Dracaena is extremely popular among gardeners. It is also a great option for a gift for a special occasion or date. With little effort and the cost of growing and maintaining the plant is able to decorate any home. It is not so difficult to propagate dracaena at home, it is important to follow some rules and nuances. Even beginners can cope with the procedure.
Propagation of dracaena at home
How is dracaena propagated? Experienced flower growers with confidence declare that in indoor conditions it does not bloom and almost does not form lateral shoots, therefore these breeding methods are categorically not suitable. Basal shoots also appear in exceptional cases. However, there are other successful ways to get a new plant.
Apical cuttings
How to propagate dracaena with apical cuttings? If the florist has a tree that has lost its former attractiveness, then there is a great opportunity to update it and get a new palm. To do this, you need to carefully cut the leafy apical stalk together with part of the stem.
Attention! It is better if the length of the cut trunk to the bottom leaf of the crown will be from 15 to 18 cm.
The rooting of the apical cuttings is carried out both in water and in the nutrient substrate
The stem is cleaned of old foliage, after which they allow the cuttings to dry for a couple of hours, leaving it in room conditions. The process of rooting dracaena successfully takes place in such environments:
- clean drinking water with the addition of a small amount of charcoal and any root stimulant;
- a mixture of peat, river sand and crushed coal;
- perlite;
- vermiculitis;
- Palm tree primer purchased at the store or specially for dracaena.
The rooting process occurs in greenhouse conditions. Dracaena reproduction at home which does not cause difficulties even for beginners, forms a root for a long time.
Attention! Dracaena does not like waterlogging of the soil, so you need to constantly monitor the level of humidity.
The temperature is maintained at + 20-22 ° C. Watering is done very carefully, constantly monitoring the state of the soil. Not only its excessive moistening, but also drying out must not be allowed.
The stem with the root system, which remained after harvesting the cuttings, is covered with a bag and also placed in a warm room, periodically spraying and watering. A month later, lateral buds wake up on it, from which new shoots will grow. In order to grow a healthy plant, it is necessary not only to provide it with proper care, but also to observe sanitary standards, conduct periodic treatments with fungicides and insecticides.
Stem cuttings
How to propagate dracaena at home with the help of stem cuttings? If after trimming the twig with the top there is too long a bare stump, then you can use it as a material for propagation. This method is characterized as reliable and is used when the roots of the flower are healthy and the top has rotted or dried out for some reason. It is important to remember that only high-quality and healthy material that does not have signs of rot or serious diseases can be cut.
Stem cuttings are rooted in both vertical and horizontal position
Attention! The stem is cut into pieces with a length of 10 to 15 cm so that the cut is located exactly in the place of the former attachment of the leaf.
How can root dracaena? In places of cuts, delamination of the fabric, the presence of dirt or bumps are unacceptable. The rooting process takes place in greenhouse conditions, shoots can be placed both vertically and horizontally. In the latter case, they are slightly pressed into moist soil. If only roots are formed during the rooting of the apical cuttings, then when the dracaena propagates with stem cuttings, the side buds wake up and give new shoots. The root system is able to form in 1.5 months, sprouts appear after another 1 month.
It is cuttings that are the most common method of propagation of dracaenas, which is trusted and popular among flower growers.
Air layering
Propagation by air layering is used in the case when the flower is still small in size, and it is not possible to get cuttings from it. In the place where the leaf was located on the trunk of the dracaena, it is necessary to make a neat shallow cut to about the middle of the trunk.
Attention! To prevent the incision from becoming overgrown, a toothpick or an ordinary match is inserted into it.
After 1-1.5 months after the creation of the air lay, you can get a new plant
At the incision site, wrap the trunk with sphagnum moss and wrap it with a plastic bag. Moisten the moss periodically with a spray gun to prevent it from drying out. When the roots become visible through the sphagnum, the film is unwound and the young seedling is cut from the mother plant. A simple way makes it possible to get a new tree without much risk.
Seeds
At home, it is unlikely to get dracaena seeds, but if you somehow managed to get them, you can begin to plant. This technique is often used by those who want to plant palm trees for sale.
First of all, the seed is cleaned of the remnants of the fetus, then soaked for a while in the root stimulant. Allow the seed to dry slightly, then lay it on the surface of a wet mixture of peat and sand, then lightly sprinkle with soil and cover with glass or film.
Indoor dracaena does not bloom and does not form seeds
The sowing container is placed in a well-lit warm place, with a temperature of about + 25 ° C. The greenhouse is periodically ventilated, preventing the ingress of cold air and condensation. Crops can stand for about a month before the first shoots appear. It doesn’t happen very much. Gradually, small dracaenes accustom themselves to cold room air, then dive into separate pots. Quickly parting the palm trees in this way does not work, so you have to be patient.
How to plant a dracaena
Dracaena is required to be planted if several young plants grow in one pot. The procedure is best planned in the spring, when the plant begins the growing season. Pre-harvest nutritious soil mixture for palm trees or cacti.
Attention! Before planting flowers moisten the soil in the evening.
When transplanting, it is important not to damage the fragile roots
In order to transplant dracaena, it is carefully removed together with an earthen lump from the previous pot. If several young plants grew there, then they are very carefully separated and planted in separate pots, filling them with a nutrient substrate. After that, irrigate with warm settling water.
Is it possible to cut roots from dracaena?
Trimming the roots of dracaena is carried out only in case of emergency. The reason for this may be the formation of root rot or a strong proliferation of roots. It is the state of the root system that determines the health and appearance of the plant.
Trimming the roots can only be pre-disinfected with scissors or a garden pruner.
Attention! You can not use a knife to trim the root system, since it may not cut through the fibers the first time.
Without urgent need to prune dracaena roots, do not
Cut points are treated with ground charcoal or activated carbon. A healthy root system should be treated with a fungicide to prevent the spread of root rot and preserve the flower.
How to rejuvenate Dracaena at home
Over time, a decorative palm can lose its qualities, especially if the tree is already old. Experts do not recommend immediately getting rid of dracaena, but try to carry out a rejuvenation procedure, thanks to which not only the attractive appearance will return, but also there will be an opportunity to propagate it and get new healthy plants, which will give the florist double happiness.
Trimming for side shoots
How to trim the dracaena that has grown to the ceiling? In order for it to transform and give additional side shoots, it is necessary to adhere to some principles. The top on which the leaves are located should be in the area of normal lighting. In this regard, pruning is carried out taking into account the increase in green mass. Shear and sealing operations are performed under sterile conditions. Only a flower can be cut, the trunk height of which from the soil level to the attachment of the lower leaves is at least 30 cm.
Pruning dracaena is a must
Pruning dracaena in order to obtain lateral decorative shoots injures the plant, because it needs time to recover and careful care. The place of cut is covered with garden varnish so that excess moisture does not evaporate. Over time, the beginnings of new twigs will form on the cut. The plant should be provided with uniform illumination by periodically turning the pot. To stimulate the growth of shoots, you can spray the trunk with a growth stimulator (for example, Epin). A wet moss cushion is also formed around the cut. A plastic bag is put on top of the dracaena to create constant moisture. In such conditions, it is kept for a month.
Crown formation
Trimming and shaping the crown helps give the dracaena a well-groomed appearance. If deformed shoots form in a plant, then they should be removed immediately. Instead, the flower will let out new processes, form more leaves, take on new forms.
Forming pruning helps maintain a decorative look
Areas subject to removal are signs of disease or pest damage. How can I take a shoot from dracaena? Elongated and very bare branches are cut and used as planting material for propagation.
Propagation of dracaena at home is not very difficult even for beginner growers. However, you will have to be patient and not violate the established procedure. In this case, the rooting process will be successful, and after a while new healthy plants will be obtained.
