Sunday, November 8, 2015

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.

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