Dracaena Reflexa - Song Of India
This hardy, decorative houseplant is native to Madigascar, Mauritius, and other islands of the Indian Ocean. The Dracaena reflexa, Song of India, has yellow stripes on short, narrow, pointed green leaves that are spirally arranged on the stem and tufted at the branch ends.
The leaves are the main attraction to this species - although it does flower (we'll cover that shortly). These leaves are glossy that arch over and grow up to 1ft long and a couple of inches or so wide. Some of these seem to grow quite out of hand (especially outdoors) and start to look a bit ugly, which can be overcome with pruning and training it's growth.
Removing toxins: The song of India plant was used in the NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) clean air study which proved to it to be great at removing toxins from the environment.
Note: Another similarity to other dracaenas is the bottom leaves will begin to turn yellow and fall, which is totally the norm. They are just shedding leaves to grow new ones, so don't worry.
Find out what other popular houseplants are great at removing toxins here: 10 POPULAR AIR PURIFYING PLANTS
LIGHT:
The Dracaena reflexa likes bright indirect light but no direct sun
WATERING:
The reflexa likes to be kept on the dry side. Allow the top 50% of the soil to dry out before watering. Over- watering, resulting in root rot, is the main reason this plant dies.
FERTILIZER:
Feed monthly in the spring and summer when the plant is actively growing with a balanced plant food diluted to 1/4 the recommended strength. Do not feed in the fall and winter.
TEMPERATURE:
65°F (18.3°C) - 85°F (29.4°C). Temperatures below 55°F (12.8°C) can damage the leaves.
Avoid cold drafts and heaters.
HUMIDITY:
This plant does well indoor , but grows faster and leaves look better in higher humidity
PESTS:
Scale, Mealy Bugs, spider mite:
SOIL :
Use a loose, quick-draining soil to prevent over-watering and root rot. If your regular soil seems heavy, add some sand.
PRUNING:
Dracaenas are stalk plants so it is natural for bottom leaves to turn yellow and drop off as long as you are getting new growth at the top of the plant. Pruning plant tips helps the plant stay bushy and full.
PROPAGATION:
Use 3'-5" stem tip cuttings. Allow cuttings to sit out overnight before planting several in a small pot of loose soil; this allows the cut end to dry out and helps prevent root rot.
CLEAN AIR PLANT:
The song of India plant was used in the NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) clean air study which proved to remove a considerable amount of toxins from the environment..
