Dracaena Angolensis is a kind of unique succulent that is famous for its magnificent leaves and their extremely low-maintenance nature. Dracaena Angolensis is commonly known as an African spare plant, cylindrical snake plant, or Sansevieria cylindrica. This plant is native to Africa and known for its cylinder-shaped leaves. This plant requires hardly any care and once the plant is grown, it can flourish in neglect.
But how to grow Dracaena Angolensis? This resilient plant can grow quite happily both as a houseplant and an outdoor plant with very minimal effort and live for many years. If you are thinking of growing a Dracaena Angolensis, then you are in the right place. In this article, I am going to explain how to grow this exotic plant and how you can take care of it very easily.
Key Takeaways
- Dracaena Angolensis is a plant that can be easily grown with very low maintenance.
- You can propagate Dracaena Angolensis by dividing the plants or through cuttings.
- To grow Dracaena Angolensis you need to prepare a good quality potting mix, consider a suitable location to place the plant, and provide watering adequately only when needed.
- Dracaena Angolensis can easily require very little watering, sunlight, and fertilization, so very minimal effort is needed for their care.
How To Grow Dracaena Angolensis?
The process of growing your cylindrical snake plant is extremely simple. You can easily grow this plant, even in your house by following these steps:
1. Propagating Dracaena Angolensis
The first step that you should do for growing Dracaena Angolensis is obviously the propagation of the plant. The propagation of the Dracaena Angolensis or the snake plant is very simple and effortless. You can propagate it by either dividing or cutting procedure.
- Propagation through division: It is the easiest and quickest way to propagate these plants. You just have to take out the plant from the soil and shake off the soil that is stuck on the roots. Then, divide the main root balls with a sharp knife. Do not forget to disinfect the knife before cutting the roots off. Then, plant the cuttings in soil that has fast-draining soil in the new pots to grow.
- Propagation through cutting: Propagation through cutting might take some more time than the division. For cutting, take a sharp disinfected knife and cut about 5-7 inches long piece from your existing snake plant. Then, leave it to dry the cutting edge for 3 to 5 days. After the wound of the cutting edge has been dried, plant it in a different pot with the cutting edge in a downward direction for 2-3 inches inside the soil. You can also leave the cutting edge in the water until the roots come out and then plant cuttings in soil.
2. Prepare the Soil Mix
For a cylindrical snake plant or African spear plant, try to use a soil mix or potting mix that is specifically made for succulent plant or cactus soil types since these plants like their soil dry. You can easily find the mix in your nearby stores, but you can make the potting mix on your own as well. For making your own potting mix, add one-part perlite, two-part coarse sand, and three-part sphagnum peat moss giving you a sandy soil that will not hold water. That is exactly the type of soil that these snake plants require to grow properly. These are also rich in organic elements. Also, the potting mix will help to not overwater your Dracaena Angolensis plant since soggy soil can kill them.
3. Consider Suitable Location
The next important factor that helps to grow your African spear plants in a healthy way is to place it in the right location. Warm weather is great for growing your Dracaena Angolensis in a healthy way. This plant can thrive both indoors and outdoors. However, if your area has a very cold temperature and frequently has snowfall, it is better to keep the plant indoors.
4. Provide Ample Lighting
Although it can survive in low light or even in the dark room, it won’t grow to its full potential in this way. Place your them in a place where it can get indirect sunlight every day. Partial sunlight is also adequate for giving the Dracaena healthy growth. However, sometimes extreme heat can also make your plants weak. If you see any gray or brown traces in your Dracaena Angolensis, then it is an indicator that you should reduce the sunlight for your plant.
5. Adequate Watering
Dracaena Angolensis is a plant that nearly needs no water to survive. They have crassulacean acid metabolism which makes them extremely tolerant even in the draught. You can water your Dracaena angolensis even once a month in winter. They can live without water, but overwatering can kill them due to wet soil or soggy soil hindering their nutrition absorption from the soil. To avoid overwatering, a fast-draining soil mix will help you with that.
Water them when the soil becomes dry even after a couple of inches below the surface. Sometimes, the brown or yellow spots on the leaves can also occur if you overwater them. It might also be the reason for rotting the roots due to water as well. So, identify the reason why your African spear plants have these problems, for water or the sun heat, and then fix the issue according to that.
How to Take Care of Your Dracaena Angolensis?
The Dracaena Angolensis is a very low-maintenance and self-sufficient plant and does not need to be taken care of all the time. But from time to time, it is important to check up on them. Here are some of the criteria you need to watch out for when taking care of them.
Maintain a suitable temperature
Dracaena plants tend to thrive in warm temperatures. The hot and dry climate is best for growing Dracaena Angolensis. However, this plant is so diverse that it can also live in more of colder weather where the temperature can go between 50-68 (10-20). Even with this temperature, the plant can stay outside. But if you live in a place where most of the time it’s snowing, and the temperature can go even down than that, then you must keep your plant inside at a warm temperature otherwise it can get frostbite and die.
Fertilize if needed
Dracaena Angolensis does not really need fertilizer to be healthy all the time. But if you think that the soil lacks enough nutrients for your plant, you can fertilize it in the growing season to boost the growth of your plant. For fertilizing the Dracaena angolensis, you can choose a succulent fertilizer or an all-purpose fertilizer. But you should be extremely careful not to over-fertilize your plant. Read the instruction that comes with the pack. As an alternative to potting mixture, aged compost can also be used. Do not forget to water after applying the fertilizer.
Be careful of pests and diseases
Aphids, mites, and vine weevils are some of the pests that can affect your Dracaena Angolensis. These pests can damage the plants badly if you do not treat them right away. You can manually remove the pests by using your hand or a stiff-bristled brush. After that, you can use neem oil regularly on them to remove the pests in an organic way. Also, your plant can suffer from root rot, yellow swollen and mushy leaves, or other diseases if the soils are soggy all the time due to overwatering. So be a little bit mindful of your plants to keep them safe from potential pests and diseases.
FAQs
All the species of dracaena species are toxic to any kind of pets. They can have negative effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea if they eat this plant. On your pets. It can even swell the throat and the tongue of your pets as well. So, keep your Dracaena angolensis from your kids and pets to avoid any trouble.
The roots of the Dracaena angolensis like to stay rebound in a single pot. So even if you decide to put them in a different pot, try using a pot that is one or two sizes bigger than the original pot. And you should only repot your plants in the spring when you can take them off of the soil to propagate.
Dracaena Angolensis can live without having regular sunlight, also can handle direct sunlight as well. It is a very low-maintenance plant and does not even require frequent watering. So, this plant remains quite happy both as an indoor plant and an outdoor plant.
If you keep your Dracaena Angolensis indoors, the plant can become 2-3 feet tall. Sometimes it also depends on the size of the pot. The plant grows more in a wide pot since the roots get more room to spread. However, if you keep the plant outside, it can grow up to 6 feet tall.
Final Thoughts
If you are someone who loves plants but hates taking care of them, and always kills the plants because you forget to water them, then Dracaena Angolensis is the perfect option for you! It is a very beginner plants that anyone can take care of with little to no effort. These ornamental plant is wonderful that can increase aesthetics of your home or garden tenfold with its unique shape and beautiful stipes. It also filters the toxins from the air and creates a healthier air condition from your home. While it might tough at first, the ease of growing is far better than most other plants for your home.