Dracaenas, from the dragon tree to the corn plant, are among the easiest foliage plants to grow indoors. They don’t ask for much food, either. Feed them a little, at the right time, with the right product, and they stay green and glossy. Feed them too much, or the wrong thing, and the leaf tips will tell on you.
To keep your Dracaena plants strong and healthy, they need the right light, water and food. Here’s which fertilizer to use, liquid or granular, when to feed, and how to tell when you’ve overdone it.
Liquid or Granular: Which Dracaena Fertilizer Is Best?
Both can work. Clemson Extension‘s dracaena fact sheet says to feed with a liquid foliage plant fertilizer, and it adds that time-release fertilizer pellets may be used also. NC State Extension suggests a controlled-release fertilizer for the dragon tree (Dracaena marginata), which it says has a low fertilizer requirement.
Liquid, water-soluble fertilizers have one big plus indoors. Clemson’s indoor plant guide says water-soluble fertilizers are often preferred because dilute solutions reduce the potential for fertilizer burn.
Mississippi State University Extension says fast-release fertilizers act right away but can burn plants if applied too heavily, while slow-release granules feed gradually, with timing that depends on the product, the indoor temperature and how you water.
So the choice comes down to what you’ll use consistently. A liquid lets you control every feeding. Pellets or granules mean fewer applications. Either way, follow the label for how much to use.
What to Look For on the Label
Start with the three numbers on the package. Mississippi State Extension explains that the first number is nitrogen, the second is phosphorus and the third is potassium (potash), with calcium, magnesium, iron and other elements listed in the finer print.
What do they do? University of Minnesota Extension says nitrogen promotes leafy growth, phosphorus supports root growth and fruiting, and potassium supports disease resistance and plant hardiness. For foliage plants like dracaena, Clemson’s indoor plant guide suggests a balanced fertilizer such as 20-20-20.
Commercial growers aim a little differently. UF/IFAS Extension‘s production guide for dracaena growers says fertilizers with low boron and fluoride levels and an N:P:K ratio of 3:1:2 or 3:1:3 are best. That’s a nursery recipe, not a houseplant rule, but the low-boron, low-fluoride part is worth copying at home.
Skip superphosphate. Clemson says dracaena is very sensitive to fluoride, with symptoms such as yellowing tips or margins and dead, scorched areas. It says not to use fertilizer that contains superphosphate, since it often has high levels of fluorine, and to keep the soil pH between 6.0 and 6.5. More on that in Dracaena Fluoride Toxicity.
What about trace elements? Mississippi State lists 16 essential plant elements, including iron, manganese, copper, boron, zinc and molybdenum. Sodium isn’t on that list, so you don’t need to look for it on a fertilizer label.
Related: Watering Dracaena Plants
When to Fertilize Dracaenas
Give a New Plant a Month
When you first bring a dracaena home, hold off. UF/IFAS says that once plants are placed indoors, itis best not to repot or fertilize for about four weeks, because they don’t need extra stress.
Use that month to settle it into good light. Clemson says most dracaenas grow best in bright, indirect light, though many tolerate lower light. NC State Extension says direct sun can burn the foliage.
Feed in Spring and Summer
Sources give a range here. Clemson’s dracaena fact sheet says once a month during spring and summer. NC State suggests a controlled-release fertilizer in spring, summer and fall for the dragon tree.
Clemson’s general indoor plant guide is lighter: use the label rate every two or three months, or about one-tenth the label rate at every watering during the growing season, or feed every seventh watering. Mississippi State also suggests every two or three months for indoor plants that are actively growing.
If you’re unsure, start at the lighter end and let the plant’s new growth guide you.
Here’s my own routine, for what it’s worth. I feed the corn plant in our home with a liquid fertilizer every third time I water it, and I’ve had that plant for more than seven years. That’s what works in my house, with my light and my watering habits. It’s not a rule, so use the label and the guidance above as your starting point.
Feed Less in Low Light and Winter
Light drives how much food a dracaena can use. Clemson says indoor plants in low-light interior conditions have reduced fertilizer needs, and that foliage plants need at least 200 foot-candles for 12 hours a day to show any benefit from fertilizing. A dracaena in a dim corner needs very little.
Winter is the same story. Clemson says many indoor plants that get little or no artificial light enter a resting stage during the short days of winter, and that if plants go into a winter rest period, you should not fertilize them. Mississippi State says to fertilize less often, if at all, in winter or under other low-light conditions.
More light means more growth. Clemson says a dracaena moved from dim light to a brighter spot grows thicker, stronger new leaves and grows faster.
Mississippi State says a fast-growing plant needs nutrients more often than one growing slowly or resting, and that houseplants moved to a porch or patio for summer may need a water-soluble fertilizer every two to three weeks.
Just remember that fast growth isn’t always the goal: Clemson notes that rapid new growth is often undesirable, since plants may outgrow their spots.
How to Fertilize Dracaenas, Step by Step
- Water first. Mississippi State says to be sure the soil is moist before fertilizing. Don’t feed a plant sitting in bone-dry dracaena soil.
- Measure. Mix the fertilizer with water exactly as the label directs, using a measuring cup or spoon. More is not better.
- Use room-temperature water. Clemson says to avoid watering dracaenas with cold water.
- Mind the water source. NC State Extension says dracaenas are sensitive to tap water that contains salts, chlorine and fluoride. Use distilled, rain or filtered water.
- Water through. Clemson’s indoor plant guide says to water thoroughly and let excess flow out of the drainage holes into a tray, then empty the tray.
Signs You’ve Overdone It, and How to Fix It
Too much fertilizer shows up in the leaves and on the pot. Clemson says dracaena leaf tips and margins may burn or turn yellow if plants are fertilized too heavily.
Its indoor plant guide adds that a white film on the soil or a white crust on the pot rim or drainage hole may mean the plant is overfertilized or overwatered, and that salt buildup can damage roots, causing slow growth, brown leaf tips, dropping lower leaves and wilting.
The fix is to flush the salts out. Mississippi State says to cut back on fertilizer and wash the salts out of the soil by thoroughly watering the plant several times, letting the excess water drain away as fast as possible.
NC State suggests flushing salts monthly if a corn plant’s leaves turn brown, and UF/IFAS advises leaching the potting mix to lower high soluble salts. A sink or shower makes this easy.
Drainage holes matter here. Mississippi State says drain holes let excess salts leach out, and that plants in containers without them are easily injured or killed by overwatering. If your dracaena’s pot has no holes, repot it into one that does before you flush it.
Brown tips that are already there won’t turn green again. UF/IFAS says leaves damaged by high boron, fluoride or soluble salts will not recover. Trim them for looks if you like, fix the cause and watch the new growth. Our brown tips guide walks through every cause.
Do Dracaenas Clean the Air?
You may have read that dracaenas clean the air. Several were in NASA’s study, Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement (the September 1989 final report), including the dragon tree, ‘Janet Craig’ and the corn plant (‘Massangeana’).
The study measured how much benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde plants removed inside sealed chambers; the dragon tree and ‘Janet Craig’ appear in all three chemical tables, the corn plant in the trichloroethylene table.
A home isn’t a sealed chamber. Iowa State University Extension says that, in reality, houseplants have little effect on air quality in the home or office because air constantly turns over. Grow and feed your dracaena for its good looks, not as an air purifier.
The Bottom Line
Dracaenas are light eaters. Feed during spring and summer (Clemson says monthly with a liquid, or use time-release pellets), skip the winter rest, avoid superphosphate, and flush the salts now and then. When in doubt, feed less. Your dracaena will forgive a missed feeding much faster than an overfeeding.
How do you feed your dracaena? Tell us in the comments!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best fertilizer for dracaena?
A liquid foliage plant fertilizer works well. Clemson Extension recommends one for dracaenas and says time-release fertilizer pellets may be used too. Its indoor plant guide suggests a balanced fertilizer such as 20-20-20 for foliage plants. Whatever you choose, avoid products containing superphosphate, which Clemson says often has high levels of fluorine, a problem for fluoride-sensitive dracaenas. Follow the label for how much to use.
How often should I fertilize my dracaena?
Clemson Extension says once a month during spring and summer with a liquid foliage plant fertilizer. NC State Extension suggests a controlled-release fertilizer in spring, summer and fall for the dragon tree, and Clemson’s general indoor plant guide suggests the label rate every two or three months. Plants in low light need less. Start at the lighter end and follow the label.
Should I fertilize dracaena in winter?
Usually not. Clemson Extension says many indoor plants that get little or no artificial light enter a resting stage during the short days of winter, and that plants in a winter rest period should not be fertilized. Mississippi State University Extension says to fertilize less often, if at all, in winter or under low light. Clemson says plants usually grow in spring and summer, so resume feeding then.
Why are my dracaena’s leaf tips brown after fertilizing?
Heavy fertilizing is one possible cause. Clemson Extension says leaf tips and margins may burn or turn yellow if plants are fertilized too heavily, that dracaenas are very sensitive to fluoride, and that superphosphate often has high levels of fluorine. NC State Extension suggests flushing built-up salts monthly for the corn plant. UF/IFAS Extension says damaged tips will not recover, so fix the cause and watch new growth. See our brown tips guide.
When should I fertilize a new dracaena?
Wait about a month. UF/IFAS Extension says that once plants are placed indoors, it is advisable not to repot or fertilize for about four weeks, because they do not need additional stress. Use that time to settle the plant into bright, indirect light, then start feeding during spring or summer, following the fertilizer label.