From the easygoing snake plant (D. trifasciata) to the towering dragon blood tree (D. cinnabari), there are a diverse variety of species in the Dracaena genus that make fabulous houseplants and/or garden specimens.
The popular houseplant choices are generally low-maintenance, thriving in a wide range of environmental conditions with little help from the gardener.
But for robust, healthy growth, especially when confined to a container, fertilization is a task to add to your to-do list.
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In our guide to growing dracaena, we cover how to cultivate popular species in your home. In this guide, we’re going to discuss how and when to fertilize your plants to provide the nutrients they need to keep them thriving.
Here’s what we’re going to talk about:
How to Fertilize Dracaena
When to Fertilize Dracaena
Dracaena species, at least those we grow indoors as houseplants, tend to grow slowly and as a result they don’t need a lot of food to thrive.
If you keep yours on a porch or patio during the summer, or if it’s in an east-, south-, or west-facing bright window, it will need feeding a little more frequently than those kept exclusively indoors.
If you grow your dracaena outside, that’s a different story. We’ll talk about outdoor plants and their special needs in a bit.
For a houseplant situated in typical indirect or low light, you’ll need to fertilize in the spring and fall.
In the case of a dracaena that is in a sunny area or outside for part of the year, feed four times a year: once in early spring, late spring, summer, and early fall.
The exact time of year doesn’t matter so long as it’s during the growing season, not when the plant is dormant.
Don’t feed at all the first year after potting or changing the growing medium if your potting soil includes a slow-release fertilizer. The label should tell you if that’s the case.
If you repot your dracaena and switch out the growing medium every year, you likely won’t need to fertilize at all as the potting mix will have all the nutrients it needs to thrive.
But if you haven’t refreshed the growing medium in a while, or provided any fertilizer, the leaves tend to turn yellow, and growth stops.
If your plant is sick or stressed, don’t feed it. I know it’s tempting to fertilize with the hopes of boosting the plant enough that it can battle off whatever is troubling it, but it does the opposite.
It encourages growth at a time when the plant should be focusing on conserving energy as it heals.
Type of Fertilizer to Use
Any generic balanced houseplant fertilizer will work just fine, provided it’s mild. What does that mean?
When you look at the ratio of the three major macronutrients, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), you want the ratio to be roughly even, and the percentage of each nutrient to be at or below five, such as 5-5-5.
Some gardeners believe that nitrogen is solely responsible for foliage development, that phosphorus alone handles fruits and flower growth, and potassium helps with root, flower, and fruit development to a lesser degree.
The truth is that all three help with the growth of all parts of the plant and most plants need all three nutrients, sometimes in different ratios. Excess nutrients that the plant doesn’t use will be leached out of the soil.
If you want to use a food that has a higher percentage of each nutrient, say 10-10-10, that’s fine, you’ll just have to dilute it. A 10-10-10 food would need to be diluted by half to reach 5-5-5, for example.
You can certainly use a generic houseplant food for your dracaena, which might have slightly less potassium or phosphorus, since non-flowering and non-fruiting plants tend to use less of these elements.
I’m a fan of Dr. Earth’s Pump and Grow because it’s balanced and mild, with a NPK ratio of 1-1-1, and formulated from recycled waste food scraps. Plus, the pump makes it easy to use.
Dr. Earth Pump and Grow
You can find Dr. Earth Pump and Grow available at Arbico Organics in 16-ounce bottles.
Apply it to the soil and water well.
If you choose to use granular slow-release fertilizer, this can be applied on the surface of the soil and watered in well.
Feeding Outdoor Plants
Outdoor plants have different requirements than those growing in containers indoors.
They’re more exposed to the elements so they use more food, and unless you conduct a soil test, you may not be aware of the specific deficiencies in your garden.
Outdoor dracaena should be fed every two months during the growing season, using the same mild fertilizer as you’d use for indoor specimens.
If your plants are very large, check the manufacturer’s instructions for how much to apply, as they will obviously need more than a small indoor specimen.
Alternatively, you can use a slow-release fertilizer with a similar NPK ratio and only feed once in mid-spring.
Ecomax uses neem to slowly feed the soil and plants. It has a NPK ratio of 6-2-1 which makes this product ideal for foliage plants.
Ecomax Neem Kernel Fertilizer
It’s also available at Arbico Organics, in 12.5- and 25-pound tubs.
Unleash the Dragon
We all need food. Dracaena are pretty easy to feed, though. Unlike me, they don’t require three delicious meals and some tasty snacks every single day. A few days of feast each year, and they’re good to go.
What kind of dracaena are you growing? Let us know what you’ve got and how you’re growing it in the comments section below.
And for more information about growing dracaena, add these guides to your reading list next:
