Caring For and Maintaining Your Dracaena

Dracaena is a common houseplant and is admired by many houseplant enthusiasts for its beauty and color. Colorful strap-like foliage appears on many Dracaena, most of which are larger plants showing upright form regardless of cultivar.

Sunlight: Because direct sunlight can burn its leaves, be sure to place your Dracaena in bright filtered light.

Water: Dracaena prefers moist soil conditions but not soggy conditions. Be sure to keep the soil around the base of Dracaena evenly moist but don’t overwater. Dracaena does not do well in saturated soil or standing water. Likewise, be sure not to let your Dracaena dry out—if Dracaena gets too dry then you will see yellow leaves and dead leaf tips. To determine if your plant needs watering, sink your index finger into the soil to the depth of the finger. If, when you pull out your finger, there is just a little bit of soil stuck to your finger, then give your plant a little water. If your finger is wet and has a lot of soil stuck to it, then you don’t need to water. If you finger is completely dry with no soil stuck to it, you have waited too long to water, and you should thus give your plant some water right away.

Humidity: Colorado is a dry state with humidity levels much lower than the native environments in which Dracaena inhabits. To help create a more humid environment for your Dracaena, consider adding a fine mist humidifier to the room(s) in which you have your Dracaena. You can also place trays filled with stones and water nearby your Dracaena to increase local humidity. Misting your Dracaena with a hand sprayer will also help raise the local humidity level. Although the more humidity the better, a constant relative humidity of 50-55% will promote your Dracaena’s growth and health.

Temperature: Like most houseplants, Dracaena prefers temperatures in the range of 65-85 degrees F (18-30 degrees C). Avoid having your Dracaena experience temperatures below 60 degrees F (15 degrees C).

Soil: Use a well-draining potting mix. We recommend either Fertilome or Fox Farm Potting mix.