Dracaena Lisa Cane Plant Care Guide

Last Updated on January 6, 2023 by Admin

The Dracaena Lisa is also called the Lisa Cane Plant and the Dracaena Lisa Cane.

It is a beautiful plant that’s usually grown indoors for décor or as an accent piece because of its size. It grows to between 5 and 8 feet tall and looks like a mini-tree.

The plant features thin, tube-like trunks with lovely, dark green leaves.

It is low maintenance and easy to care for. Plus, it adapts very easily to indoor living conditions.

The Dracaena Lisa is native to Southeast Africa.

How do you care for the Dracaena Lisa? The plant does best in medium indirect light indoors. But it will do well in both bright and low light.

However, avoid too much direct sunlight as tis can burn its leaves.

This Dracaena plant likes warm weather and will tolerate average humidity. But it prefers high humidity if given a choice. Don’t overwater the plant as it is prone to root rot.

Table of Contents

Dracaena Lisa Plant Care

Light Requirements

The Dracaena Lisa will thrive in medium to bright indirect light.

Depending on where you buy it some growers will market it as a bright light plant while others will label it as a low light plant.

The reason for this is that while it grows best in medium to bright light indoors. It will do well in low light conditions as well.

Note that this does not mean no light or a very dim location.

As with all plants, if you leave the Dracaena Lisa cane somewhere dark, it will not grow because it relies on light for photosynthesis.

For me, the most important thing is to monitor the plant and listen to what it is telling you.

This means that if the plant is not growing well or not producing as many leaves as it should, move it to a brighter spot.

A sad, weak, droopy plant means it needs more light.

On the other hand, if you see burn spots on leaves, dry patches or leaf discoloration, this usually means it is getting too much light.

While the Dracaena Lisa likes good lighting indoors, it cannot tolerate too much direct sunlight. The more intense the light, the more problematic is becomes.

This is why you want to position the plant so that it avoids direct contact with the sun’s rays especially between 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

It can tolerate 1-3 hours of this daily. But if it gets more or the sun gets very intense, its leaves will suffer.

Finally, it is also worth considering rotating the plant regularly.

You can give it a quarter turn every time you water the plant. This way each side of the plant gets about the same light exposure.

This is especially important if the light is coming just from one side like through a window.

Temperature

The Dracaena Lisa will grow best warm conditions. The plant is used to tropical and subtropical climates which make it prefer temperatures between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Note that it will do well as long as you keep temperatures between 55 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

This also means that you can keep it outdoors all year long if you live in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 11.

In these locations, the weather stays consistently sunny while the climate is moderate to warm all year round.

There are no cold months. And there is no winter in these regions.

This works really well for the Dracaena Lisa plant because it does not have good tolerance to the cold. In fact, it will struggle once temperature drops below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

As much as possible, try to keep the plant away from cold environments.

That’s because its growth will slow and it will get stressed if the conditions persists. You’ll see its leaves turn color and later on, they will fall off as well.

This is why in colder regions the Dracaena Lisa is usually kept indoors as a houseplant.

Be aware that you can still leave the plant outdoors during the warmer months. Usually, you can take it out by around the middle of spring as things get warmer.

However, just make sure to bring it back indoors once the weather gets colder by around the middle of autumn.

And each time you bring it in from outside, don’t forget to debug the plant.

This will prevent pests from hitching a ride on the plant and infect your other houseplants.

Humidity

The Dracaena Lisa prefers high humidity. But it will tolerate average humidity without a problem.

What does this mean?

It means that the plant will thrive when humidity is kept between 60% and 80%. This is its ideal and preferred level.

However, it has no problems when humidity is kept between 30% and 50%.

This makes it much easier to care for the plant in most homes. As long as you have sufficient humidity, you won’t encounter any dryness issues (unless you underwater the plant).

As such, most homes don’t need to do anything special.

However, if you live somewhere with dry air like the desert, then humidity may be an issue.

The key here is to watch out for dry leaf edges and tips. The Dracaena Lisa’s leaves will turn brown of its margins and the tips.

They will also become brittle and crispy to the touch.

In case you notice this, you have a few options you can take.

The simplest is to move the plant to somewhere with higher humidity. You can try the bathroom which is usually the area with the highest air moisture.

You can also mist the plant 1 to 2 times a week.

But be careful not to over mist it. Don’t get the leaves wet or leave water spots on foliage. This can cause fungal infections.

You can also use a humidifier or a pebble tray.

Also, be wary of air conditioning, heaters and radiators. These tend to dry the air considerably.

So, if you have the plant in rooms where these are running, the solution may be as simple as moving the Dracaena Lisa to another room.

How Often to Water Dracaena Lisa

The Dracaena Lisa does not need a lot of water. Although, you do need to water the plant.

Depending on where you live, you may need to water the plant every 1 to 3 weeks.

In warmer locations like the desert or tropical climates, watering every 1-2 weeks works well. In other locations you likely only need to water once every 2 to 3 weeks.

How do you know when to water the Dracaena Lisa?

I like to wait until the top 50% to 70% of the soil has dried before adding more water. So, somewhere between the top half and three-quarters of the soil drying up is a good target.

This means you don’t need to be precise.

As long as you’re withing that range, the plant won’t have any problems.

This makes it easier to adjust when you water depending on the weather in your region. Additionally, how fast or slow the soil dries up will take the climate conditions into consideration.

The key is to avoid overwatering the plant.

This means don’t water it before part of the soil has dried.

Its roots don’t like sitting in plenty of water for long periods of time. So, try to keep the Dracaena Lisa on the drier side.

One last important thing to keep in mind is that the plant is sensitive to salts and minerals in water.

So, if you see brown tips occur and you’re giving it sufficient humidity, consider checking your tap. Similarly, if the leaves develop yellow spots and there are no bacterial or fungal infections, check your tap water as well.

Highly mineralized tap water or hard water will give the plant problems.

If this is the case, you can use rainwater, distilled water or filter your tap water.

Another option is to leave tap water overnight so the excess salts and minerals can evaporate before you water the plant.

Dracaena Lisa Potting Soil

The Dracaena Lisa will grow best in well-draining potting soil. Although, you can use standard potting soil as well.

I prefer to go with a soil mix with good drainage.

This way, it helps keep the soil from retaining too much moisture.

Since the plant is better off on the drier side of things, making sure that excess water drains quickly is important.

The good news is that there are many ways to do this.

Here are two simple ways to create the perfect soil for the Dracaena Lisa.

The first DIY potting mix recipe combines:

1 part potting soil
1 part perlite

You can also substitute pumice for perlite if you wish. This works as well.

Another option is to use:

1 part potting soil
1 part clay pebbles

The clay pebbles are what provide drainage and aeriation because of the space they create in the soil due to their chunky nature.

You can also use lava rocks in place of the clay pebbles if you have them.

Due to the Dracaena Lisa’s susceptibility to overwatering and root rot, good drainage and aeriation are important to avoid waterlogging.

Fertilizer

The Dracaena Lisa will benefit from fertilizer.

But it is not a heavy feeder. Therefore, avoid over fertilizing the plant.

In short, just like watering it, use plant food in moderation.

One good thing is that they plant is not picky about the kind of fertilizer you use. This means there are many options available.

The most common is to use an all-purpose fertilizer diluted to half strength.

Once a month during the spring and summer will work very well.

Don’t feed the plant in fall and winter as it does not grow much during the colder months. It also uses this time to rest up and gear for the next growing season.

If you don’t like using synthetic fertilizer, you can opt to go with fish emulsion or liquid kelp.

Here, you can use a low blend (5-5-5). Apply it like you would the all-purpose fertilizer.

I also know some growers who don’t use fertilizer.

Instead, they use topdressing to give the plants nutrients.

if you want to do this, you can add a 1/4” layer or worm compost along with a 1/4” layer or compost on top of that. Do this every spring to give the soil the organic material the plant wants.

Pruning

The Dracaena Lisa will grow into the size of a mini-tree. It usually reaches around 5 to 8 feet high and will get to about 2 to 3 feet wide.

While it is a moderate to slow grower, you’ll eventually see it grow quite big.

This will still fit in most homes without any problems. Or you can keep it in the patio or some covered area just outside your house.

Indoors, you may need to prune the plant to keep it from getting too big.

If you don’t have the space, pruning will let you control its size. Although trimming every now and then helps keep the plant look fresh.

You also want to remove any brown, yellow, damaged or old leaves as well.

How to Propagate Dracaena Lisa

Dracaena Lisa propagation is best done via top cuttings.

Here, you’ll be taking the top part of a stem and plant it. You can root this in water or directly plant it in a pot.

Alternatively, you can also propagate the plant through air layering or division.

I prefer top cutting because it is easy to do.

All you need to do is take a sterile knife or pruning shears then cut a stem just below a leaf line.

You can then choose to root the cutting in water or in soil.

Most growers will propagate in water by placing the cutting a jar with water. In a few weeks, you’ll see the cutting develop roots.

From there, you can transfer the cutting into a pot with well-draining soil.

Of course, you can likewise directly propagate in soil.

Here, plant the cutting in a pot with well-draining soil. It will take the cutting about a month to develop new roots.

But you won’t need to move the cutting from the pot until it has outgrown the container.

Then just repot it.

How to Repot or Transplant Dracaena Lisa

The Dracaena Lisa may be a moderate to slow grower but in time it will go up in size as far as pots go.

In most cases, be ready to use containers that are 10 to 14 inches wide later on.

But don’t jump straight into these unless the plant you get is already big.

If you start out with a smaller plant, go up one pot size at a time. This prevents overwatering.

The plant only needs repotting once every 2 years. So, there’s no hurry. Instead, wait until the roots start sneaking out from the bottom of the container’s drainage holes.

Similarly, if you see roots circling the pot or stick out from the soil, it is time to repot.

The best time to do this is spring.

Repotting lets the plant get bigger and taller. So, choose a container that is 2 inches wider. And go up by this amount each time you need to repot.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

Keep the kids and pets away from the Dracaena Lisa as it is toxic when consumed. This prevents accidental chewing, swallowing or ingestion of the leaves or any part of the plant.

Every part of the Dracaena Lisa is toxic when eaten.

Therefore, you don’t want cats, dogs and young children playing around it as much as possible.

Dracaena Lisa Problems & Troubleshooting

Pests

The Dracaena Lisa is prone to scale, spider mites and mealybugs. All of these are tiny bugs that are hard to spot.

But they can be damaging especially if you allow them to grow in number.

Once they become an infestation, they can weaken the plant.

Additionally, it is harder to get rid of them when they get numerous.

Diseases

Overwatering is the number thing you want to avoid because it can lead to root rot. This can potentially kill your Dracaena Lisa if not detected early.

Since root rot occurs under the soil, it is only after the symptoms reach the leaves and stem before you notice it.

By then, there’s damage caused to the root system already.

Therefore, avoid overwatering the plant, waterlogged soil and using a pot with insufficient drainage.