of the old soil as you can.
4. Be Aware of Fluoride
This unique plant is highly sensitive to excess amounts of fluoride. If you notice scorched areas on the leaves or yellow and brown discoloration, it could mean that the plant was exposed to high levels of fluoride. Be sure to only use potting soils with a low amount of perlite. Keep the soil pH level between 6.0 and 6.5 to prevent the plant from absorbing too much of this harmful element.
5. Height Tips
You can purchase your dracaena marginata as a tabletop plant, but they grow rather quickly and will soon become a floor plant. Sometimes, this plant can get bigger than you expected so it’s good to be prepared. Cut off the top of the plant to keep it trimmed to your desired height. Within a few weeks, the bare stalk will produce new shoots and foliage.
With these simple care tips, you can be sure that your dracaena marginata will live a long and healthy life. Place it in a living area or home office to give your home a gorgeous dose of exotic greenery.
