Its arching, glossy leaves fan out from a stout woody cane, bringing a touch of the exotic to a bright living room. Mass cane (Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’) is among the most often bought of all houseplants, and in good light it will keep that shape for twenty to thirty years indoors.
| Name | D. fragrans ‘massangeana’ |
|---|---|
| Common names | corn stalk plant, mass cane, dragon plant |
| Family | Agavaceae, indoor plant |
| Exposure | very well-lit, even full sun |
| Soil | draining soil mix |
| Height | 3 to 6 ½ feet (1 to 2 m) |
| Foliage | evergreen |
Its complete scientific name, D. fragrans, hints to its rare scented blooming. Here are tips and advice to care for your Dracaena massangeana, how and when to repot and water it.
→ Related: problems a dracaena plant can get
The Dracaena massangeana plant requires good soil mix that can be amended with ⅓ compost, if you’ve got some.
In order to enhance drainage, pour clay pebbles or small stones into the pot to form a layer at the bottom.
This will help ensure that roots won’t wallow in water, which could be fatal to it: check out this picture of a Dracaena massangeana with yellow leaves.
As is customary for plants in pots, feel free to place a bed of gravel, small stones or clay pebbles to drain the water better. Atop this layer, you’ll be using a blend of soil mix, garden soil and sand.
Generally speaking, dracaena is intolerant to the cold and will only grow outside wherever the climate is quite warm with a temperature always higher than 63 to 65°F (17 to 18°C).
Under our climates, Dracaena massangeana adapts well to living indoors in our apartments and homes.
It grows best when surrounding temperatures hold at around 70 to 72°F (20 to 22°C) and requires very good light, even direct sunlight.
Choose for it a place near a window facing to the South or West so that it would bathe in a good deal of both indirect light and sunlight – do the opposite if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere.
If you live in a house that is quite dark, avoid purchasing this particular dracaena. It won’t cope well with lack of light.
A mass cane asks for two quite different regimes: one while it is growing, another while it is resting. This table sums up how much water and food it wants at each stage of the year.
| Season | Watering | Feeding | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early spring to late summer | Every 4 or 5 days | Liquid fertiliser every two weeks | Let the surface of the soil mix dry between waterings |
| Early to mid-autumn | Start cutting back as needs fall | Stop feeding from mid-autumn | Water only once dry down to the first inch |
| Late autumn to late winter | Once or twice a month | None until early spring | A plant in full sun will need more |
Whatever the season, misting the leaves with soft water is worthwhile all year round.
All year long, mist water on the leaves, preferably soft water.
This is usually the time of the year when the dracaena massangeana grows most.
Water regularly while letting the soil mix dry in the surface before watering again.
Watering must be regular but limited, in order to not suffocate the plant’s roots. Every 4 or 5 days is largely sufficient.
More or less every two weeks, you can offer it some liquid fertilizer, taking great care to moisten the soil mix beforehand.
Start reducing the watering because the plant water needs begin to decrease.
Only when the soil is dry down to the first inch or so (a couple centimeters), water to moisten the entire soil mix clump again.
Again, one might say that watering one or 2 times a month should be enough.
But this also depends on where your dracaena is placed: if it is in full sun, its needs will surely be higher.
This reproduces very easily by preparing cuttings. This generally means sacrificing one of the stems in order to make new plants.
What’s nice is that you can make several plants : all you need are portions of stems that are around 6 inches long (15 cm) at least.
Mark the upper end of each cane section before you cut it, since a piece planted upside down is much less likely to root and sprout reliably, and may fail altogether.
Many growers let the cut ends callus before potting, with recommended times ranging from a few hours to several days, though Dracaena cuttings are also routinely rooted in water or potted immediately.
Watering is what makes your Massangeana plant vulnerable: don’t overwater and make sure soil drains well.
→ Detailed article: problems a dracaena plant can get
This plants likes growing. It’ll put all its efforts into into its main stem. It’ll only branch out when the main stem is cut. As a result, you might get a plant that’s too tall, easily more than 10 feet in time.
The solution is to behead the plant and to plant the cutting again. You can even plant it right next to the original stem: this will give you different levels of leafage.
D. fragrans ‘Massangeana’ has variegated leaves. They’re nearly always darker green on the outside and lighter green on the inside.
Other Dracaena fragrans varieties don’t have this:
Although some varieties look very similar to palm trees, dracaena massangeana isn’t a palm tree.
The similarity is confusing and the care it needs is often very close to that of a palm tree.
All in one aesthetic, resilient and very easy to grow, this is one of the most appreciated and often-purchased indoor plants.
Its foliage is particularly elegant and unique, and its shape and bearing brings a touch of exotic life to a living room, dining area, or any other room of the house that is well-lit.
Read also:
Did you know that on very rare occasions, sometimes after decades, Dracaena massangeana will flower and release a sensuous, appealing scent?
