Dragon blood tree

Dragon blood tree Dracaena draco

What is the plant

The dragon's blood plant (Dracaena draco) is a subtropical tree in the genus Dracaena, native to the Canary Islands. It is not the most beautiful, but it has the single most important quality for your indoor foliage: it is tough beyond all measure.

Dracaena draco has somewhat severe, stiffly pointed leaves that end in something resembling a spike. The leaves are solidly green, and the plant will grow to a height of three or four feet indoors. The dragon's blood name comes from the fact that it exudes reddish resin from wounds and nicks. As a point of interest, it is said that this resin was used as a wood dye to stain the famous Stradivarius violins. It is a member of the agave family and is related to the yucca and century plant.

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Humidity

Normal

Lighting

Full Sun

Temperature

15°C - 35°C

Hardiness zone

min 9b

Difficulty

Medium

Hibernation

Cold Period

Toxicity

Poisonous

Water
A dragon tree has low watering requirements. Thoroughly water a plant, then allow a soil to dry out completely before watering it again. Overwatering and keeping a soil damp for extended time periods can result in a leaves of a dragon tree turning brown and a trunk rotting.
Sunlight
Needs 6-8 hours of direct sun / partial shade per day.
Fertilizer
When it comes to fertilizers, you want to avoid over-fertilizing (just like an overdose of vitamins isn't great for us, either). Less is more, so it’s important to follow what the package says for application amounts.

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Soil
Most often planting instructions will suggest planting in loam soil. Loam soil should be rich in minerals and nutrients for the plants and loose enough that roots and spread out and grow strong.
Pruning
It is important to never remove more than a third of the foliage in any one year and to cut just above a node on the stem.
Propagation
Repot this plant annually or every other year. D. draco thrives when slightly pot-bound, but beware the plant doesn’t become top-heavy and tip over smaller containers.

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Temperature
Dracaena draco is more cold-tolerant than other Dracaena species and can briefly tolerate temperatures below 50F.
Container
Here’s a handy guideline: increase pot size by 2.5-5 cm (1 to 2 inches) in diameter for plants that are growing in pots 25.4 cm (10 inches) in diameter or less. For larger plants, those growing in pots greater than 10 inches in diameter, increase the pot size by 5 or 7.62 cm (2 or 3 inches) in diameter.
Popularity
4,877 people already have this plant 1,000 people have added this plant to their wishlists