Dragon Tree
Dracaena marginata
Through the year 🗓️
☀️ Summer now
Moderate water; takes warm rooms in stride.
🍂 Fall
Stretch the watering gaps.
❄️ Winter
Water lightly; fluoride tip-burn shows most in the dry months.
🌱 Spring
Prune leggy canes. They resprout in a fork just below the cut.
The details
Light & placement
- Light
- Bright indirect preferred; tolerates medium light (slower, sparser); no harsh direct sun
- Ideal PPFD
- 150–350 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹
- Grow-light distance
- 18–24 in below LED
Water & feed
- Watering method
- Soak-and-dry: water when the top 2–3 in are dry. Drought-tolerant and rot-prone if overwatered. Use distilled/rain water; fluoride browns tips.
- Fertilizer
- Balanced feed at ½ strength, every 6 wks in spring–summer.
Home & habit
- Soil
- Loose, well-draining mix with perlite; pH 6.0–7.0
- Humidity
- Average (40%+)
- Temperature
- 65–80 °F; keep above 55 °F
- Mature size
- 4–6 ft indoors
- Repotting
- Every 2–3 yrs
- Propagation
- Cane and tip cuttings root easily in water or soil.
When something looks wrong
- Overwatering signs
- Yellowing, soft brown spots, drooping; mushy roots
- Underwatering signs
- Dry brown tips, curling, leaf drop
- Common pests
- Spider mites, mealybugs, scale
Common problems 🩺
The usual suspects when Dragon Tree looks unhappy. Most houseplant trouble is watering or light, not disease — see all plant problems if you are not sure which plant is the culprit.
Brown tips on the spiky leaves
Likely cause
Fluoride and salts in tap water — dracaenas are famously sensitive.
What to do
Switch to filtered or rainwater and flush the pot occasionally to wash salts out.
Yellowing lower leaves
Likely cause
Normal shedding as it grows taller, unless it is widespread.
What to do
Remove old leaves. If many yellow at once, check you are not overwatering.
Soft, drooping canes
Likely cause
Rot at the base from too much water.
What to do
Cut back to firm tissue, let it dry, and repot in fresh mix with a lighter hand.
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