Gadenin日本語Get the appBright shade, not a dark corner
Dracaena has a reputation as a low light plant, and it survives in dim positions better than most. Surviving and growing are different things: in real shade it holds its existing leaves for a year or more but produces nothing new, and the variegation on striped forms fades towards plain green.
The position it actually wants is a few feet back from a bright window, or right at a window with no direct sun. A useful test is whether your hand held above the plant casts a shadow with a soft but visible edge. No shadow at all means the plant is holding rather than growing.
| Position | Light | How the plant responds |
|---|---|---|
| At an east window | Ideal | Steady growth, color holds |
| Three to six feet back from a south window | Ideal | Steady growth, no scorch risk |
| Directly in a south or west window | Too strong | Bleached pale patches on the sun facing leaves |
| Ten feet or more into the room | Marginal | Holds its leaves, no new growth, variegation fades |
| A windowless room | Not viable | Needs a grow light on twelve hours a day |
Green leaved forms tolerate lower light than striped or colored ones. The more variegation a plant carries, the more light it needs to keep it.
Cold is the real limit
Dracaena comes from tropical Africa and has no cold tolerance to speak of. Below about 54F (12C) growth stops and the plant becomes vulnerable, and below about 45F (7C) leaves develop gray water soaked patches that turn brown within days. Damage from one cold night often does not show for a week, which is why the cause is so often missed.
| Temperature | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 68 to 79F (20 to 26C) | Active growth | Normal watering and feeding |
| 57 to 68F (14 to 20C) | Slow growth | Stretch the watering interval |
| Below 54F (12C) | Growth stops, roots vulnerable | Move the plant, and water far less |
| Below 45F (7C) | Cold damage on leaves | Move immediately, do not cut damage off yet |
Leaves touching cold window glass on a winter night blacken exactly where they touch. Pulling the plant a foot back into the room at night prevents it entirely.
Drafts and heating vents
A dracaena in the direct blast of a heater, a radiator or an air conditioner browns at every leaf tip and edge within weeks, and no change of water will fix it while the airflow continues. Moving air pulls water out of the leaf faster than the roots can replace it, and the tip is always the first casualty.
The tell is that the damage is one sided. Tips brown on the face pointed at the vent and stay clean on the sheltered side. Salt and fluoride burn, by contrast, appears evenly all round the plant.
- Check the airflow before you blame the water Hold a tissue at leaf height with the heating running. If it moves, the plant is in a draft, and that comes first in the diagnosis.
- Keep it away from doors to outside An entrance hall in winter delivers a blast of cold air every time the door opens. This is a common position for a tall dracaena and a common reason for a poor looking one.
- Group plants together Standing three or four plants close together raises the humidity around all of them measurably. It works better than misting, which is only effective for the minutes it lasts.
Moving with the seasons
Two moves a year cover it. The sun's angle changes enough that a position which was safe in spring can scorch by midsummer, and one which was bright in summer can be too dark by late autumn.
| Season | Where to put it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Bright, near the window | The growing season starts, it wants the light |
| Summer | Back from the glass, out of afternoon sun | Strong sun bleaches leaves in a single day |
| Autumn | Back towards the window | Light weakens and the summer position turns dark |
| Winter | Away from cold glass and from vents | Cold and dry air do more harm than dim light |
Outdoors in summer
A dracaena benefits from a spell outside in summer shade, and it puts on noticeably more growth than one kept indoors. The transition has to be gradual, because indoor grown leaves have no defense against outdoor light and will bleach in an afternoon.
Put it in full shade for a week, then dappled shade, and never in direct midday sun. Bring it back in as soon as nights approach 54F (12C), and wash the leaf undersides and the base of the pot first so you do not carry pests indoors with it.
Note the date you put it out and the date you bring it in. After a couple of years those two dates, rather than any general advice, are the schedule that fits your own conditions.
Keeping a tall plant upright
A dracaena over four feet (120 cm) in a light plastic pot is top heavy and goes over, usually taking the compost across the floor with it. Either move it into a heavy ceramic or terracotta pot, or stand the plastic pot inside a heavy outer one.
A plant that leans steadily towards the window is telling you the light is one sided and marginal. Turning the pot a quarter turn each week keeps the cane straight, and is far easier than correcting a bend later.