Choosing soil for dracaena

The soil for dracaena should have a light structure, low acidity, freely pass air, dry quickly and contain a complex of useful components. If you meet all these requirements, then your favorite flower will decorate the room for a long time.

How to choose soil for dracaena

The active growth of the plant depends on the correct choice of soil.

Types of compositions

There are 3 types of soil available in stores:

1. Peat, sandy soil, humus and turf, combined in equal proportions.
2. A mixture identical to the first, only without sandstone. All components are mixed in equal quantities.
3. Turf, sand and leaf soil taken in a ratio of 3:1:1. The soil also includes charcoal: 2 tbsp per 4 l.

If you can’t find a ready-made substrate, you can take a universal one and add the missing components yourself.

Basic requirements

In order for a decorative palm tree to grow for a long time and please the eye, the following requirements must be met when planting or replanting it:

• maintain a balance of minerals and organics;
• take into account the resistance of the soil mixture to temperature changes;
• maintain soil acidity for dracaena within the range of 5.5-7.0 pH;
• clear the soil of any types of larvae and bacterial pathogens, weed seeds;
• make sure that the soil allows air to pass freely to the root system, but holds the plant tightly in the pot (garden or greenhouse pots will not work);
• achieve such a soil consistency that all properties and structure are preserved during transplantation;
• ensure uniform distribution of water (there should be no areas with stagnant liquid or dry areas);
• use a flowerpot or indoor pot (should be in the shape of a glass).

Clay soil will destroy the plant. Dracaena likes frequent watering: the nutrients are quickly washed out.

New fertilizers are applied strictly according to the instructions: their excess is just as harmful as their deficiency.

Optimal composition

Dracaena requires the following elements:

• calcium;
• magnesium;
• potassium.

To saturate the soil with them, double superphosphate is used. Also necessary:

• humate;
• vermiculite;
• dolomite and limestone flour;
• charcoal.

Peat should not be taken in large quantities: it increases acidity and retains moisture for a long time. The presence of all the above components makes the soil fibrous and nutritious.

You can also add sapropel, which is rich in microelements. It is prepared from decomposed freshwater organisms.

Indoor dracaena will not grow in soil that contains more than 30% clay.

What are all the elements in the soil mixture for?

A balanced soil composition is vital for any flower or plant. A deficiency of one of the elements will affect the growth and operation of the vegetative system.

The role of the main components of the soil:

1. Leaf soil is rotted manure, the main source of organic matter, containing seeds of other plants and insect larvae.
2. Coarse sand improves water and air circulation in the pot.
3. Large pebbles, crushed stone, expanded clay – the basis for the drainage system.
4. Vermiculite is a layered mineral added to drainage systems.
5. Sapropel is rotted river organic matter that gives a good effect when transplanting a plant into a new container.
6. Charcoal regulates acidity and saturates the soil with potassium.
7. Peat, rich in microelements, provides looseness and increases acidity.
8. Dolomite flour is an excellent regulator of soil acidity.
9. Humic acid salts (humates) are a natural component that increases immunity and plant resistance to disease.

Useful properties of microelements:

• phosphorus – responsible for the absorption of nutrients and metabolic processes;
• nitrogen – important at all stages of plant growth, especially vegetative;
• potassium – ensures protein synthesis in leaves;
• calcium – stimulates the smooth functioning of all cells;
• iron – regulates the plant’s respiratory functions;
• magnesium, manganese and zinc – participate in the process of photosynthesis;
• sulfur – is responsible for protein metabolism;
• Boron – ensures the complex synthesis of proteins, microelements and carbohydrates.

In nature, fertile soil consists of the above elements. The exceptions are sandy and clay soil.

Store-bought mixture: pros and cons

The advantages of using a ready-made store-bought mixture include:

• balanced composition;
• absence of pathogenic bacteria and pests;
• ease of use and time saving.

However, unscrupulous manufacturers may process the mixture poorly and add components that do not correspond to the description on the packaging.

When purchasing a ready-made mixture, it is important to pay attention to the expiration date, product labeling and production date.

How to prepare the soil for planting

If a person is planting or replanting on their own, it is necessary first of all to completely cleanse the soil of pathogenic bacteria, then saturate it with the elements required for healthy growth.

Pest control

Before replanting dracaena, the soil must be thoroughly disinfected.

To do this, you can use one of the following methods:

• heat in steam for 1 hour;
• bake in the oven for 30 minutes at a temperature of +180°C;
• rinse with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate;
• treat with a biological fungicide, which is sold in specialized departments;
• pour boiling water over it and cover with plastic until it cools.

Drainage

To avoid rotting of the plant's root system, drainage is placed at the bottom of the pot at a height of 1/10 of the total volume. Before laying it, it should be disinfected (acting in the same way as the soil).

The following are used as drainage:

• pieces of ceramic shards;
• crushed stone or small pebbles;
• crushed polystyrene foam;
• expanded clay;
• crushed granite;
• crushed brick parts.

Review of popular manufacturers

Specialized agricultural stores sell soil suitable for all plants. But if desired, you can purchase a universal mixture for transplanting or planting dracaena.

"Gardens of Babylon" for dracaena and yucca

It is packaged in 2 and 5 liters. The composition includes:

• lowland and high moor peat;
• dolomite chips;
• expanded clay;
• compost: horse and cattle.

Chemical composition:

• nitrogen – 0.3-0.6%;
• phosphorus – 0.1-0.35%;
• potassium – 0.2-0.3%;
• water – no more than 60%.

This soil has neutral acidity (pH 6-7).

Substrate "Gardens of Aurica"

Available in 1 liter packages. Contains:

• turf soil;
• coarse clean sand;
• charcoal;
• ceramic chips;
• vermicompost.

Acidity – not less than 5.5.

Peter Peat (Hobby line for yucca and dracaena)

It is produced in 2-liter packages, which contain:

• mixed lowland and high moor peat;
• agroperlite;
• river sand;
• limestone flour;
• complex of mineral fertilizers.

Nutrients (in mg/L):

• nitrogen – 155;
• phosphorus – 145;
• potassium – 250;

Water makes up 65%, acidity is about 5.5%.

How to prepare soil for dracaena at home

Those who wish to make their own substrate for the flower should:

1. Collect all the ingredients and mix them immediately before planting.
2. Clean the soil and add mineral fertilizers to it. They are sold in granules, each of which contains a full range of microelements. When in moist soil, the granules gradually dissolve and saturate the soil and the roots of the dracaena.

Planting process:

1. The bottom of the pot is covered with expanded clay, and sapropel is placed on top of it.
2. The cleaned substrate is placed on top.
3. They are planting dracaena.
4. The first watering is done immediately after planting.
5. Expanded clay or vermiculite is placed on top of the soil.

For dracaena, you can purchase a heavy ceramic pot with drainage holes at the bottom.

Steaming

It is carried out as follows:

1. The selected soil is placed in a sieve, first covered with calico fabric.
2. Place the mixture in a pan of boiling water.
3. Mix the soil evenly and steam it for about an hour. Hot steam passes through the holes and kills pathogenic agents.

Roasting

The prepared soil is placed in an even layer on an oven tray and sterilized for half an hour at a temperature of +170…+180 °C.

Fungicide spill

To destroy all pathogens, it is necessary to prepare an aqueous solution (optional) of:

• potassium permanganate;
• Maxima;
• Fitosporin.

The substrate should be thoroughly moistened with the prepared solution.

Basic mistakes in soil preparation

The main mistake of a novice gardener is failure to observe the quality of the selected soil. Do not collect soil along highways, garbage dumps or near industrial plants. The best option is forest soil. Fallen leaves are removed from the foot of birches, walnuts and maples and 4-6 cm of soil are removed. It is watered with nitrogen fertilizer together with compost.

When using humus and manure as natural fertilizer, remember that humus should be 3-4 years old, and peat should be rotted, with a medium acidity (red with whole pieces will not work). Sand should be coarse, but not the kind used in industry.

To check how correct the substrate consistency is, squeeze a handful of soil in your fist. It should become a lump, but immediately crumble when dropped.

What to do with old soil

During the period of active growth (up to 3 years), the soil in the pot is renewed annually. Then, once every 3 years, the soil is completely replaced.

Old soil contains a small percentage of organic matter and infection. To use the soil further, it should be placed in a compost heap for a while or thoroughly sterilized. In the future, this soil can be used for planting new plants.

Used soil can be added as a loosening agent to the new substrate. The percentage of old soil should not exceed 30%.