How to Grow & Care for Dracaena Fragrans ‘Lemon Lime’ (2023)
Dracaena Fragrans ‘Lemon Lime’ is commonly known by cornstalk Dracaena or corn plant. People do love the plant to grow due to its variegated foliage that does have alternating stripes of dark green, lime green, yellow, and even white, and they help purify the air, mitigating stress, and spreading a happy environment.
The plant has a special quality of removing harmful pollutants from the air like formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene. Dracaena Fragrans ‘Lemon Lime’ is able to grow in height of 5-7 feet indoors. The plant does have 12”-24” long sword-shaped leaves having bright green and yellow stripes that attract others to plant them.
So I am here to give you some information on how to grow and care for Dracaena Fragrans ‘Lemon Lime’
Key takeaways:
| Scientific Name | Dracaena fragrans ‘Lemon Lime’ |
| Common Name | Lemon Lime Dracaena, Dragon Tree, Lemon Lime Warneckii |
| Light | Bright direct light and low indirect light |
| Watering | Weekly, water if top inch of soil is dry |
| Temperature | 70 to 75°F (21° to 24° C). |
| Hardiness Zone | USDA hardiness zone 10 to 12 |
| Humidity | A highly humid environment with at least 50 % humidity |
| Soil Type | Loose, quick-draining |
| Soil pH | 6.1 to 7.3 (Slightly acid to neutral) |
| Fertilizing | A balanced feed once a month in spring and summer |
| Repotting | Every 2 years |
| Pruning | Beginning of the growing season |
| Propagation | Root in soil or water |
| Toxicity | Toxic to humans and pets |
| Mature Size | 4 to 6 feet as a houseplant |
| Bloom Time | Rarely blooms indoors |
How to Grow for Dracaena Fragrans ‘Lemon Lime’?
You can grow the Dracaena Fragrans ‘Lemon Lime’ plant in the growing season like spring as at that time you can use the stems removed during the process of pruning the plant in order to make new plants. You can also grow them by seeding but that will take much time. Following are some step-by-step guides for growing Dracaena Fragrans ‘Lemon Lime’.
Step 1: You need to use a sharp and sterilized blade to cut the stem from the parent plant.
Step 2: In case you have chosen to cut a young and green stems then you need to make a cut between two leaves.
Step 3: Remove the lower leaves of the stem upto 2 inches which should result in having at least three or four leaves attached to the cutting.
Step 4: You will see in a few days the cutting will develop a callus but in all that time you need to keep the cutting dry, in a well-ventilated room, away from direct sun.
Step 5: The other way to grow Dracaena Fragrans ‘Lemon Lime’ is by potting the cutting in water or in the soil with the help of the rooting hormone.
Step 6: In case you are using to grow the cutting in the water you need to wait until the roots grow at 3 inches long before you are potting the new cutting in the new soil mix.
How to Care for Dracaena Fragrans ‘Lemon Lime’?
As the Dracaena Fragrans ‘Lemon Lime’ originated in the rainforests of tropical Africa so according to it you need to give the plant a growing environment so that it could grow beautifully and in a healthy way. here are some most useful requirements that you need to grow and care for the plant.
- Light
- Temperature.
- Watering
- Soil
- Fertilizer
- Pruning
- Repotting and potting
- Humidity
Light:
- In the rainforest, the plant is used to grow under the canopy of larger trees hence in the home you need to provide Dracaena Fragrans ‘Lemon Lime’ with bright but indirect light.
- The perfect amount of light ranges between 10,000 to 20,000 lux.
- If you plant them in full sun the color of the plant leaves will fade away.
- Planting them in a north or east window plants will be a better option for them to grow and in case of planting them in a south or west, you need to keep them a few feet away from the window.
Watering:
- The plant needs a soil consistent maintenance of moist soil but avoids keeping the plant sopping wet.
- If you notice the top inch of the soil is dry you need to water the plant by pouring the water at the surface of the pot until the soil is moist.
- You should water the plant using distilled or rainwater and in the case of the tap water make the plant sit overnight so that the chemicals present in the water such as fluoride and chlorine dissipate because the plant is very sensitive to these chemicals.
Temperature:
- As per the native you need to maintain a temperature that ranges from 70 to 75°F (21° to 24° C).
- In case you keep your house cooler than that in the winter it grows well at as low as 60°F (16°C).
- The plant does not belong to any frost-hardiness zone
Humidity:
- The required humidity for growing Dracaena Fragrans ‘Lemon Lime’ is 50% or more.
- The plant is able to survive at a level as low as 40%.
- If you are not able to meet the humidity level you can mist the leaves by using distilled water serval times but this method is a little time-consuming.
- A good option to maintain humidity level is by purchasing a small humidifier that will keep the air moist around the plant.
Soil:
- For growing the plant you need to maintain the moisture by letting the excess amount of water drain out.
- The pH level range for Dracaena fragrans ‘Lemon Lime’ is 6.1 to 7.3.
- If you are mixing a soil mix remember it should be rich with organic material with being porous and loose.
- Another idea for maintaining the spoil is by using standard potting soil with an equal portion of peat moss.
- You need to avoid the perlites used in soil mix as they contain fluoride.
Fertilizer:
- For healthy growth, you need to use fertilizer so that the plant comes with the most brilliant colors.
- The balanced amount of mixing the fertilizer in the ratio of 10-10-10.
- There are a few main options for mixing fertilizer such as adding slow-release granules to the soil during the growing season or adding liquid plant fertilizer by diluting it to half the recommended strength and then pouring it at the top of the soil one time in a month and then water it thoroughly.
Potting & Repotting:
- According to the growth of the plant, you need to repot the plant after every 2 years as the roots of the plant do need more space to spread.
- In case you see the roots growing out of the drainage hole at any time you should repot the plant at that time only.
- The best time for potting the plant is in the springtime to at the beginning.
- For choosing the pot it should be at most 2 inches in diameter more than the current pot.
- Remember For repotting you should use fresh potting mix
Pruning:
- You need to shape the plant according to the growth of the plant so that the new lateral grows through it.
- The perfect time for pruning the plant is in spring which is the growing season.
- By pruning you can remove the dead or yellowing leaves.
- In case if you want the look of the plant to look bushy you need to cut off the stem at any point.
- Trim off the browning tips of the leaves with the help of sharp scissors.
Conclusion:
You need to protect the ‘Lemon Lime’ from common diseases for that you need to look for the amount of watering in which overwatering and underwatering should be avoided. You need to maintain all the requirements so that the plant grows beautifully.
