Light: Dracaena plants like low to medium light levels. To prevent excess stretching and color fade, increase light levels.

Temperature: 60-85 F

Humidity: medium

Avoid dry climates to prevent quick dry down and leaf tip burn.

Water: Dracaena require moist potting mix but never soaked. Allow the mix to dry about 1-2” deep in the container or wait until you notice leaf wilt before watering again. If the mix stays dry for too long between watering, leaf tips will burn.

Repotting: Repot every 1-2 years into a slightly larger container (1-2” increased diameter or depth). Use a general purpose potting mix.

Fertilizing: Either…

1. Water Application: Incorporate fertilizer into your watering cycle once per month March through September. Dilute an all purpose fertilizer (20-20-20) by half OR use your favorite fertilizer rated for houseplant use in your water.

2. Slow Release: Incorporate slow release fertilizer pellets into the top inch of potting soil every 6 months. Apply the rate indicated for indoor plants on the label. If no recommendation for houseplants is present, apply 1/4 to 1/2 the listed rate.

Asparagaceae has one obvious member, and it’s a favorite vegetable of many—asparagus! Did you know that the vegetable we consume is actually a flower spike? There are over 2500 genera in this family because of the common flower spike morphology. If you’ve ever seen a dracaena or spider plant flower, you’ll notice they look similar.

A word of caution—just because these houseplants are in the asparagus family, does not mean they are always edible.

(Listed in order of commonality…)

• Leaf tip burn from dry air or infrequent watering habits

• Two-spotted spider mites

• Color fading and stretch from low light levels

Is dracaena safe for pets?

Dracaena should not be ingested. A compound called saponin naturally occurs in dracaena and causes drooling, incoordination, vomiting and other problematic symptoms.