Intro
The Dracaena, also known as the Dragon Tree, is a plant from Africa, giving it a rough appearance and it is a plant that you can easily take care of. In the living room the plants can grow into large bushes and in nature they even grow into trees. The Dracaena is not only from Africa, but also from Asia and Central America, so the plant can easily adapt to the conditions in the living room. Unfortunately, the ‘Dragon’s blood tree’ is almost non-existent in the wild and has therefore become a real houseplant. For this reason and because of the fact that this plant is very air-purifying, it is often used in offices and other business premises.

Location
It is best to put the Dracaena in half shade with a maximum of 2 to 3 hours of sunlight per day. This can be done by placing the plant near a window on the north, but can also be placed on the east or west, then take a distance of 3 to 4 meters from the window. For the south the distance is 4 to 5 meters. If you still want to place your Dracaena closer to the window, it is recommended to keep putting the plant a little closer so that they can get used to the sunlight.
Repotting
– A larger pot ensures that the plant can continue to grow and it is good for your health. Therefore it is recommended to repot the plant every 2 years. Repotting can best be done in the spring, so that the plant can recover from any damage. The pot should be at least 20% wider than its predecessor. It is certainly recommended to buy plastic inset covers and use Hydro grains for the filling.
Substrate
– If the pot is provided (or you provide it yourself) with a substrate and a water meter, watering is easy! Upon arrival there is little water in it, fill the pot slowly with water (sometimes wait a while) and you will see that the meter will rise automatically. All you have to do is keep an eye on this meter. If you go on holiday you can fill the pot almost half full (you can see this on the meter which then rises a bit above its maximum) and you can safely leave for 3 weeks. It is also not bad if the plants do not get water too much and too fast. The substrate absorbs the water, so when the water meter is at the bottom, the substrate is still moist, but there is no water left at the bottom of the pot. The plant still has enough space for 4 summer days.
Origin
As told before, the Dracaena is mainly from Africa, but also occurs in Central America and Asia. The name Dracaena comes from the Greek word ‘drakaina’. Draikana means female dragon and this name was given to the plant because some Dracaena’s have red juice. This was seen as dragon blood.
Diseases
It is possible that there are pests on the Dracaena. This occurs mainly in the denser variants. For this you can occasionally look at the leaves and stems to check this. Common diseases in the Dracaena are shell or aphid. When it is draughty, mealy bugs can also develop. It is recommended to treat these diseases with a biological pesticide and if desired a chemical pesticide. The mealybug can best be treated with warm water. Too much watering manifests itself in a weak stem or brown leaves.
air purification
The Dracaena is not only a great indoor plant to see, it is also one of the most air-purifying indoor plants that exist. The plant removes various substances such as trichloroethylene, benzene and formaldehyde. Dracaena has even been named one of the most air-purifying houseplants on behalf of NASA.