It had been a long time since we had fed indoor plants. We have long talked about plants that help clean the air of elements that are toxic to us. One of those plants and the most significant was the poto, which we already discussed a lot in its day. Today we have to talk about another indoor plant that also has these properties and looks very different from poto so that we can complement it. It is the Dracaena marginata .
If we have to choose indoor plants for our home without giving us headaches when it comes to care, pests and diseases and delicacy in terms of climatic conditions, Dracaena marginata is a perfect candidate.
In addition to the perfect qualities to not be too aware of it, the aesthetic aspect is also highly appreciated.
Its slenderness and intense green leaves with reddish edges are, without a doubt, characteristics that attract the attention of any fan of indoor plants. There are even tricolor varieties with greens, reds, and lighter ribbon-like areas.
In Spain this name sounds familiar to us because in the Canary Islands we have a well-known plant of the same genus and with a specific specimen called the millennial dragon tree . We must not confuse them. The one that many people know of Tenerife is the Dracaena draco and the one we are talking about today is Dracaena marginata .
Index
ITS SLOW GROWTH IS ITS WORST OR BEST QUALITY, IT ALL DEPENDS
A characteristic to take into account when purchasing a Dracaena marginata for our home is the size of the plant. They can sell you specimens of little more than 50 cm in height and you make your mental scheme that in a year at most it can be a lady plant.
This is not going to be like that. Dracaenas are generally considered slow growing . This is too. If we return to the same topic as before regarding the Dracaena draco de Canarias, it should be noted that its current size has achieved it after more than 800 years according to recent estimates.
Therefore you can always buy a copy according to the site you have in mind because it will not grow at high speeds and if it does, it will be at the top.
GENERAL CARE OF DRACAENA MARGINATA
TEMPERATURE RANGE
When a plant is considered perfect for the home , one of the main reasons is that its optimal thermal range is similar to that of a standard house. Everyone knows the ideal temperature for a home (21 ºC). At this temperature it will be very comfortable.
In reality, there is even talk of 23-25 ºC but that for a home is excessive (in our opinion) and our Dracaena will not mind being at 21 ºC.
LIGHT NEEDS
Like many of the species in tropical environments, they do not support direct sun well and this is one of them. Lighting yes, but not direct. In any case, it is quite tolerant of shady places so we can include it within indoor plants for semi- shady corners that we do not know what to fill them with.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE IRRIGATION AND WATER DOSAGE
We will have said it times, but we never tire of saying it. When it is said that a plant is easy to care for, in essence we are based on its ability to endure time without watering. With Dracaena marginata we can forget about watering up to almost 3 weeks (winter).
We should not wait that long but you will not suffer too much. In summer we can increase the irrigations to a weekly frequency . The common indicator for irrigation is that the substrate is dry between waterings. Something that will ask us more than irrigation is ambient humidity.
[alert style = »green»] Occasional water sprays never hurt, and neither does the classic tray technique with pebbles and a little water. [/ alert]
SUBSTRATE IF YOU PLANT DRACAENA IN POTS
Slightly acidic substrate (about 6-6.5) with very good drainage to avoid waterlogging. The classic mixture of peat, garden soil and sand will provide an acceptable root environment for this plant. He does not like large volume pots.
They grow best in tight pots. It can be transplanted every 3 years or so into a not much larger pot.
FINAL NOTES
- The leaves tend to collect dust. It is advisable to clean from time to time with a slightly damp cloth.
- They do not usually suffer much from pests but the most common ones such as red spider or mealybug can attack them.