Dracaena Lemon Lime is a medium size houseplant. It has beautiful long leaves with lime green stripes on the edges and dark green in middle.
The foliage looks very beautiful, actually, this plant is unique in itself. You never feel bored seeing this plant every morning you wake up.
I have this plant in my living room and it looks amazing when I turn ON the light.
If you are thinking to grow a Dracaena plant then you should read this guide. Because it is not easy to care for Dracaena Lemon Lime.
I do not want you to face the same problems that I faced months ago while caring for it.
Below is my experience with Lemon Lime Dracaena care, watering, and propagation. If you are new to this plant. It is best for you to make quick notes.
About the Plant
It is cultivated in many parts of America and Asia. In its native place, Dracaena grow up to 20 feet in height.
This height is not possible when growing it in plant containers.
Indoors, it remains short and only achieves 2 to 3 feet of height with general care routine and techniques.
What makes it different from other plants of its family is the size of its leaves.
My 3 feet tall Dracaena has 2 feet long shining leaves. I just follow the regular care tips, have no special humidity devices, and follow general fertilizing techniques.
Below is everything that you need to know before thinking about this plant.
How much sunlight does a Dracaena need?
You will be happy to know that Dracaena Lemon Lime grows perfectly in low light conditions. But to encourage it to produce long shining leaves.
You must expose it to indirect bright light.
Place the plant pot near the sunny window to full fill its light needs. Just make sure the direct sunrays cannot touch the plant leaves.
This will result in leaf burn and dry plants.
On the other side, too much low light also causes problems like stretchy dracaena with few leaves.
Once it starts stretching itself toward the source of light. This means it needs more light energy and immediately changes its place.
And expose it to bright light but no direct sunlight.
Dracaena Lemon Lime soil
I use a potting mix from MiracleGro. It is not necessary for you to choose the same brand. Pay attention to the qualities of the soil.
The soil must be well-draining soil because overwatering can cause serious damage to the plant.
Do not use your garden soil or other regular potting mixes. Choose those mixes that are lightweight and do not retain much water.
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Watering Lemon Lime Dracaena
The good news is this plant needs less water than another general houseplant. This means if you have a busy schedule and you often forgot to water your plants. Dracaena is best for you to add to your indoor plant collection.
In botanical language, we call it a drought-resistant plant. There is one issue with these plants and that is they cannot handle the excessive water.
The water must be clean and not contain Chloride and fluorides. Both substances are not good for plants.
Actually, they are not required by the plants. Authorities add them to the tap water to kill the harmful bacteria.
Whereas in the case of lemon-lime plants these substances get collected in the roots zone and create a blockage.
This interrupts the water supply to different parts of it and results in dehydration.
Also, the roots become unable to transport the nutrients resulting in nutrient deficiency.
Fertilizer
I prefer slow-releasing organic fertilizer for Dracaena Lemon Lime care. The reason is this plant does not need many fertilizers to grow healthy.
The organic substances in the fertilizer take time to break down. This supplies continuous nutrients to the plant but in limited quantity.
Read the instruction of the bottle carefully before diluting it. Keep in mind that concentrated solutions will only harm the plants.
And nutrients never speed up plant growth. They are just to make houseplants healthy and shining.
Temperature & Humidity
The normal temperature of a house is perfect for the lemon-lime Dracaena. Generally, we have our home temperature between 60 to 80 degrees F.
But once the temperature goes down to 50 degrees F. This creates many problems for the lemon-lime plant.
You will not face any problems with temperature and humidity if you are growing it indoors.
General home humidity is okay for growing and caring for it. Just in case the air inside your home is dry. You can install a plant humidifier in the grow room.
It is an inexpensive device but very useful in low-humid grow rooms.
Other alternatives are the pebble tray method and grouping the different plants at the same place.
Toxicity
Dracaena Lemon Lime is toxic to dogs and cats. Its leaves contain a chemical called Saponin. Ingestion of it causes Vomiting, drooling, loss of consciousness.
If you have pets with chewing habits then place this plant away from them.
Once you see any of the toxic symptoms in your pets immediately call the animal poison control center.
Repotting
Dracaena Lemon plants do not require frequent repotting. Change the pot if the existing pot does not have a draining hole. Or there are cracks on the pot.
You should also repot it once the soil in the Dracaena pot becomes infertile. Indoor plants need fresh soil after every 2 years.
It also depends upon the type of plant in the pot.
Plants that are heavy feeders need frequent repottings as compared to the light feeders.
To repot your Dracaena Lime lemon, choose a 2 inches bigger pot than the current pot. Then take out from its old pot and put it in the new pot and fill it with potting mix.
Give some water after repotting it and place it in its permanent place.
Dracaena Lemon Lime propagation
Stem cutting is the best method of Dracaena propagation. Cut the 4 inches long healthy stem and apply rooting hormone to the cut.
Then place it in the fresh potting mix and give some water.
To create the greenhouse effect, cover the pot with a plastic cover. Make sure the cover does not touch the plant cutting.
Within a few days, the stem cutting will develop new roots. Then you can transfer it to the main pot.
Conclusion
Dracaena Lemon is the perfect plant for starting gardening as a hobby. It does not need much care and attention. All you need to do is just choose the perfect soil and water it less.
Your plant will not face any problems.
For more care tips visit our houseplant section or write us.
