Dracaena Marginata Cuttings Root Easily In Water: Here’s How To Keep Them Healthy
This plant is commonly known as Madagascar Dragon Tree, Dragon Tree or Red Edge Dracaena. Dracaena marginatas are extremely popular houseplants and rightfully so. They’re spiky, a bit edgy, fit in beautifully with modern, Asian or bohemian decor but sometimes they get a bit out of hand.
I inherited a Dracaena marginata “Tricolor” from the previous homeowner which needed to be pruned back before I transplant and bring it in for the winter. I’m sharing with you a few things to keep in mind when rooting the cuttings.
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Dracaena Marginata Propagation
Dracaena marginata cuttings are very easy to propagate in water.
The long stems, which are called canes, reach and twist towards the light. Their normal growth habit is for the canes to become very long over time.
As this happens, they shed the lower leaves which turn yellow then brown and fall off. If the plant isn’t getting enough light then the canes become thin and leggy and the foliage has a droop to it. You can prune those canes down and take cuttings because Dracaena marginatas respond very well to this.
Tips on Rooting Dracaena Marginata Cuttings
If you’ve taken long cuttings, eventually you’ll see quite a few yellow leaves will appear at the base of the foliage head. No need to worry, this is normal. Just remove those leaves & recut the stems if necessary.
These are some of my Dracaena marginata cuttings before I cleaned off the yellow leaves & recut them the canes.
Watering
Make sure you change the water every 5-7 days.
You don’t water bacteria to build up in the water.
Fill your vase or jar 1/4 to 1/3 with water. You don’t want the level any higher than that because the roots will emerge too high up on the stem. Also, the stems will be more prone to rot if the vessel is completely full.
Bright Light
Keep your Dracaena marginata cuttings in bright light.
Low light isn’t good and neither is the direct hot sun. In that case, your cuttings will burn.
Pruning
If you need to recut the canes, then make sure your pruners are clean & sharp. I always take my cuttings at an angle because that’s the way I was taught – it lessens the chance of infection.
Roots started emerging from the bottom of the canes after 10 days or so.
The Dracaena marginata canes can be twisted, straight, long or short. The growers train them into some pretty crazy shapes and forms. I had a candelabra form (which I gave to a friend before I moved) which you can see here. I usually cut my taller Dracaena marginata back every 2 years or so and you probably will need to do so to.
This is my sweet kitty Riley. Oscar, his tuxedo wearing companion, can be seen in the lead photo.
And you’ll see that roots emerge from the base of the canes in no time. You can enjoy the cuttings in a beautiful vessel as I’m enjoying my “cutting arrangements” in my kitchen and dining room. When it comes time to transplant the mother plant, I’ll put a couple of these cuttings at the base. The other cuttings are all going to a friend. I’m spreading the Dracanea marginata love!
Happy indoor gardening,
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- About the Author
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Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.
wow you make it so easy , i got dracina from a friend and its good but only has one stalk and i cant figgure out how to get a baby to grow from it but now i will try what i saw on your video .i thank you for your sharing your passion of plants like i do i prefer perrenials but have learned how too grow them as a house plant i love them all …. sincerely Jennifer payne
Hi Jennifer – We all have our taste in plants & it’s good we all don’t like exactly the same thing! I too love growing perennials & lots of houseplants help to make my house a home. Plants are a passion for me & I’m happy to share that. Nell
hi Nell,
Thank you for the tips! My Christina Marginata has become quite gangly and doesn’t look as good as it used to. I think I’m going to give it a little pruning following your advice. Hope it gets back in shape soon. Wish me luck 🙂
//Bipasha
https://sunnydistrict.wordpress.com/
Hi Bipasha – Dracaena marginatas get leggy over time when grown as houseplants. They root very easily so you should have no problem. Nevertheless, sending luck your way! Nell
Hi, I’ve been searching around for the best way to cut back my Dracaena Massangeana (corn plant) which has one long stem (a one shoot from a short woody bottom part) which grew full of leaves and that now have reached the ceiling, healthy and green. I’m afraid though it is time to cut it back so that it doesn’t get crashed and curved while touching the ceiling.
Could you advise me if the method you describe here, a diagonal cut, placing the cut parts in water, will help them root, and the bottom part to sprout new leaves on the side?
The important parts that I would like to focus on is that I would like to maintain leaves on the top part and while it’s rooting and the bottom part that I would like it to sprout new leaves again (of course I will try to root the middle part as well).
Also another question is that, since it’s already touching the ceiling, is the time of the year now, with mild temperatures for another couple of months where I live, be alright for the rooting of the top part and the sprouting of the bottom part?
I would very much appreciate any advise you may have for me.
Hi Maria –
A mature Dr. mass. with a good-sized cane propagates very well using the air layering method. You can give that a try if you’re comfortable with it. Otherwise, you can root the cane in soil, keeping the soil fairly moist. I like to take diagonal cuts because I was told it lessens the chances of infection. And yes, you want to do any propagating soon before the winter months set in. Nell
Hi – I have a Dracaena Massangeana growing in a large pot outdoors in the Middle East where it is extremely hot most of the year. It looks really healthy but is about 2m high. If I cut the top portion off the stem and leave the roots, how long will they take to grow back – Will they grow back?
Thanks
Hi Sharon –
I’m not sure if you mean you’re cutting the cane partially or all the way back. New heads will sprout off those canes so it’s good to leave at least a foot. And yes, they will grow back. Nell
Hey! Just wanted to mention that cuttings are cut at an angle to increase surface area and water uptake… Has nothing to do with bacteria 😉
Thanks Kristina! I was told it was for better root formation & to reduce chance of infection. Nell
Just so you know, The Dracaena Marginata is (mildly) toxic to cats so donät let them chew on the plant.
More info at ASPCA: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/madagascar-dragon-tree
Oh yes Michael, I know that but thank you for pointing it out. I’ve done a blog post on that subject & all Dracaenas are considered toxic to both dogs & cats. Fortunately, my kitties don’t eat any of my houseplants. Nell
I have two major tall dracaenas that I inherited 20 years ago. They live outdoors in big pots. One has a 10 ft. tall cane that is growing up into the eave of my house. The other plant towers up about 12 feet. Should I wait until spring before I do the cuttings? The plants are very healthy but the weather has been cold. I am in Houston with some chilly days ahead – not necessarily freezing, but in the 40s at night.
Hi Sharon – Oh yes, definitely wait until the weather warms to take those cuttings. Very end of winter/early spring should be fine just as long as the evening temps are above 55 degrees. Nell
Hi Nell, and I’m back since my last posting last Autumn. I had made the diagonal cut on the Dracaena Massangeana, doing all step by step. The plant is doing well, even though the top part is touching the ceiling and the top leaves obviously not having room to grow and not getting proper light, and the plant is just way outgrowing it’s pot.
It is not showing signs of rooting yet at the diagonal cut. In Japan where I live, we are at the end of a cold winter and Spring is around the corner. I consider that the reason it hasn’t rooted yet it was because it was Autumn when I made the cut and the plant was just not going to root in Autumn and Winter and that perhaps I should wait until Spring settles in, around April and see if there are any signs of rooting and if not then to make a clear cut.
Do you think it is still possible it will root at the diagonal cut I made? I have read that the diagonal cut works well for the Dracaena, so what do you also think the reason may be for not rooting during this time? And is there anything I can check about the cut? (The moss around the cut is still moist and wrapped in clear plastic, but did have a look inside and no signs of rooting).
Thanks for any advice you may have for me. It has grown so incredible well, but there is no more room for it to grow being crushed onto the ceiling, and the size of the plant at this point is very disproportional to the size of the pot (I replanted it one and a half year ago, but can not go into a bigger pot at this point since it reached the ceiling).
Hi Janie again, I realized that I did not specify in this posting that the method I used was the air layering, connecting back to my earlier comment that I see here above, dated September 8, 2017. This is the method I used and referring to here–I made a small diagonal cut on the stem, inserted a piece of plastic material and wrapped it with moist moss. I had done that sometime after we were in touch in September following step by step the air layering method.
I am considering whether it was really because the plant was just not going to root in Autumn/winter and that is the reason it has not shown any signs yet.
Spring is just beginning here in Japan where I live. How much into Spring do you think I should wait before finally making a clear cut and placing the cutting in water for rooting? Should I do anything more about the air layering cut to help it root?
Again, thanks for any imput.
Hi, I’m trying to root my dracaena marginata cuttings in water following your how-to steps. It’s been 11 days since I cut them and put them in the water. There are no signs of roots and I noticed about 5 days ago that the cut part of the stems are getting mushy. I’m not sure what I did wrong or what went wrong. I followed your instructions and tips. Is this common..? Should I re-cut the stems and start over?
Also, how long does it normally take for the original plant to start growing a new top/leaves?
Thanks, Shannan