How To Prune A Dracaena The Right Way

Is your Dracaena looking untidy and discolored? Is it starting to appear overgrown? Are the branches seeming to be more tangled? Or maybe it’s just becoming a hassle to care for now? Good news – that’s normal! And even better words – I have a simple way to mend each problem potentially! It may be time for a good pruning session, so grab your gardening shears while I walk you through three quick and easy techniques to prune Dracaena.

Tip: Before conducting any of the following methods, clean your shears thoroughly and keep some water nearby to hydrate your Dracaena afterward.

The Dracaena Stem Pruning Method

This technique is usually the most nerve-wracking to do as it requires removing parts of the stem. Owners tend to wonder if doing so will damage the Dracaena – it won’t. However, it will motivate your Dracaena to grow more. This process is most common when your Dracaena is beginning to look overgrown. To prune your Dracaena via the stem, establish the height you desire for the stem and cut it with your clean shears. It will help to cut at a 45-degree angle when trimming your plant’s stem. It will keep the plant’s health intact and ensure it will continue growing.

Note: Remember To Snip At the Leaves

A common issue with Dracaenas is leaf discoloration, which can potentially cause damage to your plant’s leaves. If this issue is not addressed, it can spread to other plant portions or even cause the leaves to weaken. Remember that weaker leaves make it harder to save the plant later on. To keep this from happening (or to resolve it when it does happen), use your gardening shears to snip off the wrong parts of the leaves. These spots are easy to locate due to appearing as a brown or yellow discoloration. You’ll need to snip right below the colored dots and right where the green begins to make sure you remove all of the inadequate portions. 

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When Is the Best Time To Prune A Dracaena Plant?

If you choose to prune your Dracaena, you can do it whenever you like. However, the best (and most recommended) time to prune the plant is if/when it is discolored or overgrown. In addition, pruning is easier to do during the spring and summer while the dracaena is blooming.

It’s pretty easy to determine when your Dracaenas will hit a growth spurt, as this usually happens during the spring months. Therefore, as the spring months approach, you could occasionally start trimming. You can do this weekly and monthly, depending on how fat your Dracaena appears to be flourishing. This process should be redone again once the season is concluded – about when fall is about to begin. 

Benefits of Pruning Dracaena

Pruning has several benefits for a Dracaena succulent. Not to mention it’s good for the plant to be pruned every few years to keep up with its healthy growth rate. Aside from that, here are a few benefits of pruning a Dracaena:

Benefit #1: Removes damage done to the plant

Often, when a Dracaena experiences pest infestations or diseases, the damage done to the succulent can be fatal to plant growth. Sure, pesticides and other solutions can potentially solve these issues at hand. Still, root rot or untreated toxins left behind from pests can kill the plant. In those instances, pruning may be the only efficient way of saving the plant. Simply pruning off any dead or damaged areas, giving the plant some fertilizer, and watering it can help tremendously.

Benefit #2: Giving the plant a full-of-life look

When Dracaenas grow for years without pruning, they tend to get slightly out of control and messy-looking. An occasional pruning can not only prevent that from occurring, but it can also give you a chance to shape the succulent themselves – you can prune to make your Dracaena look fuller! This can be done by determining which branches, leaves, or stems are entangled or growing into a bunch. Simple trimming those off and untangling them can benefit the plant’s growth.

Make sure to follow Succulent City on Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram for more informative & interesting content about succulents & cacti 🙂 Happy planting, and live the moment, my friend!

Benefit #3: Height Care

Partially continuing what’s been said above about the succulents growing out of control, the same goes for the plant’s height. Whether your succulent has grown to reach the ceiling or you’d like it to be much shorter for appeal, pruning the succulent can help manage that.

Benefit #4: Pruning for propagation

Pruning also primarily benefits any plans you may have for propagating the succulent. Who wouldn’t want two beautiful, lively Dracaenas? While pruning your Dracaena, keep in mind that those trimmed-off pieces can be used to propagate a new succulent. After trimming them off, rinse them and allow them time to dry up before planting them in a new pot.

The Dracaena Cutting Propagation – Use The Best Out Of What Is Left 🙂

One of the most common ways of propagating a Dracaena is using cuttings from the parent plant. This method is much quicker than the alternative methods that one could use and is simple to do.

Read more about the method: How To Propagate Succulents From Cuttings.

To propagate a Dracaena with the leaf cuttings, determine which leaf is fully grown and healthy. Carefully cut the entire leaf off with your clean scissors. After that, you can plant your cutting to prepare it for growth in two ways. One way to do it is by placing the leaf-cutting near a window in some water so it can begin growing. Another way to plant it is by planting it right into the soil in a new pot. Don’t forget to water it and watch it as it grows.

More Guides On The Dracaena Plants …

Dracaenas are the type of plant that can remain healthy and beautiful regardless of being pruned. These low-maintenance plants are great for beginner gardeners because they can survive on a small about of attention. Below are more guides on the Dracaena plants:

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