Dracaena Marginata, or Bordered - one of the most famous houseplants, perennial. It is often planted in conservatories and greenhouses, in office premises. The plant is quite unpretentious, easy maintenance.
What does dracaena Marginata look like to which family
Dracaena Marginata belongs to the genus Dracaena, the family Iglitsy.
Description of appearance:
- trunk - straight, smooth, woody;
- the leaves are straight, narrow in shape, in appearance they are very similar to a palm tree, their arrangement is heaped, the color is light or dark shades of green, with stripes of pink, green or white;
- growth - slow, the indoor flower adds a maximum of 10 cm per year;
- opened buds - small, cream or white;
- aroma - fragrant, pronounced.
Marginata - the ideal solution to complement the office space
The leaf plates of dracaena are quite fragile, with a slight mechanical impact they can break.
Additional Information! Russian houseplant lovers translate Dracaena marginata in different ways - the name of the magenta dracaena is found on the Internet, the description and care of which completely coincide. Sometimes flower owners use the name dracaena Magenta, Margarita or Marginata.
Other common varieties
Among the dracaena grown at home, there are several varieties:
- Fragrant or Fragrans is a very hardy representative of the family, the height of the plant at home is up to 2 m. In the wild, up to 6 m. The buds are white, exude a strong aroma. It is recommended to use Fragrant dracaena for decoration of offices and conservatories.
- Deremskaya is an evergreen plant, it is the most spectacular variety with excellent decorative characteristics. Platinum sheets are painted in deep green color, which looks beneficial in any interior.
- Bent - the leaf plates of the plant have an arc shape, at the base they branch. This variety rarely blooms at home. The inflorescences collected in panicles are small, painted white. Care for Bent Back is complicated. It is grown mainly in greenhouses, where it is possible to create the necessary climatic conditions for the plant.
Dracaena Bordered, Fragrant and Deremskaya are fairly easy-to-care varieties, so they are most often planted at home and in offices.
In the natural habitat, dracaena grows tall and rundown
Medicinal properties
In addition to its beautiful appearance, dracaena is a useful plant that favorably affects human health:
- promotes wound healing;
- used in the treatment of skin diseases of various etiologies;
- strengthens bone and tooth tissue;
- positive effect on the central nervous system.
Additional Information! It is believed that Marginata has a strong positive energy, which gives itself away to everyone who is in the same room with her.
Briefly about the history of the appearance
There is no exact data on how dracaena appeared. Its homeland is the island of Tenerife. Marginata dracaena came to Europe thanks to sailors who were involved in the delivery of various goods from China and India.
The name "dracaena" in translation means "female dragon." This name is associated with the legend of the origin of the plant. Dracaena appeared on the spot where their blood was shed during the battle of dragons and elephants.
Additional Information!Dracaena is called dragon blood for the reason that the resin that it secrets is bright scarlet, very similar to blood.
The resin of the plant looks very much like blood
Features of home flower care
If we talk about the indoor flower of dracaena Marginata, then care at home for him is not difficult. When creating the proper conditions, the plant will delight with beautiful, unusual shoots.
- Temperature
Dracaena Marginata loves temperatures from +18 ° C to +25 ° C. If the room is hotter, it is necessary to increase the frequency of watering.
- Lighting
The plant loves plentiful, diffused lighting. But direct sunlight should be avoided.
The optimal place for placement is partial shade. If the leaf plates began to fade, this indicates a lack of light. If it is not possible to provide natural lighting, fluorescent lamps are used.
- Watering
Watering is moderate - it is impossible to transfuse a room flower at all. To understand when a plant needs water, you need to monitor the condition of the soil. It should dry 2-3 cm deep.
- Spraying
Dracaena loves a shower with warm water that helps flush dust off of it. In winter, if the room has central heating, which dries the air, you need to spray it 1-2 times a day.
Attention!For spraying, clean water at room temperature is used.
- Humidity
Dracaena Marginata prefers medium or high humidity. Despite the fact that it may be in conditions with dry air for some time, this is best avoided. The drier the air, the faster the plant will begin to lose its decorative characteristics.
- Priming
The soil should be enriched with nutrients. To grow plants, you must buy special land intended for dracen.
- Top dressing
Fertilizers are applied in the spring and summer for 2 weeks. Complex preparations are used. In winter, it is enough to apply fertilizer once a month.
Features of winter care, rest period
In winter, when there is a dormant period, caring for Dracaena edifice is minimal. It is enough to water it once a week, maintain the necessary level of humidity, depending on how dry the air is in the room. It is enough to apply fertilizer 1 time per month in a small amount.
The temperature in the room should not be lower than +15 ° С. At rest, dracaena is in the period from October to January.
Regular top dressing promotes active growth and splendor of the plant
When and how it blooms
If you take care of the plant incorrectly, you can never see its flowers.
Attention!In dracaena Marginata, the color rod forms and develops for a very long time, about 10-12 years.
When this palm tree begins to bloom depends on how suitable the conditions were for it. This can happen at any time of the year.
Inflorescences are small, white or pale cream in color, they are collected in numerous bunches, similar in shape to a magnificent ball.
Small inflorescences are like umbrellas.
Arrows that appear ripen in about 7-10 days. Flowering continues for about 1 month.
Attention!When the dracaena blooms, its inflorescences exude a very strong, suffocating aroma. During this period, it is recommended to take it out of the room onto balconies or loggias.
Changes in flowering care
Dracaena needs daily spraying and top dressing. The frequency and abundance of watering depends on the temperature in the room.
Dracaena blooms unusual and very beautiful
Pruning
With dracaena Marginata, competent care includes regular pruning. Its essence is to remove the tip. Cutting shoots contributes to the active development of the plant, its renewal and rejuvenation. After the procedure, it is enough to leave up to 5 sheet plates on the trunk.
Helps cleaning the shoots to get new "candles". To do this, you need to close the cutoff place with a film to create a greenhouse effect. With great luck, new kidneys will appear in about 30-40 days.
How Dracaena Marginata propagates
For the propagation of dracaena, seeds, cuttings and the method of air layers are used.
Seed germination
Planting of seeds is carried out in the period from February to March.
Attention!Within 24 hours, the seeds must be soaked in Zircon, which contributes to the active appearance of roots.
Soaked seeds are planted at a distance of 15-20 cm in a box with fertile soil. Cover the container with polyethylene on top to create a greenhouse. Every day, the film needs to be removed for 20-30 minutes to ventilate the earth to prevent mold on it. Periodically, seedlings need to be watered, not allowing the land to dry out.
The first sprouts will appear in about 30-50 days. Fertilizer is introduced once a month.
When the bores reach a height of about 5 cm, they can be transplanted.
The seed method is quite laborious, and does not always give a positive result.
Rooting cuttings
To prepare the cuttings, you need to cut a healthy, strong branch. It needs to be cut into several parts, each stalk should have a length of about 5 cm. A small cut is made on the bark on the cuttings below. The workpiece is lowered into the soil to a depth of 1-2 cm.
On top of the stalk is covered with a film or a plastic jar to create a greenhouse. Until the roots appear, keep in a warm room. Shoots will begin to appear in about 1.5-2 months.
Cuttings - the preferred method of breeding dracaena
Attention!Once a week, cuttings should be watered and sprayed with clean, filtered water at room temperature.
Apical rejuvenation
From the top of the plant you need to cut off about 15 cm of shoot. It must be immersed in water poured into an opaque, dark container. 1 tablet of activated carbon is pre-mixed in water.
The roots will begin to appear in about 3 to 3.5 months. When the root system is well developed, dracaena can be planted in nutrient soil. A pot with a landing is covered with a film.
This method is used quite rarely, because it takes a very long time to wait for the result from it.
Transfer
It is necessary to transplant an adult dracaena 1 time in 2-3 years. One can guess that she needs a new place - the old bush for the bush will become cramped, and the roots will come out through the drainage holes at the bottom of the flowerpot.
Planting a plant in a new place is quite easy:
- A new container is being prepared, which should be an order of magnitude larger than the previous pot.
- A drainage layer is placed at the bottom - expanded clay or small stone, fertile soil from a mixture of turf and peat land is poured on top.
- Carefully remove dracaena from the old flowerpot.
- Using a wooden stick or a simple pencil, you need to clean the root system of the old earth.
- In a new pot, dracaena is placed in the center.
- The rest of the earth is poured, lightly compacted.
Attention!After transplantation, the container with dracaena is placed in a dark place. Do not water within 2 days. This measure will contribute to the quickest adaptation of the root system.
Possible problems in growing and disease
Despite the fact that the dracaena is quite unpretentious, when growing it, the gardener can face a number of problems.
- Discards buds and leaves
If the plant suddenly began to fall off leaf plates or buds forming, this indicates excessive watering. Due to the abundance of water, the root system begins to rot. To restore dracaena, you need to remove the damaged roots and normalize the flow of water.
- Leaves turn pale
Pallor is the result of the fact that the plant is in conditions of low temperature.
- The tips dry on the leaves
A dracaena may dry a sheet plate due to excessive dryness of the air. What to do - remove damaged parts, regularly spray the plant.
Any changes in the condition of the dracaena are due to improper conditions for it.
- Lower leaves fall off
Falling may be due to improper, low temperature or root decay.
Pests
Dracaena can become a victim of such pests:
- Aphid - when it appears, the green part of the dracaena turns yellow and falls. To get rid of aphids, the plant needs to be treated with a soapy solution. In advanced cases, insecticides are used.
- Spider mite - dark spots appear on the dracaena, thin web threads are visible. Treatment - increased humidity, treatment with soapy water or acaricides.
- Mealybug - the appearance of white plaque. Treatment - rubbing with a solution of alcohol and treatment with an insecticide.
It is possible to treat the plant with soapy water for prevention.
Other problems
Dracaena Disease:
- Heterosporosis - the appearance of brown spots with a dark border. Treatment is carried out with the drugs Fundazol, Fitosporin-M.
- Spotted wilting, virus - growth retardation, deformation of leaf plates - fungicide treatment.
- Phylloscystosis - dark spots in a yellow frame. Damaged parts are removed, after which the plant is treated with fungicide.
To prevent the occurrence of any diseases, the plant needs to create comfortable conditions.
Signs and superstitions
Dracaena is a plant that brings luck, success and material wealth. According to the teachings of feng shui, dracaena must be placed at the entrance.
Dracaena - Lucky Talisman
What exactly Marginata will bring to her household, the number of sheet plates on her will say:
- attraction of happiness and good luck - 3 pcs;
- good health - 7 pcs;
- financial well-being - 5 pieces.
Dracaena is an amazing plant in its properties and characteristics. Despite the fact that in conditions of “captivity” it rarely throws out inflorescences, you can still see tender white balls if you create a comfortable living environment for the plant.
