How To Take Care of a Dracaena Marginata

Find yourself asking, how do you care for a Dracaena Marginata indoors? Here's everything you need to know.

Quick Facts

• Light: Bright, indirect sunlight
• Water: Every 2 to 4 weeks, drain soil well
• Soil: Any good potting mix, loamy soil
• Fertilizer: Not required
• Pests: Mights, thrips, other chewing insects
• Toxicity: Toxic to animals

Caring for a Dracaena Marginata: The Ultimate Guide

Caring for a Dracaena Marginata is not difficult. That's why we here at Sweet New Earth often recommend these plants to beginners.



These simple, low-maintenance plants are easy to care for and will give your house a unique aesthetic while at the same time giving you a green thumb so you'll want to start planting and gardening more.

Is the Dracaena Marginata a good indoor plant?

The dracaena marginata is one of the best indoor plants you can get due to its low-maintenance care combined with its unique appearance. You will add a certain aesthetic to your house without adding tons of extra work to your routine.



These house trees are the perfect combination of resilience and beauty that provide tons of value to you and your home.

Dragon Tree Care Routine

Light

The Dracaena marginata does not need a lot of light. It prefers bright yet indirect sunlight while direct sunlight should be avoided if possible.

Direct sunlight can burn the leaves of the tree which is no bueno.

If you feel your house doesn't have a lot of bright light, don't worry. The dracaena marginata can grow in lower light conditions as well however, in these conditions, the tree won't use water as effectively nor grow as quickly as it normally would.

Pay attention not to overwater if this is your situation.

Soil

The dracaena marginata doesn't like excess water (more on that below) so you want soil that is loose and drains well. Any good potting mix that has loamy soil should do the trick.

Be sure that the pot you put it in has extra room. The dracaena marginata has an extensive root system that needs room to grow.

In spring and summer, you should water your dracaena marginata every 2-4 weeks (depending on how wet the soil is). In slower seasons, you should water it every 4 weeks waiting for the soil to completely dry out beforehand.

The dracaena marginata does not require much water. Overwatering is the easiest way to damage or kill the plant.

In fact, err on the side of less water rather than more, and make sure the soil is close to being dried out in between waterings.

When its time to water the plant, water it thorough enough so the soil is soaked through but not soggy. Don't leave any excess water in the pot.



If this is a problem for you, consider getting a pot that can drain out the excess water.

Overwatering

If you overwater your dracaena marginata, the leaves will turn to brown or yellow and eventually they will start to drop off. If you notice yellow leaves, check how much you are watering the plant. Drain any excess moisture in the pot and wait until the soil dries a bit before you water it again.

Underwatering

If you haven't watered the dracaena enough, the stem will start to wrinkle, and the leaves of the plant will turn brown and appear crisp. If you notice this happening, water the plant immediately, and the wrinkles should go away.

Temperature

Keeping your dracaena marginata at room temperature will be perfectly fine to keep the plant healthy. It prefers 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit so, assuming your house temperature is close to that (ours is 68 degrees Fahrenheit), then you'll be all set.

Humidity

If your house has normal humidity then no need to worry, your dragon tree will be fine. If the house gets excessively dry, then a nice spritz with water every now and then should keep the plant happy (nothing crazy).



You want to avoid putting this plant in an excessively humid spot like the basement. Too much moisture can have negative effects on the soil (as we told you above).

Fertilizer

Indoor dragon trees don't have a requirement for fertilizer. They are quite resilient and do quite well with the basic care tips we've outlined here.

That being said, it doesn't hurt to fertilize a plant (in most cases) so if you want to give your dracaena marginata a boost in nutrients, you can give them a controlled-release fertilizer at the beginning of spring but not in excess. Light fertilizing does the trick.



Do not fertilize your tree in the winter.

Repotting

Dracaenas are a slow-growing plant that don't require repotting often. Typically, the plant will be repotted every 2 to 3 years. When it's time to repot, repot into a larger pot if necessary.

As the dracaenas take a bit long for repotting, you need to keep an eye out on the soil. Once a year, consider changing the potting soil if what it has seems compacted.



Fresh soil annually is more than enough to keep these tropical plants happy.

Propagation

Propagating dracaena marginata plants is a straightforward process that you can do as a cool gift to any of your gardening friends. Make sure you do this in the growing season when the dragon tree is growing rapidly.

1. Cut off a roughly 8-inch length of stem noting which side was in the soil.
2. Remove any leaves from the piece.
3. Put the cut into potting moist potting soil.
4. Leave it in indirect, bright sunlight.
5. Wait for leaves to sprout on the upper portion of the cutting.

It's going to take about three weeks for the cutting to sprout out leaves. Once you have sprouts, you are well on your way to growing a new beautiful dracaena.

Pruning/Cleaning

The dragon tree will drop dead leaves on its own. Don't worry, this is a normal part of the plant's life. Discard the dead leaves. If leaves look like they are about to fall off, you can remove them.

You can trim back the stems with pruning shears (provided they are sterile) to tidy and clean up the appearance of the tree.

Sterilization is important to make sure you don't inadvertently infect the tree. Use standard rubbing alcohol on the shears, then rinse them with water before you prune the plant.

Pests/Diseases

The dracaena marginata is not very susceptible to pests. Some of its common enemies are mites, thrips, and other insects that chew. If the dracaena is in a weakened state, such as overwatered or underwatered (dry), then spider mites could have their way with it.

Toxicity: Is the Dracaena Marginata Poisonous?

The dracaena marginata is toxic to animals. Keep it away from any pets, including cats and dogs, to ensure the plant is not ingested.

Maintenance

Maintenance is low for a dragon tree. Water it every few weeks or less depending on how wet the soil is and leave it in a room with bright indirect light and the plant is essentially taken care of. That's why we love it.

FAQs

Thanks for stopping by Sweet New Earth! If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out some of our other tree care guides.