The dragon tree is not hardy outdoors in this country and only rarely blooms when cared for as a houseplant. But you can take advantage of the fact that dragon tree cuttings are relatively easy to root.

The dragon tree can be easily propagated by cuttings

Various opportunities for rooted cuttings

In contrast to many garden plants, a dragon tree with its mostly "single-trunk" growth does not offer much attack surface for a freshly sharpened secateurs and a pruning as the basis for a larger number of cuttings propagation. After all, the remaining trunk of a cut dragon tree looks really desolate at first. However, in a healthy dragon tree, new shoots usually form just below the cut point within a few weeks. Overall, there can be various reasons for the very radical step of cutting the dragon tree:

  • limiting growth to a certain size
  • saving a rather ailing plant
  • the promotion of more branched growth forms
  • the reproduction of a particular subspecies

This is how you proceed when forming a dragon tree cutting

Use the cleanest pruning shears or pruning shears possible with the sharpest and smoothest possible blade. Then first cut the "stem" of the dragon tree in a horizontal direction and, if necessary, close the plant wound with some tree wax (€12.96) or charcoal dust. You should let the lower end of the cuttings, which are at least 15 cm long, dry for about a day before finally sticking them in the ground or in a glass of water. In most cases, rooting should have progressed so far after a few weeks that the cutting can be fully supplied with water and nutrients again. If possible, do not expose your dragon tree cuttings to strong temperature fluctuations or excessive sunlight.

Slowly accustom young plants to certain site conditions

Dragon trees can react very strongly to unsuitable lighting conditions and lose leaves. Therefore, even supposedly powerful, rooted cuttings should not be moved from their shady rooting location to a location with hours of direct sunlight without a gentle transition.

tips

While some plants recommend rooting hormones and other substances to promote rooting, this is not necessary for the formation of rooted dragon tree cuttings.

Category:

Indoor plants