Various opportunities for rooted cuttings
In contrast to so many garden plants, a dragon tree with its mostly “single-stem” growth does not offer much contact surface for freshly sharpened secateurs and pruning as a basis for cuttings in higher numbers. After all, the remaining trunk of a cut dragon tree looks really bleak at first. However, in a healthy dragon tree, new shoots usually form just below the interface within a few weeks. Overall, however, there can be various reasons for the very radical step of cutting cuttings in the dragon tree:
- the limitation of growth to a certain size
- saving a rather ailing plant
- the promotion of branched growth forms
- the propagation of a certain subspecies
also read
- Use the dragon tree successfully for greening the balcony
- Save a sick dragon tree
- Choose a suitable location for the dragon tree
Here's how to go about making a cutting from the dragon tree
Use the cleanest garden shears or rose shears with the sharpest and smoothest possible blade. Then first cut through the “trunk” of the dragon tree in a horizontal direction and, if necessary, close the plant wound with some tree wax (€ 5.99 on Amazon *) or coal dust. The lower end of the at least 15 cm long cutting should be left to dry for about a day before you finally stick it in the ground or in a water glass. In most cases, after a few weeks, the rooting should be so advanced that the cuttings can again supply themselves with full water and nutrients. Avoid exposing your dragon tree cuttings to extreme temperature fluctuations or excessive sunlight.
Gradually get young plants used to certain location conditions
Dragon trees can react very strongly to unsuitable lighting conditions and lose leaves. Therefore, even supposedly powerful, rooted cuttings should not be moved from their shady rooting location without a gentle transition to a location with hours of direct sunlight.
Tips
While so-called rooting hormones and other substances to promote root formation are recommended for some plants, something like this is not necessary for the formation of rooted cuttings of the dragon tree.
