I love having plants in my space. My friends even describe my living room as a real living room because of the climbing plants in the room.
And my office? Well, it’s like total immersion in nature: I work better surrounded by living creatures than with wall art.
So when I brought my Dracaena Marginata home about two years ago, a friend asked me why I needed it. another plant At my house. Wasn’t what he had in space enough?
The question puzzled me, because how could she not know what this plant had to offer? From purifying the air to sprucing up my space, I had a lot on my plate.
I remember going over every little detail of the plant, hoping she would understand why this plant was so valuable to my space.
Dracaena has amazing benefits that have a positive aesthetic effect, provide better air quality, increase humidity, improve concentration, and are easy to care for.
Below, we take a closer look at these amazing benefits you can expect from a dracaena:
What are the benefits of a Dracaena?
I have one margined dracaena (Dragon Rider). However, the benefits of this tree will be about the same as any other species of this genus (dracaena is a genus).
For example, Fragrans, Deremensis and Sanderiana species will have a similar impact. So what can you expect from species of this genus?
1) Positive aesthetic effects
One of the main reasons people introduce dracaenas (or other indoor plants) into their spaces is for their aesthetic value.
People love to look at and be around beautiful things, and dracaenas are a good starting point for that.
With their long leaves and woody stems, they are truly impressive and can help add character to your space.
They make a room less boring and can turn a previously boring space into a talking point.
Plus, there are countless options for dracaenas, and you can pick one that looks aesthetically pleasing to you.
For example, you can opt for a variegated dracaena to give the room a dramatic effect. Either you choose a young plant that can serve as a complement to your dining table. The options are endless!
You may also like: What is the best soil for a Dracaena Marginata?
2) Better air quality
When people had to stay home for about two years during the COVID pandemic, they realized how polluted indoor spaces could be.
There are many pollutants in the environment: smog, fumes, dust, pollen, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, etc. They come from clothing, furniture, outdoors, pets and building materials.
And if you spend a lot of time indoors and inhale such substances, adverse effects are sure to occur. These include respiratory problems, anemia, cancer, DNA mutation, headaches, and gastrointestinal effects.
Often people use air filters in their homes to deal with these contaminants. While these additions work great, there’s another simple way to manage pollutants in your home: plant more houseplants.
As a NASA clean air study showed, the dracaena genus is one such effective plant category.
According to the results, the dracaena can clean most of the air in your home by absorbing pollutants. This results in cooler air and less exposure to air pollutants.
You May Also Like: 10 Reasons Why Your Dracaena Turns Yellow And How To Fix It
3) Increased humidity
We often think about how we can increase the humidity to make our houseplants do better indoors. But the main thing: people should also be in rooms with high humidity.
It makes breathing easier and makes you feel more comfortable in the room. Let’s take the example of a person who suffers from respiratory problems.
You will find doctors who prescribe measures like steaming, using humidifiers, etc. and these work to a great extent to open the airways.
What if you could complete these measures naturally? Plants release a lot of moisture into the air.
Once they use the water to make food, they release carbon dioxide and moisture into the air. And research shows that over 90% of the water absorbed by plants ends up in the air!
That’s a lot of humidity. Now suppose you find yourself in your inner space. Wouldn’t that be helpful?
Moreover, high humidity is also good for the skin and helps relieve dry and itchy skin.
Let’s not even talk about how humidity is good for your hair and can help you avoid bad hair days most of the time.
I recommend adding dracaena to any room in your home that feels dry to the touch. Then sit back and experience the positive changes in your space.
If you like this article, check out our article on Dracaena marginata light requirements.
4) Improved focus
Years ago I started adding plants to my office and removing artwork from the wall. From one factory to another, I felt a change in my perception of work.
Instead of dragging myself through space, exhausted and dreading another day at the office, I felt energized. Turns out there was a good reason behind it.
Plants are known to improve focus and concentration in those around them. And that boils down to her soothing nature.
Look at it from this side. How do you feel after a nature walk? The answer is probably rejuvenated.
Being in nature centers us, and when we feel calm we are more likely to focus on what is in front of us. We are less anxious and can do a lot more in a short time.
In addition, being surrounded by plants promotes your mental well-being. And this goes for any houseplant, not just dracaena.
To get more of these benefits, choose plants with dark green tones, as green seems to be the magic factor here. And when decorating, consider adding more green elements to the space for a complementary effect.
Let’s also add that plants increase oxygen levels, but that only happens at night, so it’s more beneficial for night owls like me.
5) Easy maintenance
The last big advantage of a dracaena is that it is easy to care for. Dracaenas thrive in tropical climates, which might make you think they wouldn’t do as well in other climates.
But the fact is that these plants can easily adapt to different environments.
All you have to do is make sure you don’t overwater them or leave them in full sun and you’ll be fine. To start this trip, please respect these conditions:
- Floor: These plants do not like soggy soil. Be sure to provide them with well-drained, nutrient-rich soil.
- Water: Dracaenas grow best when watered only when the top inch of soil is dry. Let the soil dry out before watering the plant again so that it doesn’t go too long without water.
- light: You should keep dracaena in bright to medium indirect light. Only a few varieties can withstand direct sunlight.
- Temperature: Dracaena does best in a temperature range of at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit. However, some strains can still work well in ranges of 50 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
And when it comes to fertilizing, take it easy. Feed the plant once every two weeks in the summer and cut it during the cooler months.
final thoughts
Did my friend introduce a Dracaena into her space? He still thinks about it as he fights to keep his cactus alive.
And even though a dracaena is low maintenance, you still need to be on top of your care routine or the plant will die. Happy gardening!
Before you go, here are some other related articles that I encourage you to read below to solve more of your gardening problems:
How to Care for a Dracaena Outdoors
How to Save a Dying Dracaena Marginata Plant
How big can Dracaena get?
dracaena vs yucca
7 reasons why your Dracaena is sagging and how to fix it