Dracaena Massangeana Care – A Greenthumb Tutorial

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The Dracaena Massangeana is also known as the Corn Plant or the happy plant because of its simple nature of this plant.

This plant is highly popular because of the freshness of its yellow and green leaves that bring a hint of nature into everyone’s homes and offices.

To grow this plant well, provide it with bright indirect sunlight. But always keep it away from direct sunlight, as it can burn the leaves. Water the soil when the top becomes slightly dry; follow this rule strictly as overwatering can cause the tips of the leaves to turn brown. Create a homemade potting mixture for this plant using peat moss, vermiculite, and coarse sand. It will also appreciate warm temperatures ranging from 65 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit (18-22 degrees Celsius).

This plant filters out a lot of toxic air inside homes and offices, making it one of the most beneficial house plants for lobbies and offices.

The Dracaena Massangeana belongs to the Asparagus family, Asparagaceae. This plant originates from tropical Africa and has USDA hardiness zones of 10 to 12.

This is a fascinating plant as it contains a secondary thickening meristem, which allows it to grow succulent, with wide, and thick roots.

Basic Plant Care for Dracaena Massangeana

Soil

Dracaena Massangeana likes soil that is slightly acidic and drains well. The soil’s pH should range from 6.0 to 6.5 and no higher or lower than this. The soil is one of the biggest reasons why your Dracaena Massangeana will grow well, so it is important to get it right.

Use a peat-based potting mix formulated for tropical plants since it contains enough moisture. You can make your soil mix by adding the following:

• Vermiculite
• Coarse sand
• Sphagnum peat moss

Avoid using perlite in vermiculite’s place since it contains superphosphate, which is bad for Dracaena Massangeana.

Water

The Dracaena Massangeana needs less water than most house plants, but keep it hydrated by occasionally misting it once or twice a week. Always keep the soil slightly moisturized and make sure it is well-draining.

After thoroughly watering your Dracaena massangeana, ensure the soil becomes dry from the top before you water it next time. Overwatering your Dracaena plant can cause the roots to rot and the leaves to turn yellow.

In the spring and summer, water regularly and have gaps between watering. Watering your plant after four to five days is more than enough.

During winter, you need to reduce the times you water your plant. You must only water your Dracaena Massangeana when at least one inch of the soil becomes dry, and only water the soil enough to make it moist. Watering your plant two times in a month is enough in cold weather.

However, the number of times you water your plant during winters can vary depending on how much sunlight it receives. If you place it directly under the sunlight, you must water it more frequently.

Dropping or yellowing of the leaves shows that you are over-watering your plant, or proper drainage has not been provided. But do not worry if the bottom of the leaves starts to turn yellow and fall; it is because your Dracaena Massangeana is shedding old leaves to grow new ones.

Light

To grow your Dracaena Massangeana well, you should keep it under indirect bright sunlight. Try using filtered indoor light, such as the one coming from a window curtain, or find a semi-shaded spot for your plant.

Never place your plant under direct sunlight, as the harsh rays can scorch the foliage.

Temperature

Dracaena Massangeana likes to be kept at 65 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit (18-22 degrees Celsius).

Generally, temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit (12.7 degrees Celsius) harm your plant.

Humidity

Dracaena Massangeana will survive in a room’s natural humidity since it is a house plant. Still, it would grow better under higher humidity levels, as it originates from tropical Africa. Keep the humidity range between 40 to 60 percent.

You can control the humidity levels using a commercial humidifier or placing a pebble tray next to the plant. When using a pebble tray, ensure the water reaches just below the pebbles.

Fertilizer

Dracaena Massangeana likes fertilizers with a ratio of 3:1:2. You must apply this fertilizer every three months and only to the soil surrounding the plants. Fertilizers that contain too much superphosphate must be avoided.

During the winter season, you should stop fertilizing your plant as it is not in its growing season. Once October starts, do not fertilize your plant until April.

Repotting

Dracaena Massangeana needs to be repotted in a larger pot (2 inches larger) after every year or two, with fresh potting mix. When you repot your Dracaena Massangeana, you must carefully lift your plant from the base and then put it in its new container.

Damages can occur to your plant when repotting, so it is important to be extremely careful. When you repot your Dracaena Massangeana, you need to:

• Take a new pot, slightly larger than the previous one.
• Create a new potting mix so the water drains properly.
• Make sure the new pot has proper drainage holes.
• Add some of the potting mix and save the other half for later.
• Put your Dracaena Massangeana into the new pot.
• Take the leftover potting mix and add it to the pot.
• Slightly make the soil compact around the plant.
• Water your plant so that it settles in the new soil.

Pruning

The lower leaves of your Dracaena Massangeana will start to turn yellow after two to three years. This is the natural lifespan of the plant, but this can be unsightly, which is why you would want to prune them off.

If the plant grows too large for you, you simply need to cut the top parts of your plant because the new leaves will start to grow by the end of the growth period. To prune your Dracaena Massangeana properly, follow these steps:

• Before starting to prune, sanitize all of your equipment. Clean your cutting tools with rubbing alcohol.
• Wash your hands thoroughly to prevent the spread of any disease.
• Pinch the stem from the tips before the growing period starts; this should be done during spring.
• Only cut the stems once they are three to six inches long.

Propagation

Propagating your Dracaena massangeana can be done through stem cutting; simply follow these steps to propagate your plant:

• Prepare the propagation tray or a new pot.
• Use a peat moss-based soil mix. Do not use perlite in it.
• Ensure the propagation tray and the rest of the equipment are sanitized. Sanitizing your equipment will reduce the spread of diseases and fungus in your plant.
• Cut a healthy stem from your plant and ensure it has at least three to four leaves.
• Remove the excess leaves from the bottom of the stem.
• Dip the cut end of the stem in a rooting hormone (this step is unnecessary).
• Create proper drainage in the propagation tray.
• Put the step cutting in the soil and make it firm around it.
• Place a covering on the tray using a plastic bag.
• Remove the plastic bag after every few hours to reduce humidity.

Related: Mass Can Propagation Tips

Blooms

This plant does not bloom very often. Some gardeners have experienced panicles-like blooms in outdoor locations.

Growth

The Dracaena Massangeana can be grown both indoors or outdoors, but the majority of people love growing it indoors. This plant can reach a height of 3 feet (0.9m) but grows slowly. It can also spread about 1-2 ft. wide.

The leaves can grow up to 1 ft. in length. The glossy leaves are green with a yellow band in the middle.

Sometimes this plant produces variegated leaves that are dark green on the outer edges and apple green on the inside. These leaves have a unique appearance adding an exotic look to the corners of your house.

Common Problems for Dracaena Massangeana

Mealybugs

Mealybugs are one of the most notorious pests in the gardening world. These pests love growing in warm climates that have slight humidity. They have soft bodies but can be extremely hard to spot and eliminate because of their white bodies.

You can spot them mostly underneath the leaves of an infected plant. Another name given to mealybugs is crawlers. These pests are fast-moving, so once your plant is infected, it is important to get rid of them as soon as possible.

You can avoid their spread by taking rubbing alcohol and rubbing it all over the leaves of the infected plant; you can also use insecticides to get rid of mealybugs. Organic methods can also be used, such as neem oil.

Red Spider Mites

Red spider mites are extremely tiny pests almost invisible to the human eye. However, you will spot some issues with your plant once these pests have multiplied into a hundred more. You can often find these pests on plants such as Dracaena Massangeana because they have all the optimum conditions for the growth of red spider mites.

Spider mites thrive in high temperatures, which is why when you notice that your plant has become dusty, it means it has been infected with red spider mites. They multiply easily since the female spider mite can lay up to 100 eggs within two weeks, so taking action fast is important.

If your plant has become infected with these pests, then you will notice white dots underneath your plant’s leaves. It is important to move your infected plant away from your healthy ones because they spread fast.

To treat your infected plant, you must spray insecticide under the leaves and on top of them so that the growth of the spider mites reduces. Then spray your plant with high-pressure water to remove all spider mites stuck to it. You can also apply neem oil or insecticidal soap.

Scale Insects

Two types of scales can affect your plants one is soft scaled, and the other is armored scale. The soft-scale insects have a wax coating on them, making it easier to get rid of them than the armored scales.

Armored scale cannot be killed since they have a hard shell on their bodies that protects them from predators. The hard shell also prevents them from getting killed when insecticides are sprayed on them.

You can prevent the spread of scale insects by pruning your plant or rubbing alcohol on the leaves. You can also use high-pressure water to spray the scales off the leaves.

Thrips

Thrips can fly from one plant to another. These pests like to stay in large groups and only feed off of one plant until it dies. Once they are done feeding one plant, they move on to the next nearest plant. So if one of your plants gets infected, all of your plants will get infected.

To check your plant for infection, you need to shake your plant. If your plant is infected, then you will see the thrips flying around in the air.

Adult thrips and baby thrips are like plants with blossoms on them; however, they are also attracted to light-colored leaves such as those on Dracaena Massangeana.

To get rid of thrips, you need to remove every single of them individually from your plant. You can also spray your plant with insecticide sprays, but it will not be as effective as hand removing or shaking them off.

Fluoride Toxicity

Fluoride toxicity occurred when your Dracaena Massangeana had been fed too much fluoride. This can happen if you use tap water, high phosphate fertilizer, or perlite-based soil mix for your plant.

Do not use fluoridated water, high-phosphate fertilizer, or low-pH soil to avoid fluoride toxicity. High calcium levels or rooting medium in the soil can help tie with the fluoride and cause fewer injuries to your plant.

Tips for Growing Dracaena Massangeana

Growing any plant can be difficult sometimes, but if you take control of just a few things, then almost any plant will flourish. Here are some tips you can follow to grow a healthy Dracaena Massangeana:

• Keep it under minimum temperatures ranging from 55 degrees Fahrenheit (12.7 degrees Celsius) and a maximum temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius).
• Maintain normal room humidity, but keep their humidity range between 40 to 60 percent if possible.
• Fertilize your Dracaena Massangeana only during the summer season.
• Do not mist your Dracaena Massangeana in the winter; only mist your plant once or twice a week in the summer.
• Make sure your soil mix is well-draining soil that does not contain perlite. Keep the soil mixture of sphagnum peat moss with vermiculite and coarse sand.

Related: How to care for a Mass Cane Plant

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

This colorful succulent is one of the oldest choices for indoor plants. The long green leaves with slight yellow stripes have the traditional look of Dragon plants. All it needs is well-draining soil and occasional water to survive.

You could keep it at the entrance door or in the corner of the room, but it would instantly grab anyone’s attention because of how large the plant looks once it has grown.

It is never easy to take care of any plant, something can always go wrong, but solutions are always available for any issue.

The same applies to Dracaena massangeana; this plant may not be the simplest to care for but it isn’t the hardest to grow.