Dracaena is popular among Russians. The plant is of southern origin. It pleases the eye with lush green leaves. A distinctive feature of dracaena is the ability to clean the air in the apartment from formaldehydes. The flower can be kept at home or at work.
After buying a plant, you need to find out the features of caring for it. From improper watering or lack of fertilizer, the flower begins to fade. Holders of room "palm" often wonder what to feed the dracaena at home. Before buying fertilizer, you need to find out which variety of varieties the indoor flower belongs to. Fertilizer for dracaena is selected taking into account the age and size of the plant. Fertilizers must be used during the period of growth and flowering of the crop.
The appearance of dracaena
What elements does dracaena need
The flower is easy to grow in room conditions, if you know what trace elements it needs. The plant needs to be fed with special fertilizers, so for growth it needs a complex of trace elements. It is worth paying attention to the ratio of elements in the composition of the product. It is better to take a tool in which NPK will be 3: 1: 3. The following trace elements are necessary for a flower:
- magnesium and copper;
- zinc and iron;
- phosphorus and manganese;
- boron and molybdenum;
- cobalt and nitrogen;
- potassium.
On a note! Gardeners often ask in stores how to fertilize dracaena. It is important to find not only a suitable tool, but also to calculate the right amount of substances.
General rules for fertilizing
In order for fertilizer for dracaena to benefit the plant, the following application rules must be observed:
- Indoor flowers need to be fed in the active period of growth, which lasts from April to August.
- The correct ratio of trace elements should be selected. It is better to dwell on an NPK suitable for dracaena - 3: 1: 3.
- It is necessary to monitor the amount of phosphorus in the product. Often there are compounds where the dose of the trace element is exceeded.
- It is important to calculate the exact amount of water that will be required to dissolve the substance.
- Before adding trace elements, you need to read the instructions and step by step follow the instructions.
Fertilizers and fertilizing for growth
To accelerate flower growth, it is necessary to alternate the introduction of mineral components and organic compounds.
Examples of fertilizer for a flower
Experienced gardeners advise using the following dressings for plant growth:
- Agricola
- Rainbow;
- Master;
- Stimovit;
- Ideal.
Note! It’s better to water your home palm once a month. If you choose between home formulations and industrial solutions, it is important to consider the appropriate proportions of potassium, nitrogen and not overdo it with the addition of phosphorus.
Granular products for flower growth are in great demand. Top dressing is diluted in a small amount of water and then added to the soil. You can add granules to the soil. They will gradually dissolve, and nutrients will reach the flower. Gardeners note that the growth of a flower is positively affected by spraying with a solution consisting of liquid fertilizer and water.
Fertilizing for plant nutrition
Flower growth depends on the microflora of the soil. For this purpose, yeast dressing is used. You can buy a ready-made solution or prepare it at home. To fertilize the flower, you will need five liters of water, two tablespoons of granulated sugar and 0.5 g of yeast. It is better to use a dry mixture. The solution needs to be infused for two hours, after which it can be used to water dracaena. The product should be diluted with water in a ratio of one to five.
What and how often to feed for flowering
Dracaena needs regular top dressing. The flower needs to be saturated with microelements in the spring. Fertilizers should be applied to the soil before the end of August. You need to feed flowers once every two weeks.
Basic rules for fertilizing:
- In March, the plant enters the growing season. It needs nitrogen-rich fertilizers. Top dressing maintains the rich green color of young leaves.
- For flowering, Dracaena requires potassium and ammonium. It is important to select the appropriate proportions of these substances and to add the composition to the soil.
- In winter, flower growth slows down. To maintain the required level of nutrients, it is worth watering the dracaena with a complex composition. It is better to apply the tool once a month. It is important to consider that this period is not the best time for spraying leaves.
Flowering dracaena
Fertilizing mistakes and their consequences
Fans of indoor flowers often make mistakes when feeding plants with special fertilizers. Owners of dracaena often buy products on the advice of the seller in the store, or after reading information about dressing flowers in an unreliable source.
Some buy the Agricola line. The complex is not suitable for dracaena, after its use, the leaves wither and blacken at the ends. From this series, for dracaena, it is best to take Agricola intended for ficuses. The ratio of trace elements in the fertilizer is suitable for the plant.
Important! There are compounds in which a large amount of phosphorus is concentrated. They negatively affect the condition of dracaena. The leaves are covered with specific spots, most often dark brown.
An excess of trace elements in the soil leads to yellowing of the leaves.
What causes excess fertilizer
Folk fertilizer methods
In the process of growing a flower, the question often arises as to how to fertilize dracaena at home. Mineral compounds can be bought in specialized stores or independently prepare a nutrient solution. A useful mixture for dracaena is obtained from potassium nitrogen and ammonium. It is necessary to add potassium phosphate to the composition. Elements should be dissolved in water, this will require two liters of liquid. Nutrient dressing is better to spray the foliage.
Animal manure is an effective fertilizer for dracaena. Can be used for feeding bird droppings, rich in nitrogen and phosphorus. In the apartment it is difficult to use compounds of animal origin due to the unpleasant odor coming from top dressing.
Additional Information! The popular methods of fertilizer include the introduction of banana peel and orange zest into the ground. Dracaena responds positively to the addition of onion husks and eggshells to the soil. It is possible to use ashes and yeast as a top dressing of a flower.
Tea leaves have a positive effect on flower growth. It is a proven top dressing for room dracaena.
Features of the preparation and application of home fertilizers:
- Nutrients should be added during dracaena transplantation. The drainage is covered with a layer of river sand, after which a layer of chopped banana peel is laid. Sand contributes to the rapid decomposition of the peel and saturation of the soil with useful trace elements. It is better to plant dracaena in a large pot, with a volume of at least five liters. To saturate the plant with useful trace elements, you will need three banana skins.
- Efficient root nutrition of ash is possible if you pour 4-5 tablespoons of the substance into the drainage.
- From onion husks can make an infusion. The composition is suitable for spraying the leaves of dracaena, it makes the greens more dense. To make an effective remedy, you need 25 g of husk. It is brewed with one liter of boiling water. After two hours, the infusion must be filtered, and you can spray them with flowers.
- Infusion of banana peel and citrus fruits will help to get juicy green leaves on a palm tree. The composition is used no more than once a month. To prepare the infusion, boiled water you need to pour the banana skin and the skin of two oranges. Two tablespoons of sugar should be added to the resulting solution. The skins should be completely covered with water. The container with the solution must be left in a dark place for twenty days, after which the composition can be used to feed dracaena.
- Sugar syrup mixed with water is used to spray dracaena leaves in summer.
Appearance of the flower after using fertilizers
When choosing fertilizer for dracaena, it is important to consider the age of the flower, its variety. It is necessary to monitor the amount of nutrients and prevent their excess. Exotic flower with good care and timely introduction of the necessary components will long delight its owner with a beautiful appearance.
