How to branch a dracaena

15 years ago

I have a dracaena that right now has only one stem and doesn't branch. What is the best way to get a dracaena to branch? I don't want to hurt the plant.

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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

15 years ago

Type doesn't matter. They all react in the same fashion. There are two ways you can promote branching:
1) provide extremely favorable cultural conditions and wait for the plant to branch on its own. This is generally not the easiest thing to do with houseplants, so try plan
2) At the end of every stem is something called an apical meristem. This is just a fancy name for the part that grows, and actually makes the branch longer. Dracaena is 'apically dominant', which means that given a choice, it will concentrate it's energy on growing longer, not bushier. It takes an active hand to FORCE the plant to do what you want it to do. You need to remove (pinch out) the apical meristem (the growing tip) to force the tree to use it's energy somewhere else (behind the pinch). Since you'll be rendering that stem unable to extend, it 'looks' for somewhere else to deliver all the energy it's not using to grow longer. The only thing it can do is activate latent (sort of dormant) buds somewhere behind the cut that removed the growing tip and start new branches off the main stem.

The best time to do this (more branching is likely to occur) is in mid-late summer when the plant's energy reserves are high. A strong plant will back-bud much more profusely than one only limping through the winter.

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Comments (16)

birdsnblooms
15 years ago
What type of Dracaena do you have? Toni
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birdsnblooms
15 years ago
I still wonder if all Dracaenas can be cut back, especially multi-branched types.

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The second Dracaena, D. goldiana might be cut back, but D. godsoffiana 'Florida Beauty,' might not return from it's fate. Toni
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
15 years ago
My sister's boyfriend salvaged a D. marginata from a care-home. Near the base of the trunk, the Dracaena had suffered a minor injury. As a result, it had grown something that looked like the start of a root....similar to the initial root-nubs that grow from Monstera deliciosa. Anyhow, last summer the Dracaena put out two branches at the site of the old injury.

Josh
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
15 years ago
Why would a multi-branched plant be any different from a single stem? They're all apically dominant and the growth regulator (hormone) that suppresses secondary growth (branching off the main branch/stem) originates primarily in the apical meristem (growing branch tip). Pinch out the tip and you accomplish two things - the branch/stem cannot elongate, and the plant has nowhere then, to spend its energy unless it back-buds and forms new branches. In addition, when you remove the source of the suppressive growth regulator (auxin) another growth regulator (cytokinin) becomes dominant. This growth regulator is the one that stimulates secondary growth, so you have two things in play - the branch can't elongate and a growth regulator is stimulating secondary growth. It's pruning 101.

Al
birdsnblooms
15 years ago
Josh, did it change the looks of the marginata?
When I worked at RTP's, while being removed from the shipping truck, a marginata got decapitated.
We ended up keeping it..when growth formed, trunks/stems grew off the sides, giving the marginata character. Turned into an interesting plant.

Why would a multi-branched stem be different...
When I worked with single stem Dracaenas, instead of pruning, I air-layered. AL'ing cannot be done with multi-trunks. If they can, it's news to me.
Which brings me back to the reason I asked what type of Dracaena darktemp had. Toni
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
15 years ago
Of course air-layers can be accomplished on multi-trunks. You simply perform an air-layer on any trunk or branch you'd like to layer. I've done it on many different plants on many occasions.

Al
birdsnblooms
15 years ago
How thick were the trunks? When you AL'ed, did you slit, insert a tooth pick, wrap with moss and plastic?
For instance, D. 'Florida Beauty's' trunks are, hmm, 1/8-1/4" diameter. Perhaps in Floria, they grow larger..I'll have to research their size.
hort_lvr_4life
15 years ago
I once successfully AL'ed a Ficus 'Alii'. A small branch. I used a sterile scalpel and cut all around just to the vescular bundle about half inch away I did the same thing. Then, I used the scalpel to connect the cuts and peeled away the bark. Wet sphag and a good-sized block from a black contractor's bag as well as tape at either end and walla!

I realize a Ficus is not a Dracena, but the same thing can be done. You just have to be careful with not using too much pressure. A slit would work just fine too. If you're really daring, you can take a stem cutting during the growing season (before the stem becomes "woody") and propogate it that way. After roots have formed add it to the pot for bushier appearence.
birdsnblooms
15 years ago
Hort, but Ficus Alii's have thick trunks. Wait, do you mean you AL'd a stem?
If it was the stem, how thick/thin was it? No wonder you used a scalpel. lol.
Seems moss/plastic would weigh more than the stem. lol. How did it stay in place w/o bending?
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
15 years ago
Toni,
the branching greatly improved the look of the Dracaena!
I'm pressuring my sister's boyfriend to prune off the original stem, so that it,
too, will branch near the newest growth. Already the base of the trunk is thickening.

Josh
birdsnblooms
15 years ago
Josh, do you happen to have a pic? I know exactly what you mean pruning a marginata..Do the trunks go every-which-way? Stray. Not messy looking.

A friend and I tried an experiment..she saw this on tv. Start with a baby, 7" or so, Pachypodium. Slit or make holes in different positions..
Both our Pachy's rotted..lol..I'd have loved seeing the show, what they did..talk about character!
I have a small Ponytail in a 3" wide bonsai pot..The top was cut..3 separate plants grew from the cuts..It's cool. lol. I don't know whether or not to repot or keep small. Any ideas?
If you have a pic, I'd like seeing the end results. Toni
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
15 years ago
Toni,
I don't have a pic; but I'll try to remember to take my camera with me
the next time I visit my sister.

Josh
darktemplar
Original Author
15 years ago
Wow... I completely forgot about this when exam time came around!

@ Toni - I believe I have a dracaena marginata.

Here is a picture of my dracaena:
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I am worried about cutting off the top because I don't want to kill the plant and I can't really even see the stem at the top because it has so many new leaves.

@ Josh - That sounds interesting, what kind of injury was it

Also, I have noticed some of the leaves at the bottom turning yellow and shriveling up and then falling off. Is this normal? If so, how frequent should it be happening?

Thanks!
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
15 years ago
Darktemplar,
your plant is very, very bushy and upright! Looks great! Leaf-loss from the base is totally normal. With time, the lower leaves fall away as the trunk develops.

I took a few pics today - sorry, late afternoon light conditions. I was also surprised by the anatomical look of the rootlet that grew from the injured area. You be the judge.... ;)

Josh

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darktemplar
Original Author
15 years ago
That is soo cool! did it just have a hole in the trunk and it grew a new stem? How long did it take to get to that stage?

How to branch a dracaena

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

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How to branch a dracaena

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