Dracaena Marginata is not a plant that you grow for flowers – it’s the foliage you’re after. You can either grow it in the ground, planted en masse, or as a stand alone feature planted by itself in a decorative container.
Beautiful Foliage of The Dracaena Tri-Color
And, it can grow just as well indoors as it does outdoors (that’s if you live in a semi-tropical to tropical planting zone, that is). Dracaena’s aren’t very fond of frost but they can tolerate colder climates so long as they’re protected. They don’t like too much water but prefer their growing medium to be moist.
Draceana’s come from the Dragon Tree, dracaena draco, which is a native plant to the Canary Islands, so their growing habits, likes and dislikes, and temperamental preferences are all very similar.
They can grow to more than 4m (12-13ft) but can easily be kept smaller by pruning the stems prior to spring.
The stems of a draceana marginata are commonly flexible and thin and seem adequately disproportionate to its height and also the foliage that tops it. They can easily be bent and shaped to conform to your structural desires by using bonsai wire to contort each stem.
If your dracaena is only single-stemmed and you want it to branch out, cut the foliage from the top and reduce the stem to the desired height. Within a few months the foliage will begin to bud from the wound and new branches will grow.
How to propagate dracaena maginata
Draceana’s can be propagated by a variety of ways but the most easiest is by taking a cutting from the stem and after applying some rooting hormone to the base (don’t forget which end is ‘up’) firmly push it into some potting mix. Water frequently and apply a liquid fertilizer when the foliage begins to appear.
Other methods of propagating dracaena include air-layering and basal root cuttings.
Fertilising dracaena marginata
Soluble liquid fertilisers are the best form of nutrient release for dracaena’s but during their dormant period you can also add some slow release pellets to their growing area or container.
Photo source: turtlemom4bacon
I’ve had my baby for nearly 13 years now. By rights she ought to be dead – as one can argue that I neglect the poor thing – however, when she begins to droop I simple water her and the next day she forgives me and looks as good as gold again. Your comment about flouride in water would account for why the end of her leaves are brown and dry. I’ve always kept her in the same pot and never changed for soil – hence my earlier comment about neglect – but I plan to re-pot her into a large pot. Will this harm her at all?