Does that Dracaena sitting in your living room remind you of a tropical getaway? Would one more double the effect? Adding a clone to your collection is easy without ever going to a store or picking up your phone. By propagating, in eight weeks or less, this new Dracaena will call your paradise home.
Methods To Propagate Dracaena
You can use several methods, such as stem tip cuttings, stem section cuttings, and air layering, to propagate Dracaena. One of the surest ways is to use stem tip cuttings. This process involves removing the tip of one of Dracaena’s healthier stems (canes), preferably during the spring, and rooting it in a rooting media. It’s typically an easy process.
Using a pair of pruning scissors or a gardener’s knife cleaned with alcohol, remove a 6-to-8-inch stem tip from the mother plant, cutting just below the node. Dip it in rooting hormone and plant it in a rooting medium. Preferred media are potting soil, vermiculite, perlite, and peat moss. You can root Dracaena in water but note that the roots will not be the same quality as those grown in one of the preferred mediums, and they may struggle a little at first when the cutting is transplanted to soil. Moisten the soil. After 4 to 6 weeks of receiving bright indirect light, the roots should begin to grow, and you can plant Dracaena in a beautiful pot.
Best Rooting Media To Propagate Dracaena
You can use a variety of growth mediums to propagate Dracaena, including perlite, vermiculite, peat moss, and potting soil alone or in combination with seed starter mix. While both have a neutral pH, vermiculite retains moisture, and perlite increases aeration and supports drainage. Peat moss has an acidic pH and supports moisture retention.
Steps To Propagate Dracaena
Step 1 - During spring, choose a healthy stem from which to take your Dracaena stem tip cutting. A healthy stem tip cutting will have adequate amounts of chlorophyll to support photosynthesis as the cutting roots.
Step 2 - Use sterilized pruning scissors or a gardener’s knife to remove a 6-to-8-inch stem tip, cutting just below the node.
Step 3 - Dip the stem cutting into rooting hormone. Use organic rooting hormone or synthetic auxin such as IAA (indoleacetic acid).
Step 4 - Plant the cutting in a rooting medium.
Step 5 - Lightly moisten the growth medium. If using water as a medium, change the water every three or so days.
Step 6 - Place a clear plastic bag loosely over the stem tip cutting to reduce moisture loss.
Step 7 - Continue to lightly water the soil and expose the stem tip cutting to bright indirect sunlight for the next few weeks. Dracaena’s clone will finally be ready to transplant to a new pot within four to six weeks.
Caring For Dracaena Cuttings
To support the rooting of your Dracaena cutting, keep the soil substrate lightly moist. If the rooting medium you use is water, change it every 3 to 5 days. To encourage baby Dracaena’s growth, provide high humidity, warm temperatures, and bright indirect sunlight. Placing a clear bag over the stem cutting will help to maintain high humidity. Aim for 90 percent humidity and average warm temperatures of 70 to 75 degrees. Expose your new Dracaena to 12 to 13 hours of indirect light. If you supplement with artificial light, you most likely will have to increase the number of hours to 16 to 18.
Transplanting Dracaena Cuttings
Dracaena should be ready to transplant in about 4 to 6 weeks. Ensure that its roots are at least one inch or longer before transplanting. Fill a small pot, 3 to 4 inches in diameter, with a mixture of potting soil, peat moss, and perlite. Moisten the soil. Then, plant your new Dracaena clone. Do not worry that the pot is small; the small size will provide the best drainage and moisture levels for your new plant. Finally, place Dracaena in a warm place that receives bright indirect sunlight and welcome it into your home.
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Author Suellen Barnes - Published 04-07-2023 |