Dracaena Marginata belonging to the Asparagus family is a beautiful houseplant with sword-like leaves. The spiky leaves having red tips add spectacular beauty to this house plant.
This eye-catching houseplant is a wonderful entry to your house because of its easily manageable and nearly indestructible nature. This slow-growing plant keeps flourishing throughout the year which further increases its value for plant enthusiasts.
Classification of Dracaena Marginata
Genus: Dracaena
Family Asparagus
Common Name: Dragon tree/Dragon plant
Botanical Name: Dracaena Marginata
Origin And Distribution
The word Dracaena is derived from the Greek word ‘drakaina’ which means female dragon. The plant thrives beautifully in Africa and nearby islands like the Canary Islands, Madeira, and Cape Verde Islands.
A few species are also found in Central America and southern Asia. There are different varieties of plants. Some varieties grow like a tree with a trunk whereas other species possess bush shapes.
Types of Dracaena Marginata
This plant is available in different varieties and the most common types include:
DM Tricolor:
This variety possesses green leaves with bright red margins. The ivory color stripes at the center of the leaves make it distinct.
DM Colorama:
This variety seems complete pink, however, actually it is variegated with green and white stripes. The bright light is necessary for this variety to keep its peculiar colors.
DM Bicolor:
This plant possesses stripes of two colors i.e., red and green.
Features of Dracaena Marginata
Leaves
The inspirational beauty of Dracaena Marginata is because of its peculiar and unique leaves. Its spiky sword-like leaves having red edges makes it outclass among other house plants.
Flowers
It produces tiny white-colored flowers during the spring season.
Size
Dracaena Marginata can grow up to the height of 20 feet. The size of a mature plant is 15-20 feet long and 3-10 feet wide. However, they are widely grown as pot plants. This is the reason they are pruned regularly to keep their height around 6 feet.
Evergreen
The plant is equally comfortable in all seasons of the year. And it keeps flourishing and adorning your house throughout the year.
Growth
It has a relatively slow growth rate and takes significant time to get mature. Therefore, any of you planning to grow Marginata Dracaena as a house plant must have the patience to enjoy its full beauty.
Durability
These plants are hardy, resilient, and nearly indestructible plants. This is the reason that the life span of these plants is several years.
Maintenance
Maintaining it is not a difficult task as only a little care and time thrives its beautifully. That’s why it is considered an easily manageable and low-maintenance plant.
Air Purifier
Air purification makes these plants even more suitable for your house. Dracaena Marginata plays an effective role in purifying the surrounding air. These plants are good at removing a variety of toxins from the environment.
These toxins include benzene, formaldehyde, carbon dioxide, and trichloroethylene. Apart from removing these toxins, these plants are also good at releasing oxygen that further enhances the air quality. NASA has also recognized the air purification quality of these plants and considered them the best air purifiers.
Toxicity
Despite its wonderful beauty and easily manageable nature, having it within your home can be dangerous. It is toxic to both pets and children. Therefore, it is recommended that you must place these plants away from both pets and children.
Dracaena Marginata Care
Light Requirements
The provision of adequate light is critical for the growth of your Dracaena Marginata. The plant thrives best in bright indirect light. Though the plant can survive shade conditions, however, persistent low light conditions may slow the growth of your plant.
Moreover, leaves in low light conditions are also small and less intense in color. Similarly, bright direct light is also harmful to your plant as it may burn its leaves.
Water Requirements
Dracaena Marginata has medium water requirements. The plant has an adaptable nature and it can thrive both in drought conditions and over-watering.
You can easily overwater your plant without worrying about its health. However, you must not drown your plant. Always water your plant when the top half of the soil is dried.
Temperature Requirements
This plant is fond of warm temperatures and thrives beautifully within a temperature range of 70- and 80-degrees Fahrenheit. However, you must avoid too hot and too cold temperatures for growing this houseplant.
Soil Requirements
While growing Dracaena Marginata as a potted plant, you may use a well-drained and loose potting mixture. A loamy soil mixed with peat moss is ideal for the growth of your plant.
Moreover, you must ensure that container is large enough for supporting the growth of the plant’s root system. In case, you have imported any variety from Hawaii, then you should remove one-third of lava rock and replace it with potting soil.
Humidity Requirements
The plant also feels comfortable in a humid environment and a regular level of humidity goes fine with it. In case you think that the environment within your house is too dry then misting your plant can fulfill the humidity requirements of your plant. Moreover, using a humidifier is also recommended for regulating the humidity levels of your plant.
Fertilizer Requirements
Dracena marginata does not require frequent feeding. If any one of you forget to feed your plant, then you need not worry as it is not critical to the growth of your plant.
Nevertheless, you can accelerate the growth of your plant through fertilizer. The best time for feeding your plant is the beginning of the spring season and avoid feeding in the winter season.
Repotting Requirements
Repotting is necessary for ensuring optimum growth of your dracena marginata plant as it grows very slowly. Therefore, you must repot them either after two or three years. While repotting always ensure that the new pot is only 1-2 inches larger than the previous pot. Moreover, always fill the pot with a new potting mixture.
Pruning Requirements
Pruning gives a fresh and neat look to your plant. It’s normal for Marginata to shed its dead leaves. All you need to do is remove the dead leaves or cut the back stems with neat, sterile, and sharp shears.
The pruning tools can be sterilized by cleaning the tools with a cotton rag dipped in alcohol, rinsing it with water, and then drying it.
Dracaena Marginata Propagation
Propagating your Marginata Dracaena is very simple. The easiest way to propagate your plant is via stem cuttings. The best time for propagation is during the spring season when the plant is growing at an exponential rate.
Moreover, it is also not time taking as roots may sprout in around 3 weeks. You can easily spread the charm by following these steps:
- Cut a healthy stem of around 8 inches long with the help of neat and sterile scissors.
- Remove all leaves from the stem
- Plant the stem in a container having adequate potting mixture and ensure that the soil is moist
- Place the pot in bright indirect light
- Leaves will sprout across the upper nodes of the stem and the top of the cutting will transform into a rosette.
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Common Issues
Overwatering or underwatering is the most common problem among house plants. If you observe that the leaves of your plant are curling then you may be not providing it adequate water.
On the other hand, if the tips of leaves appear brown then you may be overwatering your plant. In some cases, the presence of excessive fluoride also causes the browning of leaves. For addressing this, you must water your plant with non-fluorinated or distilled water.
Final Thoughts
Dracaena Marginata is a spectacular house plant and it can be used to give distinct look to any corner of your house. The easily manageable plant not only requires little care and time but also gives worth breathing air in return. However, you must beware of its toxicity and keep your pets and children away from it.
