Strictly speaking, dragon trees are not trees at all, but as tree-shaped plants they only have a woody trunk with or without branches. While ancient dragon trees can reach considerable proportions in nature, specimens cultivated as houseplants are much more compact.

A dragon tree can also grow over a meter high as a houseplant

The different dimensions of different dragon trees

On the Canary Islands and in particular in the holiday paradise of Tenerife, centuries-old dragon trees can be found in nature, some of which have reached a height of almost 20 meters. These dimensions are hard to imagine when the offshoot of a dragon tree is nurtured and cared for in the house for a few years. Rooted cuttings of the dragon tree grow relatively slowly at first and only reach a height of around 1.5 to 2.5 meters after many years.

In this way, growth in size can be influenced

For healthy growth, dragon trees need a suitable location with:

  • Sufficient light, but if possible without direct sunlight in the room
  • Protection against drafts
  • a relatively constant temperature
  • always slightly moist but not too wet soil

While some plants grow faster in sunnier locations, the dragon tree tends to be the opposite. The darker the location of the dragon tree, the more it will stretch towards the supposed daylight.

The uncomplicated shrinking of the dragon trees

If necessary, the height growth of a dragon tree with a relatively dark location can now be pushed in a targeted manner. Conversely, it is not particularly difficult to reduce a dragon tree that has gotten too big: A cut is easily possible with these extraordinary plants at any height. Simply cut through the gray trunk at the desired height with a pair of sharp pruning shears and a new crown of leaves will soon form just below the cutting point.

tips

Even the compact growing species of the dragon tree are probably not what real bonsai experts imagine as a miniature tree. Nevertheless, the dragon tree is very popular as a houseplant, as it grows compactly like a bonsai without special care and looks excitingly exotic.

Category:

Indoor plants