I wish I had a one dollar bill for every time someone secern me they were verify offDracaenaplants because they keep go .

I ’d be able to give a lot more houseplant !

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A close up horizontal image of a gardener using a glass watering can to irrigate a small dracaena plant growing in a pot.

Invariably , those poor souls shin with their flying dragon tree and female parent - in - law ’s tongue are learn their plants suffer , so they total more piddle .

But I ’ve got forged word for you – nine prison term out of 10 , the plant is struggling because it ’s already too smashed .

Dracaenaspecies like it dry . They do n’t desire all that body of water .

A close up vertical image of a dracaena plant aka dragon tree growing in a wicker basket set on a wooden surface indoors. To the top and bottom of the frame is green and white printed text.

There ’s even a sign hanging in my favourite flora shop that study : “ I do n’t roll in the hay who need to hear this , but you ’re overwatering your snake plant . ”

So , yeah . Figuring out the watering situation when you ’re produce dracaena is a challenge , but it ’s one you ’re go away to have to take on if you want them to thrive .

That ’s what we ’re move to assist you work out out in this guide . Here ’s everything we ’ll go over :

A close up vertical image of a large dracaena growing in a white pot by a window with a brick wall in soft focus in the background.

How and When to Water Dracaena Plants

Dracaenaspecies are the character of plant where less is more when it comes to irrigation . You need to take a handwriting - off approach to keep them glad .

If you want a refresher on how to grow these houseplants , check out our pathfinder .

quick to do less for fulfill more ? Then here we go .

A close up horizontal image of a gardener transplanting a dragon tree into a white pot.

How Much Water Do Dracaena Plants Need?

Let ’s just get this out of the room , first : How much pee do these plant in reality need ?

Not very much !

The potting mass medium should be about three - one-quarter ironical before you water it again . If you were to stick your pointer finger into the soil , it should be dry to the 2d knuckle joint .

A close up horizontal image of a gardener watering a snake plant on a wooden shelf.

Having say all that , they do need temperate humidness , which is n’t the same thing as soaked soil .

Whatever you could do to raise the humidity in the region will help , usurp you live somewhere comparatively juiceless – and for most of us , indoor conditions are even more dry in the winter when the warmth is lead .

Some indoor gardeners use trays filled with pebbles and water , others radical plants to conjure up the collective humidity , and many opt for galvanising humidifiers .

A close up horizontal image of a gardener trimming the ends of a dragon tree pictured in light filtered sunshine.

you’re able to grow plant life in a glass locker or keep them in the bathroom . Or try a combination of these manoeuvre .

Aim for an ambient humidity point around 50 percent .

When to Water

You ca n’t rely on the calendar to serve you figure out when to water . You might hear advice like “ water once a week ” or every calendar month on the full moon , or whatever . Do n’t listen to this .

The most true ways to watch when to water are touse a land moisture meteror pose your digit in the soil .

Some people learn to say when irrigation is require by lifting the batch and experience how much light it feels compared to when it ’s full of moisture , and that form too , but a little more experience and familiarity with your plants is usually expect .

A close up horizontal image of a gardener using a trowel to refresh the soil of a dracaena houseplant.

Whatever method you opt , it needs to be one that lets you see what is happening in that moment with the soil .

Maybe the weak exposure or humidity has change in your home , or the theme have expanded into the grunge so it ’s hold less moisture . These are common occurrences ! Or you might not actualise that a drainage hole has become clog up and the moisture is snare .

No matter what , you have to check the dirt .

A close up of a spray bottle of Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide isolated on a white background.

I ’m telling you , once you get in the habit , it takes no extra time at all , and your plants will be much better off .

Watering Tips

The procedure of watering sound bare . Fillthe watering can . Pour it on the dirt . Voila !

While that act upon , there ’s a little more to it than that .

First , the eccentric of water you choose matter . Dracaena works are sensitive to fluoride salts , so use distilled , purified , or rain .

stream the weewee onto the dirt and permit it dowse in for a bit . Then , apply a little more . Water until you see some coming out of the drain holes .

Come back and empty the catchment container after about 30 min . You do n’t want to go away your plant sitting in standing H2O . On that note …

How to Tell If You’re Overwatering

The most obvious signboard of overwatering , besides soil that smells moldy and is systematically wet , are brown parting and leaf tips . If you discover these forming on your plant , check the soil moisture level .

If you keep overwatering , finally the solution will start to rot . The buncombe may extend up into the stem , which will look soft and disconsolate brown .

Uhoh . What next ?

What to Do If You Overwater

If you overwater just one time , it ’s not a big deal .

Your catchment container will credibly overfill and you ’ll spill some water all over your article of furniture , and you ’ll have to run frantically to grab a towel and endeavor to salvage the situation . Not that I ’ve ever done that or anything …

If this hap , keep emptying the catchment container until it stops filling up . You might need to come back every 30 minutes or so for a few hours while the excess continues to drain .

If you ’re overwatering a minute more regularly , however , you ’re run to need to do a piffling extra work to help your works recover . When you overwater , it drowns the roots and receive pathogen .

To prepare it , pull the works out of the container and dump the soil . Brush or wash any excess filth from the tooth root .

pass over the corporation out with oily water and then fill it with fresh soil . If a want of drainage is also an issue here , switch it for a different pot !

Spray the expose roots with copper fungicide and replant in fresh soil .

fuzz fungicide kills a broad range of pathogens and , if you do n’t overdrive it , it is n’t harmful to the plant . I keep it around all the sentence because it ’s so ready to hand for addressing so many trouble .

Liquid Copper Fungicide

If you do n’t already have some , foot a bottle upat Arbico Organics .

They deport a range of sizes , including 32 - oz. quick - to - consumption container from Bonide .

bring down off any leaves that have died and slice up off any closing that have turned browned . We have a guidethat can provide some additional aid should your plant life end up with black radical .

I Don’t Know Who Needs To Hear This, But You’re Overwatering Your Dracaena

Okay , not everyone overwaters their dracaena . I imagine . I ’m sure there are people out there who are underwatering …

But now , you ’re neither of those ! You ’re someone who live exactly how much piss your plants need and when to water them .

Did this guidebook help you figure out how to be the best at watering your serpent works or dragon Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ?

awing ! We have a fewother articles on Dracaenathat can help you find even more success with these plants ! Check out the chase :

© expect the Experts , LLC . ALL right hand RESERVED.See our TOSfor more point . Product picture via Arbico Organics . Uncredited exposure : Shutterstock .

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Kristine Lofgren