Dracaena Elegance Cane Plant Care Guide and Tips

Last Updated on January 6, 2023 by Admin

The Dracaena Elegance is sometimes called the Dracaena Elegance Cane. Other people also call it the Happy Plant.

The plant is a beautiful houseplant that can be grown outdoors as well. It is the size of a mini-tree. So, you do need some space to let it grow indoors.

In terms of size, it is slightly bigger than the Mass Cane.

Many people often mistake it for a palm plant because of their similar looks.

The Dracaena Elegance is a great air purifier, very durable and low maintenance.

It is also beautiful with its upright growth habit and lovely dark green leaves that hang downwards

How do you care for the Dracaena Elegance? It thrives in medium to bright indirect light. But it will do well in low light as well. Avoid too much direct sunlight.

Keep the plant in a warm spot as it is not cold hardy. It likes humidity but will do well in average room humidity. It will need pruning as it gets bigger.

Table of Contents

Dracaena Elegance Plant Care

Light Requirements

The Dracaena Elegance does well in different lighting conditions. This makes it easy to decide where to place the plant in your home.

It grows best in medium to bright indirect light. But it will likewise adapt and tolerate low light environments as well.

That said, be careful with too little light as this will cause it growth to slow down.

Additionally, lack of light also means that the plant won’t produce as many leaves as it normally would. And the leave will likewise be smaller as well.

A simple way to tell whether the low light is sufficient or not is to place a newspaper or magazine on the spot you plan on putting the Dracaena Elegance.

Then read the newspaper or magazine.

If you can read the content’s text without having to turn on a lamp or the ceiling lights, then it means there’s enough light there.

If not, then choose a better location.

Alternatively, you can likewise use artificial lighting as well.

This is ideal if your home does not get lots of sunshine. Or the locations of the windows don’t coincide with where the light comes from.

In this case, you can use fluorescent lighting or LED grow lights.

You can use them to supplement the sunshine. Or you can use them on their own.

On the other hand, avoid too much light as well.

Excess light exposure will burn its leaves.

As such, try to keep the plant away from direct sunlight. It can tolerate 1-3 hours of this on a daily basis. But anything more especially from the southern direction will cause leaf discoloration and potential scorching of its leaves.

This is why an east, west or north facing window are better options.

Although, you can likewise distance the plant at least 3 feet from the south facing window as well.

Temperature

The Dracaena Elegance thrives in temperatures between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This is its sweet spot as it will grow best in these conditions.

Luckily, this also is within the range most home temperatures average at.

Therefore, it is easy to grow the plant indoors without much need to acclimate it in terms of weather.

Still, it is important to be aware that the Dracaena Elegance is not frost or winter hardy. As such, it has a high temperature tolerance of 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

This means that if you leave it anywhere colder than 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the plant will begin to struggle.

The lower the temperature drops and the longer the plant stays in that location, the more stressed it will get.

So, try to avoid cold conditions as much as possible.

Indoors, be aware of the sneaky things like air conditioning, cold draft and cold spots in your home where nighttime temperature can significantly drop from daytime conditions.

Outdoors, a lot will depend on where you live.

If you live in USDA Hardiness Zones 10 and 11, the plant will enjoy growing outdoors. That’s because the weather is moderate to warm in these locations.

And these regions don’t have winters, snow or frost.

In contrast, if you live in areas with four seasons, you can keep the Dracaena Elegance indoors as a houseplant. Or you can take it outdoors during the warmer months.

However, make sure that you bring it back indoors once temperature nears 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Humidity

The Dracaena Elegance will thrive in high humidity. Given a choice, it will prefer humidity between 60% to 80%.

However, it will do well in average room humidity as well.

This means as long as you have humidity around the 30% to 50% range, the plant will be healthy and grow happily.

But it is always a good idea to monitor the plant for the first few weeks you bring it home.

This way you know whether or not you need to adjust something.

The biggest sign to look out for here is brown leaf edges and tips. These will become dry and crispy as well when it is not getting sufficient humidity.

Therefore, as long as the plant is healthy, growing as it should and its leaves look good, there’s no problem.

But if you see the leaves turn brown and dry, it means it needs your help.

The simplest way to increase humidity is to mist the plant. Spraying it a few times a week will allow the humidity around the plant to increase.

Another option is getting a humidifier.

You can likewise create a pebble tray or humidity tray.

How Often to Water Dracaena Elegance

The Dracaena Elegance enjoys moderate watering. On average, this comes out to around once every 7 to 14 days.

However, how often you end up watering will ultimately depend on the time of year.

Therefore, never use a fixed schedule.

Instead, be ready to adjust based on how hot or cold the weather gets.

During the summer, you’ll likely need to water more regularly as the soil will dry out faster. Come wintertime, scale back on watering.

The cold weather, lack of sunlight and the plant’s lack of activity means that the soil will stay wet or moist longer.

Thus, if you water too frequently during this time, it increases the risk of overwatering.

An important thing to be aware of is that the Dracaena Elegance is prone to overwatering and root rot. Therefore, avoid wet, soggy soil by all means.

It also does not like drying out completely.

So, try to avoid letting the entire root ball go dry especially for long periods of time.

That said, of the two, excess water is much worse than lack of water.

As such, it is always better to stay on the safe side which is the drier side.

And thanks to the changes it the weather, it can become challenging to remember how often to water.

This is why the best way to know when to water the plant is to feel the soil. I like to check the soil every 4 or 7 days.

The basic rule is, never water the plant when the surface of the soil is still moist or wet. But also check the plant and soil if the surfaces stay wet and soggy long after you last watered.

It usually means something wrong is happening.

I like to wait until the top 50% to 75% of the soil has dried before I add more water. This ensures that you avoid overwatering altogether.

However, if you’re an aggressive waterer or like to water more regularly, the very least is to allow the top 2-3 inches of soil to dry between waterings.

Don’t add water before this time as it increases the risk of root rot.

Dracaena Elegance Potting Soil

The Dracaena Elegance will do okay with standard potting soil. However, I prefer to use well-draining soil.

The reason is the plant’s susceptibility to overwatering and root rot.

Additionally, well-draining potting mix will hold just enough moisture to keep the roots hydrated. This way, it also helps prevent them from going dry which they hate.

In addition to good drainage, it is also a good idea to use a mix with soil pH between 6 and 7. The plant will also appreciate soil with high organic material.

This will give it some slow-release nutrients. And the soil pH will allow the plant to effectively absorb the nutrients as well.

The good news is that you can easily make your own well-draining mix for the Dracaena Elegance at home.

I like to use a combination of:

1 part potting soil
1 part perlite

If you have pumice instead of perlite at home, that will work too. You can just substitute the pumice for the perlite in the same mixture.

Finally, I’ve found that adding a 1/4” layer of worm compost is a great way to give the plant organic material it likes.

Last but not least, it is also important to make sure that the pot you use has drainage holes at the bottom. There should be enough holes to allow the excess moisture to exit.

If you use plastic containers, you can drill holes. That’s likewise the case for terracotta pots. But you do have to be more careful to avoid cracks.

Fertilizer

The Dracaena Elegance will benefit from fertilizer. But it does not need a lot of it since it is not a heavy feeder.

As such, be careful about overfeeding the plant.

Many growers like to add more fertilizer than the plant needs hoping it will help the plant grow faster, bigger and produce more foliage.

While this is true, it does cause some problems.

The biggest is fertilizer burn which can damage the roots and leaves.

Additionally, too much fertilizer will push the plant to grow bigger while leaving its roots behind. As such, it will become unbalanced.

The problem here is that a smaller root system relative to a larger plant means that the roots may have a hard time supporting the new, bigger plant.

As a result, underwatering and nutrient deficiencies can happen.

So, avoid overfertilizing the plant.

Instead, just give it what it needs.

Apply fertilizer once a month during spring and summer. Dilute the dose to half the suggested strength. You can use a balanced liquid fertilizer with sufficient macro and micronutrients.

Pruning

The Dracaena Elegance will grow to between 3 and 6 feet tall. In most cases it will settle at around 4 or 5 feet in height indoors.

Depending on whether you get a small plant or one that’s like a mini-tree, it may or may not grow as much.

That said, the Dracaena Elegance will produce lots of leaves.

But they’re fairly uniform in that you don’t get any surprises on the shape and size of the foliage.

In time, these can get quite bushy which is when pruning is needed.

In most cases, indoor Dracaena Elegance will be pruned to control their size. Their leaves and stems will likewise get trimmed to keep them neat and tidy looking.

I personally like a bushier plant. So, I let mine grow out with more foliage.

But the look of the plant and how much you prune it is really based on your preference and where you place it in your home.

How to Propagate Dracaena Elegance

Dracaena Elegance propagation is simple and straightforward. And there are a few methods you can use effectively.

The most common are:

Stem tip cuttings
Air layering
Division

I particularly like stem tip cuttings. And it is also the most popular because it is easier than the others.

If you have a bigger plant, you can air layer it to grow more new Dracaena Elegance. But if you want to reduce the size of the plant, division is the best option.

It is also worth noting that with cuttings, you can propagate in water or in soil.

Water propagation is by far more popular. But I like to go with soil propagation as it allows me to directly plant the cuttings into the pot.

This saves me an extra step where I need to transfer the cutting from water to soil.

Propagating the Dracaena Elegance from Stem Cuttings

To propagate the Dracaena Elegance from stem tip cuttings, you need to choose the stem tip you want to cut.

Additionally, it is up to you on where you want to cut it.

Most growers will cut at the lower end. However, you can go higher up as well.

The lower you cut, the smaller the remining stem will be in the mother plant. But you do get a larger new plant with more leaves.

The opposite is true if you cut higher up the stem.

Once you’ve decided where to cut:

Take a sterile knife or pruning shears and cut the stem.
Plant the cutting into a pot filled with well-draining soil. Make sure keep the cutting upright. You may need to use supports like straws or something else to keep the new plant standing straight up.
Water the soil and keep the soil moist. Also, leave the pot with the cutting in medium to bright indirect light.

Once you’ve done this, take care of both the new plant and the parent plant.

The new plant will take several weeks to grow new roots. Meanwhile, the parent will recover and then start growing again after a bit.

How to Repot or Transplant Dracaena Elegance

The Dracaena Elegance will get big over time. This means you’ll need to repot it and move up in container size of the years.

However, you won’t need to repot every month or 6 months. In fact, the plant usually needs repotting once every 2 years only.

Additionally, it is not a good idea to repot unnecessarily.

So, only repot when the plant is quite root bound. This means you start seeing roots coming out from the surface of the soil or the drainage holes under the pot.

Other than that, just leave it be and it will happily keep growing.

Spring and summer are the best times to repot or transplant the Dracaena Elegance.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

Yes, the Dracaena Elegance is toxic. But only when ingested.

However, it is not safe for pets nor humans. So, keep the plant away from cats, dogs and even young children who may accidentally chew or eat parts of the plant.

Every part of the Dracaena Elegance it poisonous including the leaves, roots, stem and others.

Dracaena Elegance Problems & Troubleshooting

Pests

The Dracaena Elegance can get mealybugs, spider mites and scale. It can also experience attacks from aphids.

Therefore, it is important to regularly check the plant including the undersides of its leaves where these pests like to hide.

Keep in mind that these bugs can easily travel to other nearby plants.

So, the earlier your spot any pests and isolate the plant, the less likely the others will get infected as well.

Diseases

Root rot from overwatering is the main issue to look out for with the Dracaena Elegance.

It is susceptible to overwatering which can cause root rot.

As such, make sure to let the soil dry between waterings. Also, use well-draining soil to avoid any waterlogging issues.

And choose containers with drainage holes at the bottom.