Draceana Janet Craig (Draceana Deremensis)

Today I'm going to talk about the amazing Janet Craig or Draceana Deremensis. When I picked this plant up from my local Home Depot it didn't have the correct name or care instructions on it. So needless to say I had to do some research to see exactly what was this beautiful dark green plant I  brought home. I contacted Costa Farms to find out the name of this beauty and little did I know I found a jewel of a plant. I fell madly in love with it's dark green foliage and liked that it had a nice kind of waxy feel to it. I'm happy to say that this is another easy to grow plant that needs minimal attention to thrive in a home or office. This plant will start off with full upright leaves but as it matures it will form a cane-like stem with clusters of leaves at its top. Just remember that because the leaves are naturally shiny and are dark green in color they can become dust-catchers. So always keep the leaves clean by wiping them off with a damp cloth.

Light: This is consider a low light plant but in my experience it does well in moderate to bright light. With this plant I would recommend that you give it as much as indirect sunlight as possible. I let many of my plants get direct sunlight and had great success. I have yet to try that on this plant if you decide you want to try it I always say test it out for yourself. Just remember if you notice brown marks on the foliage its getting to much light. However if you find that the leaves are pale in color that means that your plant not getting enough light. Low light plants still need some type of light to really take off and thrive.

Origin: This plant is from the region of East Africa and can grow up to 10ft tall if you don't prune it back.

Water: This is a pretty hardy plant but one thing you want avoid doing and that's over watering this plant. It won't do to well in soggy soil so you always want to let this plant dry out between waterings. I personally let it get almost bone dry and then I will give it a good watering and I make sure that the water leaks out the drainage holes at the bottom. That's a good sign that you are giving your plant enough water. You also want to make sure that your plant don't stand in water so empty out the saucer as soon as possible after you water it.

Humidity: From much research this plant like humidity that's around 40%-60%. To help with that I keep this plant on a tray of wet pebbles and I mist it often. Another thing I love to do is group this plant with other plants to try to help with bringing on extra humidity.

Temperature: This is one of the great things I love about this plant it can take average room temperatures without a problem. It do well in temps between 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit. I also notice when I have my windows cracked and the temp outside below 60 degrees my plant don't seem bother by it at all. So maybe just maybe this plant will tolerate temps below 60 degrees for a short periods of time.

Soil: Just about any good well draining potting soil should do. I personally like Baccto potting soil. It's very light and do a wonderful job at draining but also holds just enough moisture that the plant need to thrive. I highly recommend this potting soil to anyone who's interested in trying it out.

Fertilizer: It's recommended that you can feed this plant year round with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted by half the recommended amount. Now with all my other plants I've been feeding them since spring time and don't plan on feeding any of my plants during the winter. However I would reconsider that if my plant starts showing signs that it's stressed about something. The only thing I used with this plant so far is the miracle gro ready to go liquid plant food.

Propagtion: This can be done by taking 4 inches off the top of your plant kind of like a tip cutting basically. It's recommended that this is done in the spring to help promote new growth so you can root them in moist soil.

As you can see this plant don't want much attention but still need some TLC. A few more things about this plant that I want to mention is it don't have many pest that like to attack it but I would still watch out for those annoying spider mites. If you notice any webbing what so ever remove the plant from any other plants and spray it down with some soapy water. Let that sit for about an hour and give it a nice long shower to help get rid of any pest. If you notice that your leaves are dropping you may be over or under watering it. Which ever one it is you know to do less watering if it's over watered and try to water it a little more if it's under watered. Brown leaf tips are signs of soluble salts that's building up in the soil. So what you want to do is give you plant a nice shower to flush out all that salt that's caused my fertilizer and tap water. If you don't correct that problem it can cause damage your foliage and root system so you want to give it your all to keep your plant nice and healthy. If you have any other questions about this amazing plant please feel free to contact me on here or google+ and remember to always do your part to keep this world green.

Draceana Warnekii Lemon Lime ( Draceana Deremensis)

Today I'm going to talk about the beautiful Draceana Warnekii. When I first came across this plant I thought it was so pretty and I couldn't resist. The only thing with that was I didn't buy it for myself I brought it for my mom for mother's day. It was just something about it that stood out and I knew she would love it and she do. This was the plant that got my mom back into wanting house plants again. Like many others she wonder why her thumb was so black come to find out she was over watering all of her house plants and didn't realize it. She gave them water every single day and it wasn't until I gave her this plant and told her how to grow it that got her back on track with house plants. I felt this was the perfect house plant to start her off with because it's super easy to grow and seriously don't need much care requirements. This plant actually comes in different various leaf patterns that compliment each other with overlapping beautiful foliage. They are native to Africa and been around since the 19th century as a house plant. Now I'm going to break down the easy care requirements for this plant so if you are interested keep on reading.

Light: This plant will tolerate low to medium light but in my opinion it will do well in bright but indirect sunlight. The reason I say indirect because with this plant if it's left in direct sun you risk burning it's beautiful foliage and you don't want that to happen.

Water: You always want to keep the soil evenly moist but never soggy. If the soil stay wet for to long especially in the winter months you risk root rot setting in which can cause death to your plant. Honestly try to keep this plant on the drier side when in doubt it's better to under water a plant. Just try not to go to long without watering or you will notice brown tips on your plant and if this is present give your plant water as soon as you notice this problem. It's always best to water until you see water coming out the drainage holes and always let this plant dry out between waterings. I will recommend that you try to use distilled water or water that's been sitting for at least a day or two (if it's from the sink). These plants are sensitive to fluoride and can cause salt build up which you want to avoid but if you notice any salt build up give your plant a nice shower for a few minutes to try and get rid of the salts that's building up.

Temperture: This plant thrives in tempertures between 65-80 f. If possible always try to keep this plant above 50 f degrees. Most plants don't like temperatures to drop below that you never want to put stress on your plants so it's always important to keep them comfortable.

Soil: You want to use a well draining soil with this plant. I will recommend for now Baccto premium potting soil. I will try to mix my own soil in the future to see how well that will work for this plant.

Fertilizer: You only want to give this plant fertilizer in the growing season which is spring through fall. I advise that you be very careful because to much fertilizer can and will cause the leaf tips to burn. I always use a liquid or foam plant food that's already ready to go and I just give the recommended amount printed  on the bottle. Never fertilizer or feed in the winter months the growth rate slows down big time so you don't want to do more harm then good.

Propagation: I haven't personally propagated my plant because it's not mature enough for me but from what I know they root readily from cuttings and should root in about a month if you keep the soil warm and moist. I will do some propagation on my plants in the future and see what I get and I will do a future post about that.

Repotting: I only repotted this once and that was a couple of weeks after I got it from my local Wal-mart. My plant was seriously root bound and needed to get out of that small pot ASAP. I always recommend that you pop your plant out the pot every once in a while and check on the root system. If the roots are wrapping around the soil it's time to repot but always remember only go the next size up to avoid over potting.

Overall this really is a great plant to have and on top of all the other information I just gave you I want to point out that my plant really loves to be mist every couple of days. I haven't had any problems with pest but you still have to be careful. Every now and again spray it down with soapy water let it sit for about a hour no more then two then rinse it off and wipe the leaves with a damp cloth. This really helps keep the foliage clean and to prevent any type of pest that may try to destroy your plant. I recommend you use the regular Dawn you can find a small bottle for about 97 cents. I fill a spray bottle up with water and only use 2-3 drops and shake it up and spray my plants down. This plant also purifies the air so you want to do your best to help keep it's foliage clean since it's helping you by cleaning the air around you. Also don't be alarmed if the bottom leaves on this plant turn brown and die off. This is natural for the plant because it's getting taller and the older leaves will dry up and die off. Well that's my thoughts on this beautiful plant if there's anything else I can help you with feel free to leave a comment. You can also follow me on Google+ and subscribe to my new YouTube channel thank you for reading my blog and always remember to do your part to keep this world green.

Dracaena Dorado (Dracaena Deremensis)

Today I'm going to talk about the beautiful Dracaena Dorado. When I first picked this plant up at Lowe's I was very shocked that it was on the clearance rack for $1.00. Of course I had to examine it very well to see why it was marked down so low. Now the only issue I saw with this plant was a little brown scaring on one of the leaves and that was it! It wasn't anything to bad and didn't make the plant look sickly at all. I'm in love with the dracaena family simply because they are the perfect house plants even for beginners and those with black  thumbs. One of my favorite features of this plant is the dark green leaves edged in charteuse which makes it so beautiful and graceful looking. What do amaze me is you really don't see or hear a lot of talk about this plant for some reason. I'm going to take a wild guess and say maybe it's not one of the more popular dracaena plants and if it's not it need to be in my opinion. Another thing I want to mention about the leaves is it has a twisted kind of look to it which I find very rewarding and just another simple reason to love this plant. This plant is also a slow grower which is perfect for a indoor house plant especially for those of us who don't have a lot of indoor space. If you don't have the patience to watch it grow you can find these plant much bigger and more then likely you will pay a little more money for it. This is also a very forgiving plant like most dracaena plants so if you forget to water it from time to time it won't mind that at all. Of course like I state all the time avoid overwatering that is a sure way to kill any house plant no matter how tuff or hardy they are. Just like most of my other house plants I never water on schedule I keep a plant care book that's how I keep track of which plant I watered and feed on any giving day. For this plant I do let it dry out between watering's because most (if not all) dracaenas like to dry out. Once I test the soil and it has dry to my liking I take the plant hold it over the sink and give it a nice soaking. Once the water starts to run out from the bottom I sit the plant in it's saucer for a few minutes and then I dump the excess water out. I also like to mist this plant every now and again just to increase the humidity and it also sits on a tray of wet pebbles daily. Now we can talk about the lighting for this plant I personally keep it in a spot where it's getting indirect sunlight all day. This can tolerate low to medium light but I recommend giving it as much indirect sunlight as you can. This is one plant that I don't give direct sunlight to no reason behind that I just never did but I'm willing to give that a shot one day just for a couple of hours. Just keep in mind that if your new leaves seem narrow your plant not getting enough light so of course the fix to that is moving it closer to a light source. I know I mention before that I let my dry out but one thing I want to point out is if you notice brown leaf tips your plant not getting enough water. I personally don't have this problem but just wanted to add that in here. This plant thrives in temperatures between 65-80 f so keep that in mind where you place your plant. So far as the soil goes you always want to use a well draining soil you can buy it from your local big box store or garden center. Some people like to mix their own soil or sometimes use a soilless soil. All I use in the beginning was the miracle gro soil for cactus, palms, and citrus plants I haven't tried just their basic potting soil but maybe willing to give it a try. One soil that I'm liking this far is the baccto premium potting soil. I mention before that it seems much lighter then the miracle gro soil and drains much faster so eventually I want to make that switch and see how it goes for all my plants. I believe they consider that a soilless soil and if that's the case it will explain why I see a huge difference between the two. I'm just going to touch a little on the fertilizer because I don't use much if any at all. The reason behind that is both soils that I use already have it mixed in and you never want to over fertilize any plant because that will cause the tip of the leaves to burn. So every once in a while I will use miracle gro plant food that's all ready to go. I only feed my plants spring through fall and never in the winter because the growth slows down big time. One thing I have never had an issue with is pest on this plant and I really can't say what pest love this plant (if any at all). Nonetheless you still want to take steps to keep your plants healthy and pest free by simply cleaning the foliage. Every once and again give your plant a nice shower in the sink or your shower and take the time to wipe the leaves down with a damp cloth. This helps the plant keep up the good work with cleaning the air for you and it keeps pest away from your green babies. To add to that it just simply keep your plants looking good all around because let's keep it real having a dusty plant not attractive at all. One thing I notice they have in the stores is this product that shines the leaves. I personally never invested in this product but it's said to do more harm then good so just be mindful of that if you are or thinking about using it. So far as propagation my plant is to small at this point to even think about cutting it up so I have no experience with that. Like any other plant that's mature enough you probably can just divide the plant up but don't quote me on that. Last but not least let's talk just a little on repotting, like I always say I don't repot in the winter it's always spring, summer, and even fall. I haven't had any issues at all following this routine that I do but you have to do what's best for your plants. This plant I only repotted once and that's when I first brought it home. This baby was so root bound roots were coming out the bottom and were wrapping around the pot. Because this is a slow growing plant you will not have to repot it much just check on the roots from time to time and if it's more roots then soil you know it's time to repot. Make sure you are choosing the right size pot to avoid over potting your plant. For example if you buy your plant in a 4 inch pot and it need to be repotted repot it in a 6 inch pot. I mention before in another post I repotted two plants and over potted them and it was clear signs they were being over watered because the soil stayed wet longer. It was no worries because I quickly moved them down to a smaller pot and both plants are doing very well. As always if you have any more questions feel free to leave a comment or you can follow me on Google+ and remember to always do your part to keep this world green.