Madagascar dragon tree

Light and exposure

The dragon tree likes medium to bright light, but always indirect. A spot a few metres from a well-lit window suits it, such as an east-facing ledge. Avoid full sun behind a south-facing pane in summer: it scorches and bleaches the foliage.

It also tolerates partial shade, one of the rare plants that hold up in a less bright corner, where it simply grows more slowly. Turn the pot a quarter turn every two or three weeks to keep it upright.

Watering

Water moderately and let it dry between waterings, when the first few centimetres of potting mix are dry to the touch. In practice, one watering a week in summer and one every fifteen to twenty days in winter. Always empty the saucer: what kills the dragon tree is standing water, not thirst.

The plant is sensitive to the fluoride and chlorine in tap water, which brown the leaf tips. Let the water stand overnight before watering, or use rainwater, easy to collect here, at room temperature rather than cold.

Soil and repotting

A potting mix for green plants, light and free-draining, does the job. Loosen it with a handful of perlite or coarse sand so the water passes through quickly. A pot with a drainage hole is essential, with clay pebbles at the bottom.

Repot only every two to three years, in spring, into a barely larger pot: the dragon tree is happy with its roots a little cramped and hates large volumes of soil that stay wet. In the other years, just replace the top few centimetres with fresh potting mix.

Temperature and humidity

The dragon tree wants constant warmth, between 18 and 24 degrees all year. It suffers below 13 degrees and likes neither cold draughts nor sudden changes. Keep it away from a door that opens in winter.

The critical point here is the dry air of the heating. Our winters are humid outside but heated interiors become very dry, and that is where the tips brown the most. Move the plant away from radiators, mist once or twice a week, or set the pot on a saucer of damp clay pebbles.

Pruning and upkeep

The dragon tree is pruned without fear. If a trunk has gone bare and carries only a plume at the top, cut it off cleanly at the desired height with clean secateurs: the plant regrows by forming one or more new heads just below the cut. Spring is the best time, when the regrowth is vigorous.

Routine care is minimal. Remove the lower leaves that yellow and dry, this is the normal ageing of the trunk, not a disease. Wipe the foliage with a damp cloth from time to time to remove the dust that dulls the colours.

Pests and diseases

The dragon tree rarely falls ill, and its troubles almost always come from too much water. Watering that is too generous or a saucer never emptied causes root rot, then trunk rot that turns soft and brown at the base. This is the real fatal risk: if the base softens, repot urgently into dry potting mix after cutting away the affected parts.

As for pests, watch out for mealybugs, small white cottony clusters in the leaf axils, common in heated, dry interiors. Spider mites also appear when the air is too dry, foliage stippled with yellow dots. In both cases, misting and cleaning the foliage settles a good part of the problem.

Propagation

Head cuttings are the simplest. Cut the tuft of leaves with about ten centimetres of stem, let the wound dry for a day, then plant in a light, moist potting mix, or root it in a glass of water. In warmth and indirect light, roots appear within a few weeks.

Stem sections can also be taken as cuttings. When you top an old trunk, cut the remaining part into pieces of ten to fifteen centimetres, noting the direction (the bottom towards the potting mix). Planted upright and kept warm, they put out new shoots. A single bare plant thus yields several young dragon trees.

Toxicity

Toxic to cats and dogs. The leaves contain saponins that cause, if ingested, vomiting (sometimes with blood), excessive salivation, loss of appetite and dejection. Cats are particularly sensitive and may have dilated pupils. Place the plant out of reach of animals that nibble the foliage.

Month-by-month care calendar

Green Hub tips

• Leaf tips browning: it is almost always the water or the air. Switch to rainwater or let tap water stand overnight, and move the plant away from radiators.
• In winter, water three times less than in summer. A dragon tree ticking over slowly rots at the trunk if you keep watering it as in full growth.
• Trunk too tall and bare: cut it off cleanly in spring. The plant regrows by forming new heads just below the cut.
• Toxic to cats and dogs. If an animal nibbles the foliage, place the plant up high, out of its reach.