Tronchetto della felicita

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Question: log of happiness

My trunk continues to yellow what can I do? thanks

Answer: log of happiness

Dear Arianna,
the trunk of happiness It is a plant of tropical origin, accustomed to a hot and humid climate; at home it is cultivated quite simply, watering regularly, so as to keep the soil always a little damp, and keeping the plant in a well-lit area of the house. In autumn and winter, watering is thinned, supplying water only when the soil is dry. The reasons why your boot will turn yellow may be due to a lack or over-watering, to a lack or over-fertilization, to an excess of direct sunlight.
Below we offer an interesting insight into the Tronchetto della Felicità and the cultivation of this splendid plant.

The log of happiness

The dracena marginata, popularly known as the "log of happiness", is one of the most widespread and appreciated houseplants. Its popularity is due to the ease of cultivation, the low maintenance it requires and the beautiful leaves, of homogeneous or variegated coloring, which are combined with many different types of furniture.
The genus Dracaena includes about 40 species and can be ascribed to the family of the Aspargaceae (although some make it part of the Liliaceae). The origin is tropical: in the spontaneous state they grow in the humid African and Asian forests. They are characterized by extremely slow growth (15 cm per year at best), but at the same time they are very long lasting. In nature they can reach not indifferent dimensions (even more than 10 meters), but in cultivation they rarely exceed the 3. They are formed by very long and naked stems which bear, at the apex, beautiful linear or lanceolate leathery leaves. Flowering and fruiting are very rare events in our latitudes, but they do not represent an attraction.

Cultivation of the log of happiness

The log of happiness adapts easily to growth in interiors as it requires almost stable temperatures throughout the year. The only things to pay attention to are irrigation and lighting.
The log of happiness is to be considered almost exclusively an indoor plant: the minimum temperature that bears is about 12 ° C. Outdoor cultivation can therefore be carried out only in extremely southern areas and making use of thick cover during the winter months.
The thermometer should ideally score between 18 and 21 ° C in every season: in this condition we will have the maximum growth rate. Another important factor of well-being is the high environmental humidity: it must always be around 70%. Air that is too dry, especially during periods of high heat, can cause desiccation before the leaves and then the stems. To meet our plant we can, several times a day, vaporize the leaves or, if it is outside, wet the surrounding floor.

THE FELICIT BAG IN BRIEF
Family, genus, species	Aspargaceae, gen Dracaena, marginata
Type of plant	shrub
dimensions	More than 10 m in nature, 3 m in the apartment
Foliage	Persistent
Foliage color	Green, variegated, tricolor
Maintenance	low
Growth	slow
Cultivation
Exposure	Very bright, no direct sun
Ground	For green plants + compost, well-drained
soil pH	From subacid to neutral
Minimum temperature	10-12 ° C
Ideal temperature	18-21 ° C
irrigations	Frequent, no stagnation; suspend in vegetative rest
Environmental humidity	high
Fertilizer	For green plants, rich in nitrogen
Propagation	Head or stem cutting
Pests and diseases	Coccinigli, red spider mites, rot and cryptogams

Exposure

The right location must be very bright but avoiding direct sunlight, especially in the hottest months of the year. We choose a room facing South or West, with large windows. To avoid sunburn, from May to September, we can use light colored curtains (even only during the hottest hours of the day). In this period we can also decide to move the vases outside, on a balcony or (if available) in the garden.
We always choose a luminous location, but where the sun is filtered by thin foliage. We rotate the jar every 15 days so that growth is balanced.
The most widespread species in cultivation (marginata and fragrans) also tolerate more shady areas: the most obvious consequences will be a further slowing down of weak growth and a less lively coloring of the foliage.

Climate and environmental humidity

The log of happiness is to be considered almost exclusively an indoor plant: the minimum temperature that bears is about 12 ° C. Outdoor cultivation can therefore be carried out only in extremely southern areas and making use of thick cover during the winter months.
The thermometer should ideally score between 18 and 21 ° C in every season: in this condition we will have the maximum growth rate. Another important factor of well-being is the high environmental humidity: it must always be around 70%. Air that is too dry, especially during periods of high heat, can cause desiccation before the leaves and then the stems. To meet our plant we can, several times a day, vaporize the leaves or, if it is outside, wet the surrounding floor.

Tronchetto in winter

For dracena it is not strictly necessary; if we want in winter we can move the pots in a little heated room, avoiding however to go below 15 ° C. At the same time we will drastically reduce irrigation and make the area more shady. This will clearly affect slowing growth.

Purchase of the log of happiness

Plants can be purchased at any time of the year: in any case we check especially the substrate and the collar. They must absolutely not be too wet or notice the first signs of rot. It is always a good idea to immediately repot the specimens to control the root system and replace the soil, which is not always adequate.

Repotting

The best time for repotting is always the spring, at the end of the possible vegetative rest.
We choose small containers, slightly larger than earthen bread: in fact, the dragon tree tends to occupy all the available space with its roots before focusing again on the growth of the foliage. The terracotta ones are ideal: they guarantee excellent transpiration and, being heavy, they prevent this plant (often tall and narrow) from falling due to the wind.

Soil and composition of the vase

The creation of a thick draining layer (based on gravel, expanded clay, pumice or lapillus) is extremely important in this case. The ideal height is at least 3 cm, also checking that the drain holes are well clear. We insert our dracena in the center and fill the empty space with a compost for houseplants to which we will have mixed some of the flour manure. If we want to produce ourselves the substratum we will have to mix generic soil, ground of leaves and peat in equal parts, adding some organic soil improver.
We compress well and irrigate abundantly, but then letting the pot drain to perfection.
If we want to obtain a fuller and more bushy effect, we can use a wider container and combine a greater number of plants.

Irrigation

Irrigation is the aspect to be cared for most if we want to obtain luxuriant specimens. The dracena should be bathed often during the whole vegetative period, paying attention to avoid water stagnation. The ideal is to wait until the first two centimeters of soil have dried completely before giving water again. If desired we can, twice a month, rehydrate the plant well by immersing the pot, up to the edge, in a basin. Then let it drain perfectly. Occasionally the plant also benefits from exposure to rain: let's place it outside when a storm arrives. This will help us to clean the leaves in depth and to release stomata from the impurities of the domestic environment.
If we make it respect a period of vegetative rest, we will have to significantly reduce the water supply: in this case we will always wait for the earth bread to be dry for half of its height.

Dracena fertilization

Making fertilizer is very important to prevent growth, which is already slow, becoming even less evident. Ideal are the liquid products for green plants in which the nitrogen is predominant. They must be diluted a lot (even twice as much as indicated on the package) and administered every two weeks. We can do it throughout the year if the weather conditions of our apartment are stable; otherwise we will totally suspend during the vegetative rest period, indicatively from mid-October to the end of March.

Pruning

Pruning is completely unnecessary given the slow growth of these plants. In any case, it is possible to intervene if we want to obtain a more curled and bushy looking specimen. In this case we will cut one of the stems at about 10 cm from the base and apply to the wound of the appropriate mastic or (if we do not have it) some vinyl glue. This treatment will induce the release of new lateral buds and consequently new branches within two months.
The ruined leaves should be removed as soon as possible to the base.

Propagation of the dragon tree

To obtain new specimens it is possible to operate using apical cuttings or stem segments; proceed at the beginning of spring or at the end of summer.
Apical cutting
You must choose juvenile and totally herbaceous apexes, about 10 cm long. We cut with sharp and disinfected scissors, eliminating at least half of the leaves. Put them in half of their length in small jars filled with a very draining compost (half peat and half sand or perlite). We always keep the humidity of the substratum and the environment high, but let's avoid watering. It is useful to cover the jars with a transparent plastic bag, then air it at least twice a day. It is also important to maintain constant temperatures between 21 and 25 ° C. The rooting takes place in about 2 months: at that point we will be able to move into the final compost and begin to fertilize, but in very diluted doses.
Cutting from stem segments
Proceed as above, but starting from stem segments about 5 cm long. It is a convenient method for those who have pruned their own plants to favor their planting.