Madagascar dragon tree

Madagascar dragon tree: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Tree-like with one or more thin, often curving stems; up to 2 m tall indoors and about 60 cm wide.

Leaves

Narrow and strap-like, 30–50 cm long and 1–2 cm wide, leathery, green with a red edge; in tufts at the tips of the stems.

Stem

Greyish brown and woody, with the scars of fallen leaves in a regular pattern.

Flowering

Indoors it hardly ever flowers.

Roots

Orange-yellow roots that do not cope well with wet compost.

Plants: March–May · Pruning: April–May

Why grow it?

• A slender, clean silhouette that suits a modern interior.
• Little work: it tolerates some drought and a spot with less light.
• Evergreen and slow-growing, so it stays attractive in the same spot for a long time.
• Cultivars with red, pink or cream striped leaves bring colour without flowers.
• Easy to propagate from tip or stem cuttings.

Madagascar dragon tree: where does it grow best?

• Bright light to partial shade, out of fierce midday sun, which scorches the leaves. In a dark spot it grows more slowly and the leaves become narrower.
• Room temperature, 18–24 °C; never below 12 °C and not in a draught.
• Ordinary room air is fine; very dry air gives brown leaf tips.
• Out of reach of cats and dogs: they like to nibble the narrow leaves.

Light

Bright, out of direct sun or low light

Potting soil

Multi-purpose compost or airy, humus-rich compost

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Watering

Sparingly or moderately

Size

2 m tall, 0.6 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 12 °C

Goes well with

• Snake plant: Also a tough, architectural plant that needs little water.
• ZZ plant: Glossy leaves, just as easy and for the same partial shade.
• Swiss cheese plant: Large, rounded leaves as a contrast to the narrow foliage.
• Kentia palm: Graceful green fronds for a bright corner.

Madagascar dragon tree: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May.

1. Repot in March–May, every 2–3 years or when roots grow out of the pot.
2. Choose a sturdy, heavy pot 2–4 cm wider than the old one, with a drainage hole: otherwise a tall plant will topple over.
3. Use light houseplant compost mixed with a little perlite or coarse sand for good drainage.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as before and firm the compost.
5. Water until it runs out of the bottom, then empty the saucer.

Care

Water

Only water when the top half of the pot is dry. Too much water makes the stem rot. Even less in winter.

Water quality

Preferably rainwater or soft water at room temperature: hard water causes brown leaf tips.

Feeding

From April to September, houseplant feed at half strength once a month.

Leaves

Wipe off dust with a damp cloth or put the plant under a lukewarm shower now and then.

Old leaves

It is normal for the lower leaves to yellow and drop: that is how the bare stem forms.

Tip: Only water when the top half of the pot is dry: too much water makes the stem rot. Brown leaf tips usually come from dry air or hard water, so use rainwater if you can.

Madagascar dragon tree: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April–May.

When: In April–May, when the plant becomes too tall or too sparse. Otherwise pruning is not needed.

How:

• Cut or saw through a stem at the height you want with a sharp, clean knife or small saw; usually 2–3 new tufts grow from below the cut.
• Use the removed top as a cutting.
• Trim brown leaf tips at an angle, within the brown part, without cutting into the green.
• Gently pull dry, yellow lower leaves off the stem.

Caution: The sap can irritate the skin: wear gloves and keep prunings away from pets.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Tip cuttings

In spring or summer, cut off a tip of 15–20 cm, remove the lower leaves and put it in water or moist cutting compost at 20–25 °C. Roots appear after 4–8 weeks.

Stem sections

Saw a bare stem into pieces of 5–10 cm and push them, bottom end down, into moist cutting compost. Keep warm under plastic; they sprout after a few weeks.

Madagascar dragon tree: how does it get through the winter?

• Indoors all year: it does not tolerate frost and suffers below 12 °C.
• Water sparingly in winter and do not feed; let the pot dry out well between waterings.
• Keep it in a bright spot, away from cold windows, draughts and hot radiators.
• Dry air from central heating gives brown leaf tips: a tray of water and pebbles helps.

Diseases and pests

• Stem rot: A soft, brown stem and a drooping tuft, from too much water or cold. Water less; if the stem has rotted, take the healthy top as a cutting.
• Brown leaf tips: Usually from dry air or hard water. Use rainwater and raise the humidity.
• Red spider mite: Fine webbing and pale speckles on the leaves, especially in dry, warm air. Rinse the plant off under the shower.
• Mealybug: White, woolly tufts in the leaf axils. Remove them with a cotton bud dipped in a little alcohol.
• Yellow lower leaves: A few at a time is normal; many at once points to too much water.

Through the year

• January: Little water, no feeding. Away from cold windows.
• March: Repot if the pot is full of roots.
• April: Repot or cut back. Start feeding monthly again. Take tip cuttings.
• May: Prune or repot. Feed.
• June: Feed. Only water when the top half of the pot is dry.
• July: Feed. Rinse the leaves under a lukewarm shower.
• August: Feed. Watch out for red spider mite.
• September: Last feed of the year.
• October: Water less.
• December: Little water. Trim brown leaf tips.

Edible and useful

Not edible. These dragon trees, the snake plant, lucky bamboo and the ti plant are mildly poisonous: the leaves contain saponins, which cause drooling, vomiting and sometimes diarrhoea and lethargy in cats and dogs; cats can also get dilated pupils. They like to chew the long, narrow leaves, which look like blades of grass: keep the plant out of their reach and clear up fallen or trimmed leaves. Do not let animals drink from the vase or bowl of lucky bamboo. A bit of leaf gives a child an upset stomach at most, but do not let children chew it. Call your vet if an animal has eaten a lot or falls ill. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Did you know?

• The name Dracaena comes from the Greek drakaina, ‘female dragon’.
• Botanists now treat it as a variety of Dracaena reflexa, but in the trade it is still often sold as Dracaena marginata.
• It is related to the dragon tree of the Canary Islands, whose red resin is known as ‘dragon’s blood’.