Dracaena Compacta
d.fragrans
Dracaena deremensis
The Dracaena compacta plant, a compact, slow growing member of the Dracaena family, is native to South East Africa. It is often referred to as Dracaena fragrans or Dracaena deremensis. The closest relative of the Compacta is the Dracaena janet craig, but the Compacta is quite different in appearance. The Dracaena Compacta has a thick green stem and several clumps of short dark green leaves 2″-4″ in length. It’s a beautiful addition to homes or offices, but it’s a bit more difficult and more expensive than other dracaenas.
Dracaena compacta plants are considered by some to be slightly poisonous, especially to dogs and cats. Read more about common houseplants that are poisonous in Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants
Light
A Dracaena compacta plant grows best in medium light. In low lightWhen you select “Low Light” a list of the most adaptive plants in our database appears. These plants can live in lighting conditions too low to support any other plants in our database, but will grow faster in medium and high light. Variegation (color) in the leaves is often lost in low light. A plant in low light needs less water and fertilizer than the same plant in better light. Place a low-light plant within 2-3 ft. of a window with a northern exposure, 3-5 ft. of a window with an eastern exposure, 4-10 ft. of a window with a western exposure, and 10-18ft. of a window with a southern exposure. A low light area has between 50-150 ft. candles of light. The best low light house plants are: Chinese Evergreen, Dracaena Janet Craig, Peace Lily, Heart leaf Philodendron. area they grow very slowly or not at all, tend to lose bottom leaves more quickly, and are easily over-watered. Rotate dracaenas weekly so that they don’t grow toward the light, become one sided, and lose their beautiful shape..
Water
Like other indoor houseplants, a dracaena compacta uses less water in low lightWhen you select “Low Light” a list of the most adaptive plants in our database appears. These plants can live in lighting conditions too low to support any other plants in our database, but will grow faster in medium and high light. Variegation (color) in the leaves is often lost in low light. A plant in low light needs less water and fertilizer than the same plant in better light. Place a low-light plant within 2-3 ft. of a window with a northern exposure, 3-5 ft. of a window with an eastern exposure, 4-10 ft. of a window with a western exposure, and 10-18ft. of a window with a southern exposure. A low light area has between 50-150 ft. candles of light. The best low light house plants are: Chinese Evergreen, Dracaena Janet Craig, Peace Lily, Heart leaf Philodendron. than in brighter light. Keep the plant on the dry side to prevent root rot and Leaf Spot DiseaseWhen a plant gets Leaf Spot Disease, the attacking fungus or bacteria leaves small brown spots trimmed in yellow where it is feeding on the leaves. These spots may vary in shape, color, and size. As with all other fungal and bacterial diseases, better air circulation, well-drained soil, dry leaves, and less water help control Leaf Spot Disease on plants. Never mist a plant if Leaf Spot Disease is suspected. You can use a commercial fungicide to treat Leaf Spot Disease or the homemade remedy of putting a tablespoon or two of baking soda and a teaspoon or two of mineral oil in a spray bottle of water. Shake the solution well and then spray all areas of the plant that are infected. Keep infected plants away from your other houseplants.. Allow the top ¾ of the soil to dry out before watering. In low lightWhen you select “Low Light” a list of the most adaptive plants in our database appears. These plants can live in lighting conditions too low to support any other plants in our database, but will grow faster in medium and high light. Variegation (color) in the leaves is often lost in low light. A plant in low light needs less water and fertilizer than the same plant in better light. Place a low-light plant within 2-3 ft. of a window with a northern exposure, 3-5 ft. of a window with an eastern exposure, 4-10 ft. of a window with a western exposure, and 10-18ft. of a window with a southern exposure. A low light area has between 50-150 ft. candles of light. The best low light house plants are: Chinese Evergreen, Dracaena Janet Craig, Peace Lily, Heart leaf Philodendron. this could be two weeks or more. Compacta plants do better when watered on a regular schedule. Dark brown tips usually indicate the following: too much chlorine or fluoride in the water, water is too salty (never use water that has passed through a softener), or too much plant food. Muddy brown leaf tips on new growth means the plant needs more water.
Fertilizer
Slow growing plants like the dracaena compacta, require very little fertilizerPlants need fertilizer only when they are actively growing. Slow growing plants in low light require very little plant food. Too much fertilizer is worse than not enough. Most plants prefer a water soluble plant food at 1/2 the recommended strength. Plants that are in bloom or dormant should not be fertilized. Houseplant food contains nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). A fertilizer containing these elements in equal proportion is considered a balanced plant food. Nitrogen helps in photosynthesis and encourages the growth of leaves and stems. Potassium and phosphorus also help in photosynthesis and aid in root and flower development. Most fertilizers have trace elements of other minerals that are lacking in the soil but are necessary for good plant growth. Fertilizers have a high salt content. If a plant is not producing new leaves and doesn’t absorb the fertilizer, salts build up in the soil. These salts can burn the roots, discolor the leaves, and cause new growth to be small.
. Feed only twice a year, once in the spring and once in the summer, and be sure to dilute the plant food to 1/2 the recommended stength.
Temperature
Dracaena compacta plants like warm room temperatures 60-75°F (16-24°C). Cold winter drafts and heaters can damage the leaves.
Humidity
Basic household or office humidity is fine.
Flowering
Dracaenas rarely flower, when they do, I recommend immediately cutting off the flowers. Allowing the flowers to stay on the plant may distort the growth pattern of the plant and ruin its shape.
Pests
Mealy BugsLearn how to identify and treat Mealy Bugs, a houseplant pest that leaves sticky, white, cottony residue on houseplants. and scaleSoft Brown Scale is the most common scale that attacks indoor houseplants especially ficus, ivy, spider plants, ferns, aralia, and schefflera. It appears as small bumpy brown spots that appear to move. As the scale sucks on the sap of the plant it secretes a sticky substance called honeydew. The honeydew attracts black mildew. Because of the shell-like exterior, sprays are only partially effective against scale. Wipe off the lines of brown oval bumps with your finger, a cloth, or a child’s toothbrush then spray the plant with Neem Oil. Use the Green Solution to clean off the black mildew. can be a problem.
Diseases
Leaf Spot DiseaseWhen a plant gets Leaf Spot Disease, the attacking fungus or bacteria leaves small brown spots trimmed in yellow where it is feeding on the leaves. These spots may vary in shape, color, and size. As with all other fungal and bacterial diseases, better air circulation, well-drained soil, dry leaves, and less water help control Leaf Spot Disease on plants. Never mist a plant if Leaf Spot Disease is suspected. You can use a commercial fungicide to treat Leaf Spot Disease or the homemade remedy of putting a tablespoon or two of baking soda and a teaspoon or two of mineral oil in a spray bottle of water. Shake the solution well and then spray all areas of the plant that are infected. Keep infected plants away from your other houseplants., caused by a fungus living in the soil, causes reddish brown spots on the new leaves. Over- watering causes root rot. The best way to prevent both of these problems is to let the soil dry out before watering the plant.
Soil
Use a good, loose houseplant soil that drains quickly.
Pot Size
Dracaena plants like to be root- bound in small pots. If you move the plant to a larger container (with drip holes in the bottom) remember it will take the soil longer to dry out.
Pruning
Quickly remove dead or dying canes. Prune brown or yellow leaf tips with a wet scissors.
Propagation
Dracaena Compacta plants are propagated using Stem CuttingsLearn how to propagate plants using stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, cane cuttings, and branch cuttings..
Clean Air Plant
NASA lists dracaenas as excellent plants for removing benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from the air.
Poisonous Plant Info
There is a lot of disagreement as to whether Dracaenas are Poisonous HouseplantsIn her new book, Don’t Feed Me to Your Cat!, plant care professional Judy Feldstein shares information about twenty-five common houseplants, each with various levels of toxicity, and the possible consequences if your pet or child snacks on them.. I give them a #1 toxicity levelThese are general guidelines that describe how poisonous certain houseplants are. It's possible for an allergic reaction to occur from contact with any houseplant, toxic or non-toxic. If there is ever a concern, call: Poison Control Center: ******1-800-222-1222******
Level #1: Houseplants with low toxicity, may be mildly irritating, especially the sap of the plant.
Level#2: Houseplants with medium to severe toxicity. Eating parts of these houseplants may result in vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pains, skin irritations, and breathing difficulties.
Level #3: These houseplants are very poisonous. When eaten, especially in large quantities, severe vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pains, skin irritations, and breathing difficulties can occur.
Level #4: These houseplants are extremely poisonous. Eating parts of these houseplants can be be life threatening.
Every plant listed in our Popular HousePlant guide has a section explaining whether or not it is poisonous and, if so, how poisonous. Amaryllis, alocasia, dieffenbachias, crotons, ivies, azaleas, lilies, and philodendrons are just a few of the highly poisonous plants we use in our homes and offices all of the time. If you don't know whether your houseplant is poisonous, go to Ask Judy on the HousePlant411.com website, send her a picture of your plant, and she'll let you know if the houseplant should be kept away from small children and pets.
See colorful pictures and get more information about poisonous houseplants in
Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants
. Dracaenas may cause intestinal issues if eaten by a small child, dog, or cat.
Why do the tips of my Dracaena houseplants turn brown?
There are several reasons why the tips of the leaves of Dracaena houseplants turn brown. Fluorine, chlorine, and salt in the water is one reason dracaenas get brown tips. Try using distilled water, or allow your household water to sit out overnight so the chemicals in it can dissipate. Too much plant food and using water that has passed through a softener also causes brow tips on dracaena plants.
My Dracaena plant came planted in lava rock. Should I change the rock or leave it that way.
Many dracaena houseplants come planted in lava rock, and it makes it very hard to tell when they need water. I always recommend replacing at least 1/3 of the lava rock with good potting soil.
Why are entire leaves on my Dracaena Compacta houseplants turning yellow & some are turning completely brown. Am I over- or under - watering my Dracaena?
These plants like to practically dry out before being watered. If the new growth has muddy brown leaf tips you are under watering. However, it could also mean that you are using water that has too much chlorine, fluoride, or salt in it. You may also be giving you Dracaena Plants too much plant food.
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