Our Favourite Plants – Dracena Marginata

The Dracena Marginata is a staple addition to any indoor or outdoor garden. Its long leaves, sturdy stems and tall height has secured the Dracena Marginata a starring position amongst countless homes and offices around the world. 

While it is famous for being a fairly easy-to-care for plant, the Dracena Marginata still requires a deft green thumb that understands and caters to its specific needs.

To help you grow and care for a Dracena Marginata, our indoor and outdoor plant hire in Sydney specialists have created a summary of everything you need to know about this trendy tropical plant.

What is a Dracena Marginata?

The Dracaena Marginata is a member of the ancient dragon tree family of plants, first originating from Mauritius.

The Dracena Marginata is a popular indoor plant due to its particularly striking appearance. With slender, long green leaves that are tinged with red edges, the Dracena Marginata can add an element of rustic charm to any room. But the benefits of a Dracena Marginata don’t stop there – this plant can also help to filter out formaldehyde, xylene and trichloroethylene from indoor air.

A Dracena Marginata is a great choice for anyone looking for hardy, slow growing plants to add to their foliage collection. Even though Dracena Marginatas are famously slow growing plants, don’t underestimate their eventual size. A fully-grown Dracena Marginata will eventually reach about 3 to 4 metres tall both in the wild and indoors, if provided with a large enough pot.

How to Grow and Care for a Dracena Marginata Indoors

As we mentioned before, an indoor Dracena Marginata won’t demand much attention outside of the standard watering, dusting and the occasional feeding during spring and summer with a liquid, indoor plant fertiliser. 

However, there are certain things you should keep in mind when deciding on the best indoor location for your Dracena Marginata and coming up with a sufficient watering schedule.

Sunlight

A Dracena Marginata needs a moderate to bright amount of indirect sunlight. It can even survive periods of low light, however this will typically stunt its growth.

Make sure that you don’t expose your plant to too much sunlight, as an excessive amount of light can cause brown spots to tarnish the leaves.

Watering

A sure way to kill a Dracaena Marginata is to over-water it. As they originate from Mauritius, Dracaena Marginatas evolved to tolerate periods of drought.

You should only water your Dracena Marginata plant when the top 1 inch of soil is dry. When it does come time for watering, ensure that you water the plant thoroughly with room-temperature, non-fluoridated (i.e. distilled) water.

Climate

Your Dracena Marginata will thrive in temperatures of around 20-25 degrees. You also don’t need to worry about providing it with a humid environment, but it can tolerate (and even thrive in) a humidity of 60-80%.

In the winter months, it’s important to keep a Dracena Marginata warm as a sudden drop in temperature can cause the lower leaves to drop off. Winter temperatures in Mauritius are typically around 21 degrees, meaning your Dracena Marginata isn’t designed for excessively cold environments. Ensure your plant is kept in the warmer rooms of your house during the colder parts of the year. 

Its simple care routine, stunning appearance and aptitude for purifying the air has catapulted the Dracena Marginata into a permanently featured plant in homes and offices alike. If you’re inspired by this plant’s natural charm or any other fast or slow growing plants, get in touch with The Plant Man to find out more about our indoor plant hire in Sydney. 

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