How to trim a dracene to get lateral shoots? Care of houseplants

Dracaena, or dragon tree, is the favorite plant of most florists. A representative of the family of agave, evergreen shrub shrine is like an exotic palm tree. That's why many people like Drazena, along with her comes a piece of beauty in the rainforest. The advantages of this plant are many. In addition to the spectacular appearance, it is also quite persistent, well tolerates strong temperature fluctuations. In a temperate climate, some members of this family grow on the street, representing magnificent bushes or even trees with a thick trunk up to 6 meters high.

Dracaena's home

In the room, this plant is considerably inferior in size to its distant relatives. In height, the indoor shrub grows from 46 to 60 cm. Very often it is confused with the cordillera, but the dracaena has a more modest coloring. It is known for its bluish-green, leathery, hard and xiphid leaves, which reach a length of 40-50 cm. They do not exceed 2-4 cm in breadth. Most plants of this species readily bloom. White or pink flowers are collected in paniculate inflorescences. Fruit is a berry.

Types of Drazen

Today we want to tell you how to prune a dracaena. Due to numerous mistakes, the florist often gets an elongated and bare plant instead of a luxurious exotic palm tree. However, before proceeding to the disclosure of the main topic, it should be mentioned what kinds of it we can grow at home, and also to consider the main features of each of them.

• Dracaena Reflexa is a relatively small plant with bent leaves and branches from the roots. The stalk is weakly expressed, it is rather a lush shrub that needs little pruning.
• Dracaena Surculosis - this is also a shrubby plant with dark green leaves, which are decorated with spots. This species constantly forms shoots, so it is extremely important to maintain the beautiful shape of the bush. Since it is quite easy to prune a dracaena of this species, it is enough to pinch the top, we will not dwell on this in detail.
• Dracaena is fragrant - this is the largest of all domestic species. It can reach a height of three meters, and drooping wavy leaves will be the best decoration of your home or office. When buying this plant, it is necessary to ask experienced florists how to trim the dracaena, otherwise you may miss the right moment.

Why do pruning

In fact, this procedure has several functions. Since it is not particularly difficult to prune a dracen, many flower growers perform this procedure as needed, when the plant grows so much that it begins to interfere or abut the ceiling. That is, in this case, pruning is carried out for the purpose of height control.

However, if you do it incorrectly, the fleshy stalk will begin to fade, and after all our task is not only to preserve the decorative properties, but also to get new shoots. So we smoothly pass to the second function of this procedure - obtaining additional branches-shoots that will not only improve the appearance of the plant, but also serve as a material for reproduction.

When to trim

The ideal time is the end of spring or the beginning of summer. It was at this time that the dracene is actively growing. How to trim for branching, we now talk in more detail, and for now a few words about seasonality. Florists say that the ideal time is May and June, at this time the plant is actively growing, and next to the pruning place, new kidneys are very quickly formed.

This we can observe from the outside, but in fact, kidney formation is a systemic process that stimulates the formation of growth hormones, which help heal a cut and build a beautiful lush crown.

Emergency procedure

Trimming Dracaena can sometimes be forced. For example, your plant can break down, it is often helped by pets or children who are upset. This can happen in the middle of winter or in the fall, when the flower is at rest. In this case, too, do not panic. Carefully cut off the barrel below the place of scrap, according to the instructions to which we now come. If dracaena gets good care, then everything will go well. That is, pruning can be produced at any time, if this is necessary.

Cutting height

First of all, be guided by the desired final result. Appreciate the height you need Drazena. How to trim for branching, we will disassemble the main stages of the procedure. So, carefully examine your plant and its future place.

• You need to evaluate the plant which height will look better in the interior.
• It is necessary to take into account his requirements for lighting. Dracaena room is very sensitive to sunlight. Development of apical buds will occur precisely due to light coming to the tops of the left hemp. Therefore, if the plant is on the window sill of the north or east window, it is better to cut it lower, since the illumination in the upper part of the window opening is worse than in the lower part.

Preparation

And we continue to talk about how to trim the dracenium to get lateral shoots. First of all, prepare the necessary tools. This should be a sterile scalpel, which must first be held over the fire. In addition, you will need a paraffin candle, a sprayer and sphagnum moss. Do not forget to prepare and free pots with soil. Cut off apex can be used for rooting and reproduction by cuttings.

Let's start circumcision

Since the dracaena can be trimmed to obtain lateral shoots, it is possible at any height, first mark the point where you would like to see the branching. Quickly cut the barrel at this level. While laying off the cut off part and tackle the plant itself. Using the same scalpel, cut all the leaves 10 cm below the cutoff level.

While you are carrying out this operation, light the candle to collect the melted paraffin. After pruning, drain the paraffin first on any suitable surface, and then transfer the plastic mass to the shear. Try to close all the pores on the cut with paraffin, but be careful not to burn the plant too hot.

Little tricks

After reading this manual, you have received complete information on how to trim the dracene at home. However, there are small secrets, knowledge of which will allow you to get lateral processes much faster. First of all, remember that during pruning the plant loses a lot of moisture. Often this prevents the laying of new kidneys on the top of the hemp. Therefore, immediately after the end of the procedure, sprinkle the stem with water, this will help restore the water balance of the cells.

To stimulate the growth of the apical shoots, wrap the trunk with a wet sphagnum and tie it with an elastic band. The harness will need to be removed periodically, check the condition of the shoot and return it back, slightly moisturizing it.

Sealed with paraffin, the slice should be left outside the wet wrapper, that is, the moss should only be on the sides. Finally, a plastic bag is put on top, so that moisture does not evaporate so quickly. Once in 5-7 days the package is removed and the condition of the trunk is checked under the harness. Once you notice the kidneys at the top of the trunk, the bag and strapping should be removed.

Possible problems

We told you how to properly cut the dracaena, and careful adherence to these rules in most cases leads to a positive result. However, lack of sunlight, too low a room temperature, excess or lack of moisture can seriously damage. The most common problem is the decay of the trunk after pruning. In this case, it is necessary to carry out the trimming procedure anew, without starting the situation, otherwise the decay will spread too far and destroy the plant.