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Dracaena marginata, or Madagascar Dragon Tree, is a versatile plant that is easy to care for and great for people who don’t consider themselves green thumbs. I sometimes call them “Dr. Seuss plants” because they kind of remind me of the wonky looking trees you’d find in a Dr. Seuss book. Without further ado, let’s learn about Dracaena marginata care and propagation!
Background
As you might guess from its nickname, the Madagascar Dragon Tree, Dracaena marginata is native to Madagascar. It has long, thin, shiny leaves with red edges, which grow at the end of a trunk out from the center. This woody trunk is called a cane.
These are very versatile plants. You’ll see some of these plants growing in the form of a tall tree, which can reach up to 25 feet. However, when grown inside they’re typically kept at a more manageable six feet or less.
You might also see them kept as a tabletop plant. In this case, either none of the cane or very little of the cane will be there and the plant will be more full and bushy with leaves.
The Dracaena marginata in my photos was cut in the past year. While it used to be about a four-foot-tall tree, you’ll see it’s now a nice little tabletop plant.
Where Can I Find a Dracaena Marginata?
You can find a Dracaena marginata on Etsy. Check out this beautiful Dracaena from one of my favorite Etsy shops!
Dracaena Marginata Care
The Dracaena marginata is relatively easy to care for. Let’s dive into Dracaena marginata care below!
Light
These plants prefer bright, indirect light. They can grow in medium or low light but will grow slower. Direct sunlight will burn the plant’s leaves.
If you think your Dracaena could do with having some more light added to its environment, my guide to grow lights will help you pick a grow light for your plants. (BUT if you’re in a hurry, I absolutely LOVE these grow lights and currently have two sets for my plants! The bendable goosenecks are extremely convenient.)
Watering
Water this plant when the top half of the soil is dry. For me, this is about every two weeks.
I would say this is the one thing that makes Dracaena marginata care slightly tricky at first—it’s easy to overwater this plant so use some caution.
Your Dracaena’s leaves might also start to droop or produce brown tips when it’s dry. When it’s overwatered, it’ll produce multiple yellow leaves. Be sure to feel down into the soil, too, in order to help determine the moisture level and the cause of the problem.
Humidity
Since they are native to the rainforest they’ll definitely be happy if you provide them with some extra humidity. There are many easy ways to do this including using a pebble tray or a humidifier.
Check out my post on easy ways to provide humidity to your houseplants for more methods and step-by-step instructions.
Soil
A well-draining indoor potting mix with some peat moss mixed in will be fine for this plant, but if you can, a loamy soil (a combo of silt, sand, and clay) with some peat moss mixed in is best.
Fertilizing
Something that makes Dracaena marginata care easy it these plants don’t typically need fertilizer to thrive. The Dracaena is a naturally slow-growing plant. However, if you’d like to fertilize yours, you can use a water-soluble indoor plant fertilizer once or twice a year in the spring and summer.
Repotting
Depending on the size of your plant it might be difficult to repot. These plants will need to be repotted around every two to three years (so you’ll only have to struggle with this once in a while!), and they may also show signs of stress from being pot bound, which will be another sign.
Use a pot that’s the next size up from your current pot, and that has ample drainage, especially if you have a large tree. Water your plant about a day or so before you repot it and water again after you’ve repotted it.
Pruning
The lower leaves of the Dracaena may brown and fall off. This is OK, just pluck them off gently or remove them from where they’ve fallen in the pot. You can do some heavier pruning when your plant gets too tall or leggy by cutting the trunk. This is also part of how to propagate the plant, so I’ll discuss that more in the next section, below.
How to Propagate Dracaena Marginata
I think this is one of the most fun parts of owning this plant, especially for beginners. Propagating it requires being a little bolder than just snipping a small cutting off of a vine like some other beginner plants. Despite it being a little scary, these plants propagate really easily!
To propagate your Dracaena, take a pair of strong and clean pruning shears and cut the cane to the height you want on the mother plant.
New growth will eventually appear on the mother plant where you made the cut, so be mindful of where you want to have the new growth.
You can place your cuttings directly into your potting mix or you can root them in water first and then transfer them.
Place your cuttings in bright, indirect light. If they’re in water, replace the water when it becomes grimy and top it off when you notice it evaporating. If they’re in potting mix, keep the potting mix moist as the new roots grow.
You’ll be able to see the new roots forming, which will sprout from the nodes on the cutting. When your roots are a few inches long, you should be able to transfer the cuttings into your potting mix.
Additional Information
Is Dracaena Marginata Toxic to Pets?
Dracaenas are toxic to dogs and cats, so keep this plant away from your pets.
How to Shape the Dracaena Marginata
Some Dracaena marginata owners like to form their trees into different funky shapes. One simple—but perhaps less controlled—way to shape your Dracaena marginata is by cutting the trunks where you want to encourage new growth. Keep in mind that it’s best to do this in the spring—the growing season.
To have more control over how your tree grows, you can train a branch to grow in a certain direction by laying the plant on its side for one to two weeks (or however long it takes) so that the branch starts to grow at a 90-degree angle, then returning the tree to its normal position so the branch will grow normally again.
You can also weave the trunks by carefully twisting them together and securing them with a gentle wire at the top. You’ll have to keep the wire on for a while to train the tree, but remove it before it starts to cut into the trunk. Continue this process with new growth.
Iberean says
I’ve had my plant, which was labelled a candelabra palm, for more than 10 years and enjoy its slow growth. Moving it to a new location that better fit its current size I noticed a shoot growing at the base. Previously all growth has been from the top. I am moderately concerned that the shoot will die as the lighting has changed. While the plant is now closer to the window, it’s been moved from a coffee table to the floor. Any suggestions?
Julie - Houseplant Aficionado says
Hi Iberean – As long as the light is not direct or too low, I think it’ll be fine. However, this is more of a case of “observe how your plant reacts and adjust accordingly.” Good luck!
Rhonda says
I have had my plants for 15 months now and they did great. I ended up with bugs (fungus gnats I believe) in several of my plants including my Dracaena. I transplanted them into new soil, had used Neem oil, and the yellow sticky traps. Now they are losing lots of leaves in the bottom 1/2 of the plant. What am I doing wrong? Please help.
mara says
I sprayed my Dracaena last year with regular fly insecticide. It was an outdoor plant but when I brought it inside , it just developed hundreds of tiny flying bugs and I got angry. They were flying everywhere and I accepted that I had to get rid of the entire vase . So I took it outside and lightly sprayed just the soil . Just once . And left it there . Never brought it back inside. It survived . Then I removed just the soil at the very top and Resumed the care of it .
I observed that after a massive drop of leaves, I placed it by the sun , at a far corner of the house because it was very sick looking … and it came back again with lots of new leaves !
Dracaenas have to lose the bottom leaves to grow !
Just be patient and give it time . They are very resilient plants.
Joanne lalonde says
Hi Do i leave the sprouts alone n my Dracaena Marginata
Vickie says
I was given dracaena. The branches are twisted. How do I get them to straighten? Any tips would helpful.