Today I am sharing one my biggest loves-houseplants.
I absolutely love everything about the planty things. I love learning about plants, caring for plants, buying plants and sharing it all with you.
Today I am re-potting a Dracena plant I own. I believe it’s “Jenny Craig” and I picked it up from what I have dubbed “death row” at one of the local big box stores. The plant was in rough shape and deeply discounted however it had a pretty pot so I decided to pick her up and see if I could save her.
Dracenas are considered a tropical every green plant and are pretty hardy if you are new or unsure about caring for house plants. They like medium to low light which means the light you have already in your home is probably adequate for these plants. You wouldn’t want to place them where the sun is shine right on their leaves as they are prone to burning but putting them in a room that gets lots of bright light will have your Dracena living the good life.
As with pretty much all houseplants you want to use well-draining soil. Most plants if they are planted in a pot with heavy soil that is soggy will end up developing root rot. You want the soil to be evening moist but not soggy. I am re-potting my Dracena today using some Orchid Bark Mix (available at your big box stores or online) along with some regular old houseplant potting mix. You could also add some perlite to houseplant mix to make sure your soil drains well.
Another key to happy houseplants is putting them in a pot with drainage holes. You can always put that pot into a more decorate pot and take it out when you water your plants-let them drain well into the sink and put them back in their decorative pot.
You don’t need to worry about humidifiers or pebble trays for these plants as the average humidity in your home should be adequate unless you are in a super dry and hot climate. It’s best to let the top few inches of the soil dry out before watering again but these plants will forgive you if you let them get dryer than that. They will show they are thirsty by a bit of leaf curling that usually bounces back after a good drink.
Pruning this plant is necessary but doing so can encourage a bushier, fuller plant. It’s also what I did to remove some of the damaged leaves.
You normally want to re-pot in early spring or summer but since this plants soil was a little over-watered and it was struggling I decided to do it today. Once you re-pot you want to give your plant a little water to help settle the soil around the roots.
Dracenas are toxic to pets if ingested so be sure to keep them away from your furry friends and children or any random guests you think might take a nibble.
And that’s it for Dracena care! You can watch me chatting and re-potting in the video below but feel free to post any questions below.
Until next time…
-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante
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