It is advisable to prune dracaena in late spring - early summer, preferably in May or June. At this time, dracaena grows especially actively, and new buds quickly form near the pruning site. The buds of shoots stimulate the formation of growth hormones, which help the plant to heal the cut and grow a new, more beautiful crown.

But sometimes you have to prune the plant at inopportune times. What, for example, should you do if the dracaena breaks? Carefully cut the trunk below the breaking level and process according to our instructions. If the dracaena gets good results, everything should go well, even if you had to do pruning in the fall or winter.

The cutting height of dracaena can be chosen arbitrarily. Decide for yourself what height the plant will look best in the interior. Just keep in mind that the development of the plant will be due to the sunlight reaching the shoots at the top of the left stump. Therefore, you need to take it into account. If the dracaena is on, you should not cut it too high: there is less light in the upper part of the window opening than at the bottom.

Using a sharp knife or pruning shears, cut the dracaena trunk at the level where you want to get branching. The cut part of the dracaena can be used for...

Cut off all leaves on the plant 10-15 cm below the cut level. Coat the cut of the stem with melted paraffin. Try to close all the pores on the cut with paraffin, but if possible, do not get hot paraffin on the leaves.

A dracaena stem, sealed after pruning, looks like this:

After pruning, dracaena loses a lot of moisture, this can prevent the formation of new buds at the top of the stump. Therefore, spray the stem with water to help restore the water balance of the cells.

Wrap the stem wet and tie it with an elastic band or thread. It is most convenient to use a rubber band: the binding will have to be removed periodically to check the condition of the shoot and returned to its place, slightly moistened.

Leave the paraffin-treated cut outside the “wet wrapper.”

Place a plastic bag over the dracaena trunk to prevent moisture from evaporating too quickly. About once every 5-7 days you need to remove it, unroll the sphagnum and check the condition of the stem under the harness.

At the same time, lightly moisten the sphagnum moss. If the dracaena stem begins to rot, you will have to prune again.

As soon as you notice new buds at the top of the stem (at first they are slightly larger than a grain of rice), the bag and sphagnum binding can be removed.

From now on, the dracaena will take care of itself on its own.

And after 2-3 months, new shoots will begin to form on the plant.

Dracaena is one of the many indoor plants that require to maintain a decorative appearance. Very few species of dracaena bush bush naturally.

Most varieties grow upward without lateral shoots and can reach the ceiling after a while. Therefore, only formative pruning will help preserve the beauty of the plant and its compactness.

When does dracaena require pruning?

There are several reasons why pruning dracaena is necessary:

• Keeping the plant compact;
• Preservation of decorative appearance;
• Sanitary reasons.

If a palm tree grows too tall, it may break. To prevent this from happening, carry out its initial pruning.

It is advisable not to allow the dracaena to stretch too much and cut it when its height is 30-40 cm.

The stem is trimmed to the required height to maintain compact dimensions. If the plant breaks, it is still necessary to trim its trunk according to all the rules, since without this the dracaena may die.

Sometimes an already branched dracaena grows and becomes ugly. Unsightly growing shoots may appear on it. In this case, formative pruning is necessary, which will give the plant the desired appearance.

If the dracaena is sick and its shoots dry out or rot, it is necessary to urgently carry out sanitary pruning, removing all diseased parts of the plant.

After pruning, the plant loses its attractive appearance for a long time. However, this procedure is the only method that allows for branching of most varieties of dracaenas.

Trimming time

Typically, pruning of any plant is carried out at the very beginning of the growing season. At this time, intensive growth begins, damage heals faster, and the plant quickly returns to its normal state. Dracaena is no exception.

Dracaena pruning is carried out in early or mid-April. when winter came to an end. But sometimes urgent pruning is required if the health of the plant is in danger. In this case, the dracaena is pruned at any time of the year, although it is not advisable to do this in winter.

Processing slices

The main point when pruning dracaena is the correct processing of the cut of the trunk or shoots.

Pruning the plant is done with a very sharp knife. And then it is necessary to process all the cuts, since without this they will rot or begin to dry out.

It is best to fill the sections with molten paraffin. This will prevent strong evaporation of moisture from the cut site.

Good results are obtained by wrapping an already filled cut with damp moss and tying it with a plastic bag. The cut needs to be kept in this form for some time until it becomes overgrown.

Rules for pruning dracaena

When initially pruning tall plants, cut off the top part of the plant with a sharp knife. Usually the trunk is cut at a height of 20-30 cm from the ground, but you can choose a different height at which you plan to get shoots.

After pruning, the cut is treated with paraffin, and the lower part of the plant is cared for in the usual way. It is placed in partial shade, and the temperature is maintained at least 25°C. You should not expect rapid branching of dracaena. Typically, side shoots begin to grow no earlier than after 2.5-3 months.

If the plant has already been cut before and has become very elongated, formative pruning is done. At the same time, all the tops of elongated shoots are removed, and then the branches are shortened, cutting them off at a distance of 20-30 cm from the stem.

If there are deformed branches that are difficult to give a decorative look, they can be removed. It is not necessary to leave the shoots the same length; you can cut them to different heights. After this, all sections are filled with paraffin.

Now the plant will look ugly for a long time. But when it begins to grow, from each old shoot 2-3 new ones will grow. This formative pruning will allow you to get a branched and compact plant with a lush crown.

It is not advisable to carry out sanitary pruning on a diseased plant; it is better to cure it first. The exception is diseases such as stem rot. In this case, it is urgent to remove all diseased parts so that rot does not spread.

If the plant’s shoots dry out, you need to find out the cause and eliminate it. When new healthy leaves appear, you can carry out sanitary pruning. At the same time, yellow, dry leaves and dried branches are removed.

Obtaining cuttings

During formative pruning, you can get several dracaena cuttings for propagation.

You need to cut off the tops of the dracaena so that they are no shorter than 10 cm. You need to choose only the most even ones; curved and deformed ones should not be used for rooting.

Further, when the long shoots of dracaena are shortened, the cut branches do not need to be thrown away. The trunk fragments are cut into pieces 10-15 cm long, their upper sections are filled with paraffin. Such stem cuttings are also suitable for rooting.

Dracaena grows at home for up to 15 years. In this case, the evergreen plant grows at the top, and the lower part of the stem becomes bare. The leaves, having worked for a little over a year, gradually dry out, leaving a scar on the stem. How to prune dracaena to produce side shoots? The plant allows you to create new forms by shortening the shoots.

Types of dracaenas

Dracaena marginata

This type of dracaena is the most common. You've probably already seen this plant somewhere. The features of Dracaena Marginata are very characteristic. This is a palm tree with a completely bald trunk and a rosette of green leaves with a red edging at the top. Dracaena of this variety can grow to a height of two meters. Marginata does not require much light, so it grows well even in dark rooms.

Dracaena Sandera

Dracaena Sandera is also called the bamboo of happiness. It really looks like this tree. But it is worth noting that this plant has no relationship with bamboo. This is the most natural dracaena, having a slightly unusual appearance.

The peculiarity of this variety is that the plant can develop well not only in the soil, but also in ordinary water. This gives free rein to your imagination. After all, such a plant makes the most beautiful compositions. You've probably already seen these in shopping centers or cafes.

Fragrant dracaena

The fragrant dracaena is interesting; species of this variety are characterized by green and variegated leaves. They are attached to a thick trunk that is very unstable. Sometimes the plant even has to be propped up because of this.

When should you prune dracaena?

In some cases, when the plant has grown too much or if there is a desire to get side shoots on the dracaena, pruning is carried out. They also resort to cutting when the need arises, for example, when a stem breaks during a move, etc.

What time of year is it best to prune dracaena? The process should begin when the flower begins to actively grow after the winter period, i.e. at the beginning of spring. But, events can be held until the end of summer if there is a need.

There is no exact answer to the question of whether it is possible to prune dracaena in winter; experienced gardeners advise refraining from cutting operations in winter. This is explained by the fact that the plant will be subject to stress during the passive period of biological growth, which can cause negative consequences, including the death of the dracaena.

During the active period of biological growth, the plant produces phytohormones that influence growth processes, as a result of which the flower forms new leaf plates, the main stem grows and thickens, etc. In winter, when the dracaena is at rest, these processes are very slow; healing of wounds after pruning lasts a long period. It is better to wait until spring arrives and start pruning the flower.

How to prune dracaena correctly at home

It is recommended to trim a flower that is at least 30 centimeters tall. 5 centimeters retreat from the lower leaves and make a cut.

Young plants are pruned randomly before reaching two years of age. Their trunk has not yet begun to become bare. Therefore, pruning is done for a decorative look. At this point you should be sure that the dracaena is healthy. If you need to branch a flower well, then you will need some tips:

The top of the dracaena, which grows in a pot, is cut off with a sharp object.

The wound is not sprinkled with anything and is not cauterized.

Water the plant well and cover the pot with film.

The covered pot is placed in a sunny place in the room.

Subsequent waterings are carried out in the tray without opening the pot to avoid changes in the temperature inside the bag.

The appearance of shoots is possible only at a temperature of 20-25 degrees and a humidity of 70-75%. Only in this case, new buds will appear in a month, a maximum of one and a half.

Try not to over-water the dracaena to prevent rotting of the root system and thereby cause the death of the flower.

Methods for trimming dracaena at home

Pruning a plant is an important procedure, and for some flowers it is simply a necessity. Its main task is to create new shoots so that the tree begins to branch, which contributes to good crown growth. How to form a crown, and why do you need sanitary pruning? There are several reasons to prune a plant, the main thing is to do it correctly:

1. Deformed shoots. In this case, sanitary pruning and crown formation are required. This type of pruning is used if the plant has grown too much and no longer looks attractive. After the procedure, new buds and shoots appear, and the appearance improves.
2. If the dracaena has dried leaves or weak shoots, then they need to be removed so that the plant does not become completely sick. They need to be cut off completely, leaving only healthy areas.

Caring for dracaena after pruning at home

The removed parts of the dracaena do not have to be thrown away. The blanks can be sprouted in a glass of warm water or a container with sphagnum moss. Sprouts that have acquired their own roots are planted in a pot in which the mother stem lives, or in a new small flowerpot. After decorative pruning, dracaena is hidden from direct ultraviolet radiation. An indoor flower is restored in semi-darkness at a temperature of +24–26 degrees. Until the cut site is healed, it is forbidden to add fertilizers to the water for irrigation. The exception is the growth stimulator.

The decorative bush, on which young shoots have formed, is returned to the southern windowsill. Sunlight stimulates bud growth. To ensure that the shoots develop evenly, the pot is periodically turned clockwise. Thanks to this, the sun will hit all parts of the bush. If the shoots are deformed due to incorrect light conditions, they are pruned next spring or summer so that straight specimens with dense foliage grow in place of ugly branches.

Propagation of dracaena by apical cuttings

It is advisable to cut the stalk with a sharpened knife. It is not recommended to use scissors or pruning shears, because the cut will be uneven and crumpled, and this can lead to rotting of the cutting. So, let's begin.

It is necessary to cut off the top with the shoot, leaving a stump approximately 10 cm high.

If there are leaves on the stem of the cutting, then they must be removed, leaving only a few on the top.

If the cut stem is long, it is recommended to shorten it, leaving 15 cm from the crown.

Do not throw away the remaining piece, it will still be useful for cuttings.

It is necessary to dry the cut area for approximately 30 minutes.

Then you need to prepare a reservoir for the cutting. Pour cold, clean water into the container. It is worth throwing activated carbon into the liquid. You can also use Zircon and drop a few drops into the water, this will speed up the process of formation of the root system.

Place the cutting into the liquid. You need to monitor the water and change the water if necessary.

After about 2 months, the first roots will begin to appear, then it is necessary to plant the seedlings in a container.

Propagation of dracaena by seeds

Growing dracaena from seeds is quite simple. To do this you will need:

Place the seeds in a cup of warm water. High temperature causes growth inside the seeds.

The water should be changed daily during the soaking period, which lasts three to five days. The water is gradually cooled throughout the day, which promotes successful germination.

It is necessary to choose a place for future seedlings.

For successful germination, the container should be placed in an area with full sunlight, preferably above +22 degrees. After removing the seeds from the water, it is necessary to scatter the planting material into soil with a lime base. Each seed should be placed directly below the soil surface. The soil consistency should have good drainage.

Regular soil moisture should be ensured throughout the entire germination period.

As a rule, shoots will appear in 30-40 days.

Grown palm trees can be moved to separate containers and cared for like an adult plant. It should be borne in mind that not all varieties of dracaena can be grown from seeds.

Flower growers can prune dracaena at home to branch the crown, produce side shoots, or reduce a palm tree that has grown to the ceiling. To do this, select a specific place for the cut so that there are dormant buds underneath it. Only sharp tools are used in this work. After the procedure, the flower is carefully cared for. The cut tops are rooted.

Features of pruning dracaena

Dracaena is pruned for decorative or sanitary purposes. In the first case, pruning is carried out to obtain side shoots and give the crown of the plant a lush shape. In the second case, dried branches, rotten old shoots, blackened leaves and shoots, parts of the plant damaged by pests or mold are removed.

Individual parts of the flower are removed with special tools and during a certain period of growth, otherwise the plant may die.

In winter and summer, broken tops are most often pruned. Just below the break, make a cut with sharp garden shears or a knife. Smooth edges facilitate healing.

Smooth trunk cut

The best time for pruning is spring. At this time, the movement of juices is activated, the flower begins to grow quickly. The plant produces growth hormone, so wounds after pruning the main trunk will heal quickly. At the site of the removed branch, fresh buds are formed next to the cut, from which strong young shoots will develop.

Hatched buds

Tools

Dracaena is a very hardy, easy-to-care plant. But it can also die if bacteria that cause rotting get into the cut of the trunk. The procedure should only be carried out with instruments washed in clean water and disinfected. Any disinfectant solution available on the farm will do:

• alcohol;
• vodka;
• chlorhexidine;
• miramistin;
• hydrogen peroxide;
• cologne.

The blade of the instrument is wiped with an antiseptic after each cut. For cutting, take a sharp scalpel, garden pruning shears, scissors or a knife. They try to cut off a shoot in one movement, so it is very important to have a quality tool. The item must be sharpened. Lacerated wounds are difficult to heal and weaken an already stressed plant. In addition, improper pruning leads to deformed shoots. Wear medical or household gloves on your hands. Dracaena juice is low-toxic, but in some cases it can cause an allergic reaction.

The cut areas are immediately sprinkled with crushed activated charcoal or charcoal. Birch charcoal is considered the best remedy. It has a pronounced antiseptic and drying property. Instead of coal, you can use paraffin or garden pitch.

Waxed cut

Softened wax tightly tightens the wound and protects its surface from the penetration of harmful microorganisms. After treatment, the cut site is wrapped in damp sphagnum moss. It retains moisture well, and its porous structure will not prevent healthy buds from developing under the cut.

Wrapped in moss, trimmed dracaena trunk

To branch the plant, you don’t have to sprinkle the cut area, then you need to put the palm tree in a plastic bag and create a greenhouse effect. Watering is done only in the pan. The air humidity under the polyethylene is kept at 70-80%, the temperature should be 20-25 C. Then after 1-1.5 months the buds will sprout and new shoots will appear. With this method of branching, you need to remember that buds can sprout in any part of the trunk, making the flower look multi-tiered.

During this period, you should feed the palm tree with a growth stimulant. The most affordable and well-proven drugs are Zircon or Cytokinin paste. Zircon is added to the water when spraying, and the paste is carefully applied with a sharp object to the nascent buds of the plant.

Step-by-step instructions for removing plant parts

A healthy dracaena bush is pruned for decorative purposes if:

• it has one stem with one rosette of leaves;
• the shoots are stretched and deformed;
• the plant has stretched to 2-2.5 m and its aesthetic beauty has been lost;
• there is a goal to form a large number of rosettes with leaves on the trunks;
• I want to propagate a palm tree.

The cut is made at a distance of 10-15 cm from the top. If you want to get a branched, squat flower, pruning is done lower. A tall plant that touches the ceiling can be trimmed to the required height. The only condition is that the remainder of the main trunk after cutting must be at least 25 cm when measured from the ground in the pot. If the plant is less than two years old, you can prune it arbitrarily. The woodiness and bareness of the trunk of such a palm tree has not yet begun. The step-by-step guide to branching a palm tree contains the following procedure:

1. 1. First, they examine the trunk and find dormant buds on it. They are clearly expressed over the entire surface and are arranged in a spiral.
2. 2. With a glance, indicate the place of the cut; three buds should be clearly visible under it.
3. 3. Using the prepared tool, cut off the upper part of the plant, making sure that the cut is smooth.
4. 4. Torn edges are cleaned with a sharp knife.
5. 5. The cut is treated with charcoal or paraffin, wrapped in damp sphagnum moss, or the flower is placed under polyethylene.
6. 6. Water or spray the plant 1-2 times a week with growth stimulants added to the water. After 1-1.5 months, leaves appear from the buds.

The cut top should not be thrown away. It can become a new palm tree if planted correctly. The lower leaves are carefully removed from the trimmed part, leaving a bare stump of 7 cm. The top should dry out within 1 hour. After this, they begin to root in water. Settled water at room temperature is poured into the container, the rooting agent Zircon (1-2 drops per 1 liter of water) or Kornevin (1 g per 1 liter of water) is added. After the appearance of roots 2-3 cm long, the plants are planted in pots with soil.

In flower shops you can see a variety of plants. Among them there are palm trees. However, prices for this type of plant reach high levels. Therefore, it is worth trying to grow it yourself.

Palm tree is an exotic plant that can be grown at home

Growing at home

Which palm tree is suitable for growing at home:

1. Brachea. The peculiarity is that it is an evergreen tree.
2. Boothia. One of the slow growing plants.
3. Washingtonia. Capable of bending a trunk 30 meters high.
4. Giophorba. Another evergreen plant.

How to grow a palm tree at home from seeds is a very pressing question for many gardeners and hobbyists.

First, you need to buy high-quality seeds in the store - this is the key to the successful development of the plant. Old seeds have low germination rate, so you should not buy seeds from last year.

You can sow seeds in disposable plastic cups (100–200 ml). To do this, you first need to trim them a little and also make holes at the bottom for drainage. Pour soil from leaf soil, perlite, vermiculite. This entire composition should be just below the edge of the glass.

5 days before sowing, the palm seed must be soaked in water, after which it must be peeled from the shell. Trim hard surfaces using a file and an abrasive stone. This will all help speed up the germination process.

It is necessary to water the soil in a glass, and then deepen our seeds into the soil (one in each glass), without covering them with soil. After this, put a plastic bag on the glass (we arrange greenhouse conditions).

This will prevent water from evaporating from the glass. Place the glasses in a warm place, well lit. All you have to do is wait until the seeds sprout, watering regularly and ventilating daily. You will have to wait a long time - some seeds take 6-9 months to germinate.

When the shoots are about 3 cm, it is important to transplant the plants into separate permanent pots. Use special soil for palm trees. At first (about a year), be sure to place the palm tree in the shade, protecting it from direct sunlight.

Growing palm trees outdoors

We will select only those palm seeds that are well suited to the climate where the plant will live. It is advisable to choose one that is easy to care for, unpretentious, frost-resistant, and has the property of being restored as a result of damage.

No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to completely protect palm trees from various negative factors. If you make a warm shelter, then the risk of damage as a result of inappropriate temperatures is much less compared to condensation, evaporation, and damage from sunlight.

Therefore, when growing outdoors, the ability to recover from damage is even more important. You can sow seeds, but it is better to plant a plant in open ground with a height of no less than 30 cm (minimum 6 leaves). It will be much easier for such a palm tree to take root in a new place. Over the course of the season, a few more leaves will grow and she will be ready for winter.

For such a plant, you need to choose the right planting location, with the most suitable microclimate. This should be a place well protected from external influences. It is best to plant them closer to the house, because the ground near it is warmer. This must be the south side. It’s good if there is an extension or canopy nearby that can protect the plant well from the wind.

The time of planting in open ground also plays an important role. This needs to be done as early as possible, but the earth should already be sufficiently warmed up. Under no circumstances should there be night frosts. The earlier you plant a palm tree, the easier it will be for it to adapt and prepare for winter during the season. Planting a plant too early can also have a bad effect on its development.

If the soil is not warm enough, the root system will begin to work incorrectly, as a result of which the leaves may dry out because there will be little moisture. In such a situation, the plant may recover throughout the season or die altogether. Drop off times vary for different regions. Residents of the southern side can plant the plant as early as April, and residents of the northern side - in May.

The palm tree is transplanted into the ground from a pot. They move it with the lump of the earth in which it was. This is a necessary condition so as not to damage the roots. To do this, you need to prepare the hole in advance. Humus, fertilizer, and expanded clay are added to it.

It is possible to add perlite. For sandy soil, nothing else is needed. If the soil is clay, then it is better to make a mound for the palm tree, this way you can protect the plant from the cold. Cover the soil around the palm tree with crushed bark.

After planting, be sure to protect the palm tree from direct sunlight. If there is no fence, then create it artificially, otherwise all your efforts will be in vain. This plant requires careful care. It consists of regular watering, fertilizing, weeding and pruning.

Save a palm tree in winter

Everyone understands perfectly well that it is necessary to cover a palm tree for the winter, but few people know how to do it correctly. In winter, not only frosts, but also high humidity and winds have a strong negative impact on the palm tree.

If a tree is protected from excess precipitation and wind, then it will be much easier for it to endure difficult winter conditions. Palm trees love temperature changes, because it is natural for them. Therefore, try to provide this to the plant artificially if the weather is not favorable for this. Remember that not a single seedling will survive the winter! Bush palms are easier to care for.

Bush palms are easier to care for

Growing a palm tree is not an easy task, but anyone can do it. You just need to create the necessary conditions for it: choose the right soil, place, water it on time, feed it, care for it.