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Although a dracaena marginata can be used as a table
plant or a bush on the floor, its real claim to fame is as a tall striking tree
with multiple canes and hundreds of long thin green leaves trimmed in dark red. The
canes can be thick, twisted and woody, making it a desirable and more expensive “specimen”
plant. A marginata, or Dragon tree as it is sometimes called, is an easy care durable tree well suited for offices
and homes. NASA has listed it as a clean air plant and it is a favorite choice of interior designers.
Houseplant 411 for the iPhone & i Pod Touch
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CARE OF DRACAENA MARGINATA
Light: Dracaena marginatas prefer medium light, but will survive in a lower light: situation. Low light slows down plant growth and new leaves may be small and narrow. Direct sun will burn the leaves.
Water: Most marginatas die from too much water, which results in root rot.
Water your marginata well and do not water again until it has thoroughly dried out; depending upon the light, this may be
up to three weeks. Brown tips indicate over watering.
Temperature:
Dracaena marginatas like it a little on the warm side so 70-80 degrees works well. Temperatures that are too warm and too
dry encourage spider mites.
Fertilizer: A dracaena marginata is a slow growing
plant and does not need much fertilizer. Feed you plant once a month in the spring and summer with a water-soluble plant food.
Pests: Marginatas get mealy bugs and spider mites. Spray the entire plant, especially the new growth, with the green solution, every 10 days for a month.
Pruning: If the canes become too long and bare,
cut the top part of the cane back to where you would like it to start growing again. Several new stems will grow out of the
cut area and you tree will look even more interesting. Don’t be anxious to repot, maginatas like being root bound.
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| Dracaena Marginata "Specimen" |
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MARGINATAS FAQ’S
1. The tips of the leaves of my marginata are turning brown. I’ve increased the water, but
it just gets worse.
Brown tips indicate over watering. Stop watering your marginata for about a month and let
it totally dry out.
2. The bottom leaves of my dracaena marginata turn yellow and
fall off. What am I doing wrong?
Unless you absolutely never water your maginata, you are doing nothing wrong.
Marginatas are a cane plant and it’s normal for them to lose their bottom leaves.
3. The leaves of my marginata are looking pale and blotchy.
It sounds as though your plant has spider mites. These are difficult to see but do leave very fine webbing on the plant and a gritty feel to the surface of the leaves. Mites
suck the juices from the plant resulting in the leaf discoloration. Spray with the green solution every 10 days for a month.
3. Just the tips of the leaves of my marginata are
turning yellow, not the whole leaf. Is it too much or too little water?
It’s neither. Yellow tips usually
indicate too much salt in the soil because you are over fertilizing or too much fluoride in the water.
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