Soil for dracaena: optimal composition, processing

Soil for dracaena should have a light structure, low acidity, allow air to pass freely, dry quickly and contain a complex of useful components. If you comply with all these requirements, then your favorite flower will decorate the room for a long time.

How to choose a soil for dracaena

The active growth of the plant depends on the correct choice of soil.

According to most gardeners, it is better for beginners to buy ready-made soil in garden stores, since self-preparation requires skills and experience.

Types of compositions

The stores offer 3 types of soil:

1. Peat, sandy soil, humus and sod, combined in equal proportions.
2. A mixture identical to the first, only without sandstone. All components are mixed in equal amounts.
3. Sod, sand and leafy soil, taken in a ratio of 3: 1: 1. The soil additionally includes charcoal: for 4 liters, 2 tbsp. l.

If you cannot find a ready-made substrate, you can take a universal one and add the missing components yourself.

Primary requirements

In order for a decorative palm tree to grow for a long time and please the eye, the following requirements must be observed when planting or transplanting it:

• maintain a balance of minerals and organics;
• take into account the resistance of the soil mixture to temperature changes;
• observe the acidity of the soil for dracaena within 5.5-7.0 pH;
• clean the soil from any types of larvae and bacterial pathogens, weed seeds;
• make sure that the earth freely passes air to the root system, but keeps the plant tightly in the flowerpot (a garden or greenhouse will not work);
• to achieve such a consistency of the soil so that all properties and structure are preserved during transplantation;
• ensure uniform distribution of water (there should be no places with stagnant liquid or dry areas);
• use a flowerpot or indoor pot (should be in the form of a glass).

Clay soil will destroy the plant. Dracaena loves frequent watering: nutrient compounds are quickly washed out.

New fertilizers are applied strictly according to the instructions: an excess of them is just as harmful as a deficit.

Optimal composition

Dracaena needs such elements as:

• calcium;
• magnesium;
• potassium.

To saturate the soil with them, double superphosphate is used. Also required:

• humate;
• vermiculite;
• dolomite and lime flour;
• charcoal.

You cannot take peat in large quantities: it increases acidity and retains moisture for a long time. The presence of all of the above components makes the soil fibrous and nutritious.

You can also add sapropel, which is rich in trace elements. It is prepared from decayed freshwater organisms.

Indoor dracaena will not grow in soil that is more than 30% clay.

What are all the elements in the potting mix for?

A balanced soil composition is vital for any flower or plant. The lack of one of the elements will affect the growth and functioning of the vegetative system.

The role of the main constituents of the soil:

1. Leafy soil - rotten manure, the main source of organic matter, containing the seeds of other plants and insect larvae.
2. Coarse sand improves the circulation of water and air in the pot.
3. Large pebbles, crushed stone, expanded clay - the basis for the drainage system.
4. Vermiculite is a layered mineral added to the drainage system.
5. Sapropel is a decayed river organic matter that gives a good effect when transplanting a plant into a new container.
6. Charcoal regulates acidity and saturates the soil with potassium.
7. Peat, rich in trace elements, provides friability, increases acidity.
8. Dolomite flour is an excellent regulator of soil acidity.
9. Salts of humic acids (humates) are a natural component that increases the immunity and resistance of a plant to diseases.

Useful properties of trace elements:

• phosphorus - is responsible for the absorption of nutrients and metabolic processes;
• nitrogen - important at all stages of plant growth, especially vegetative;
• potassium - provides protein synthesis in the leaves;
• calcium - stimulates the smooth functioning of all cells;
• iron - regulates the respiratory function of the plant;
• magnesium, manganese and zinc - participate in the process of photosynthesis;
• sulfur - is responsible for protein metabolism;
• boron - provides a complex synthesis of proteins, trace elements and carbohydrates.

In nature, fertile soil consists of the above elements. Exceptions are sandy and clay soil.

Shop mix: pros and cons

The benefits of using off-the-shelf mix include:

• balanced composition;
• absence of pathogenic bacteria and pests;
• ease of use and time saving.

However, unscrupulous manufacturers can poorly process the mixture and add components that do not correspond to the description on the package.

When buying a ready-made mixture, it is important to pay attention to the shelf life, product labeling and production date.

How to prepare the soil for planting

If a person is engaged in planting or transplanting independently, it is necessary first of all to carry out a complete cleaning the earth from pathogenic bacteria, then saturating it with the elements that are required for a healthy growth.

Pest control

Before replanting dracaena, the ground must be thoroughly disinfected.

To do this, you can use one of the following methods:

• steam for 1 hour;
• ignite in the oven for 30 minutes at a temperature of + 180 ° С;
• rinse with a solution of 1% potassium permanganate;
• treat with a biological fungicide, which is sold in specialized departments;
• pour boiling water over and cover with polyethylene until it cools.

Drainage

To avoid decay of the root system of the plant, drainage with a height of 1/10 of the total volume is laid on the bottom of the flowerpot. Before laying it, it should be disinfected (by analogy with soil).

Used as drainage:

• pieces of ceramic shards;
• rubble or small pebbles;
• shredded foam;
• expanded clay;
• chipped granite;
• crushed parts of bricks.

Review of popular manufacturers

Specialized agricultural shops sell soil suitable for all plants. But if you wish, you can purchase a universal mixture for transplanting or planting dracaena.

"Gardens of Babylon" for dracaena and yucca

It is packed in packs of 2 and 5 liters. The composition includes:

• lowland and high-moor peat;
• dolomite chips;
• expanded clay;
• compost: horse and cattle.

Chemical composition:

• nitrogen - 0.3-0.6%;
• phosphorus - 0.1-0.35%;
• potassium - 0.2-0.3%;
• water - no more than 60%.

This soil has neutral acidity (pH - 6-7).

Substratum "Gardens of Aurica"

Available in packs of 1 liter. Contains:

• sod land;
• coarse cleaned sand;
• charcoal;
• ceramic chips;
• biohumus.

Acidity - not less than 5.5.

Peter Peat (Hobby line for yucca and dracaena)

Manufactured in 2 liter packs containing:

• mixed lowland and high-moor peat;
• agroperlite;
• river sand;
• limestone flour;
• a complex of mineral fertilizers.

Nutrients (in mg / l):

• nitrogen - 155;
• phosphorus - 145;
• potassium - 250;

Water is 65%, acidity is about 5.5%.

How to prepare soil for dracaena at home

Those wishing to independently compose a substrate for a flower should:

1. Collect all the ingredients and mix them just before planting.
2. Clean the soil and add mineral fertilizers to it. They are sold in granules, each of which contains a full range of micronutrients. Being in moist soil, the granules gradually dissolve and saturate the ground and dracaena roots.

Planting process:

1. The bottom of the pot is covered with expanded clay, the sapropel is placed on top of it.
2. Lay out the cleaned substrate on top.
3. Dracaena is planted.
4. The first watering is done immediately after planting.
5. Expanded clay or vermiculite is placed on top of the ground.

For dracaena, you can purchase a heavy ceramic flowerpot with drainage holes at the bottom.

Steaming

It is carried out like this:

1. The selected soil is laid out in a sieve, having previously covered it with a cotton cloth.
2. Place the mixture in a saucepan of boiling water.
3. Mixing the soil evenly, steamed it for about an hour. Hot steam, passing through the holes, kills pathogenic pathogens.

Roasting

The prepared soil is placed in an even layer on an oven pan and sterilized for half an hour at a temperature of + 170... + 180 ° C.

Spillage with fungicide

To destroy all pathogens, it is necessary to prepare an aqueous solution (of your choice) from:

• potassium permanganate;
• Maxim;
• Fitosporin.

The substrate should be abundantly moistened with the prepared solution.

Major mistakes in soil preparation

The main mistake of a novice gardener is non-compliance with the quality of the selected land. Avoid picking up dirt along highways, landfills, or near industrial plants. The best option is forest soil. At the foot of birches, nuts and maples, fallen leaves are removed and 4-6 cm of soil is removed. It, along with the compost, is watered with nitrogen fertilizer.

Using humus and manure as a natural fertilizer, it must be remembered that humus must be 3-4 years old, and the peat is rotten, with an average degree of acidity (red with whole pieces is not will do). The sand should be coarse, but not the one used in industry.

To check how correct the consistency of the substrate came out, you need to squeeze a handful of earth in your fist. It should become a lump, but immediately crumble when dropped.

What to do with the old land

During the period of active growth (up to 3 years), the soil in the pot is renewed annually. Then, once every 3 years, the soil is completely replaced.

Old soil contains a small percentage of organic matter and infection. To use the soil further, it should be temporarily placed in a compost heap or thoroughly sterilized. In the future, this land can be used for planting new plants.

Used soil can be added as loosening agent to new substrate. The percentage of old land is no more than 30%.