Dracaena - breeding at home

Dracaena is extremely popular among flower growers. It is also an excellent option for a gift for a special occasion or date. With little effort and expense for cultivation and care, the plant can beautify 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.

Reproduction of dracaena at home

How does dracaena reproduce? Experienced flower growers declare with confidence that in indoor conditions it does not bloom and almost does not form side shoots, therefore these propagation methods are categorically not suitable. Root 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 a grower has a tree that has lost its former attractiveness, then there is an excellent opportunity to update it and get a new palm tree. To do this, you will need to carefully cut the leafy apical stalk together with part of the stem.

Rooting of the apical cutting is carried out both in water and in a nutritious substrate.

The stem is cleaned of old foliage, after which the cuttings are allowed to dry for a couple of hours, leaving it in room conditions. The rooting process of dracaena successfully takes place in the following environments:

• clean drinking water with the addition of a small amount of charcoal and any root formation stimulant;
• a mixture of peat, river sand and crushed coal;
• perlite;
• vermiculite;
• store-bought primer for palm trees or specially for dracaena.

The rooting process takes place in greenhouse conditions. Dracaena, reproduction at home, which does not cause difficulties even for beginners, forms a root for a long time.

The temperature is maintained at + 20-22 ° C. Watering is done very carefully, constantly monitoring the condition of the soil. It is impossible to allow not only its excessive moisture, but also drying out.

The stem with the root system, which remained after harvesting the cutting, is covered with a bag and also placed in a warm room, periodically sprinkling and watering. A month later, lateral buds will wake up on it, from which new shoots will grow. To grow a healthy plant, it is necessary not only to provide it with proper care, but also to comply with sanitary standards, to carry out periodic treatments with fungicides and insecticides.

Stem cuttings

How to properly propagate dracaena at home using stem cuttings? If, after pruning a branch with a top, a too long bare stump remains, 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 is rotten or dry 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 grafted.

Stem cuttings root both vertically and horizontally

How can dracaena be rooted? In places of cuts, peeling of the fabric, the presence of dirt or irregularities are unacceptable. The rooting process takes place in greenhouse conditions, the shoots can be placed both vertically and horizontally. In the latter case, they are lightly pressed into the moist soil. If during the rooting of the apical cuttings only roots are formed, then during the reproduction of the dracaena, the lateral buds wake up with stem cuttings and give new shoots. The root system is able to form in 1.5 months, sprouts appear in another 1 month.

It is cuttings that are the most common breeding method for dracaena, which is trusted and popular with flower growers.

Air layering

Propagation by air layers is used 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 on the trunk of the dracaena, you need to make a neat shallow cut approximately to the middle of the trunk.

After 1-1.5 months after creating an air layer, you can get a new plant

In the place of the incision, the trunk is wrapped with sphagnum moss and wrapped in a plastic bag. Moss the moss periodically with a spray bottle to prevent it from drying out. When the roots become visible through the sphagnum, the film is unwound and the young seedling is cut off from the mother plant. A simple way makes it possible to get a new tree without much risk.

Seeds

It is unlikely to get dracaena seeds at home, but if you somehow managed to get them, then you can start planting. 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 fruit, then soaked for a while in a root formation stimulator. Allow the seed to dry out a little, then lay it out on the surface of a wet mixture of peat and sand, then lightly sprinkle it with soil and cover with glass or film.

Under indoor conditions, dracaena does not bloom and does not form seeds.

The container with the crops is placed in a well-lit, warm place, with a temperature of about + 25 ° C. Periodically, the greenhouse is ventilated, preventing cold air from entering and condensation. Crops can stand for about a month before the first shoots appear. This does not happen amicably. Little dracaena gradually accustom themselves to the cold room air, then dive into separate pots. You won't be able to quickly spread the palms in this way, so you have to be patient.

How to plant a dracaena

Planting dracaena is required if several young plants grow in one pot. The procedure is best planned in the spring, when the plant begins its growing season. Pre-harvested nutritious soil mixture for palms or cacti.

When transplanting, it is important not to damage fragile roots.

In order to transplant the dracaena, it is carefully removed along 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 nutritious substrate. After that, watering is carried out with warm settled water.

Is it possible to cut the roots of dracaena

Dracaena root pruning is done only if absolutely necessary. The reason for this may be the formation of root rot or strong growth of roots. The health and appearance of the plant depend on the state of the root system.

You can cut the roots only with pre-disinfected scissors or garden pruning shears.

Without an urgent need, you should not cut the roots of dracaena

Cutting points are treated with crushed charcoal or activated carbon. A healthy root system should be treated with a fungicide to keep root rot from spreading and to preserve the flower.

How to rejuvenate dracaena at home

Over time, an ornamental palm tree can lose its qualities, especially if the tree is already old. Experts do not recommend getting rid of dracaena right away, but trying to carry out a rejuvenation procedure for her, thanks to which not only an attractive appearance will return, but also it will be possible to propagate it and get new healthy plants, which will give the grower double happiness.

Pruning for side shoots

How to properly cut a dracaena that has grown to the ceiling? In order for it to transform and give additional side shoots, you must adhere to some principles. The top on which the leaves are located should be in a zone of normal lighting. In this regard, pruning is carried out taking into account the increase in green mass. Cutting operations, its sealing are performed under sterile conditions. You can only cut a flower, the height of the trunk of which from the soil level to the attachment of the lower leaves is at least 30 cm.

Dracaena pruning is a must

Pruning dracaena in order to obtain lateral decorative shoots injures the plant, therefore it needs time to recover and careful care. The place of the cut is covered with garden pitch so that excess moisture does not evaporate. Over time, the rudiments of new branches will form on the cut. Provide the plant with uniform lighting by periodically turning the pot. To stimulate the growth of the shoots, you can spray the trunk with a growth stimulant (for example, Epin). A moist moss cushion is also formed around the cut site. 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 to give the dracaena a well-groomed look. If the plant develops deformed shoots, then they should be removed immediately. Instead, the flower will sprout new shoots, form more leaves, and acquire new shapes.

Formative pruning helps maintain the decorative appearance of the plant

Areas with signs of disease or pest damage are subject to removal. How can you take a scion from a dracaena? Elongated and very bare branches are cut off and used as planting material for propagation.

Reproduction of dracaena at home is not very difficult even for novice florists. 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.