Dracaena warnekii, like all dracaenas, are hardy, slow-growing plants that thrive on neglect. Sometimes referred to as a “striped dracaena”, the warnekii has long, pointed, narrow green and white striped leaves and can be used as a table plant, bushy floor plant, or tall cane plant for home and office. The “jumbo” variety has wider leaves and is a more compact plant. The “lemon lime” cultivar has yellow and green stripes. A dracaena warnekii is one of the few colorful indoor plants that can survive in low light conditions. NASA recommends the dracaena warnekii one of the top ten plants for removing formaldehyde from the air.
Dracaena warneki plants are considered by some to be slightly poisonous, especially to dogs and cats.
A Dracaena warnekii survives in low light, but grows faster and fuller in medium light. In low light, the new leaves may be smaller and narrower. Direct sun burns the leaves.
All dracaena plants like to be kept on the dry side. Water well and then allow the top 50% of the soil to dry out before watering again. Never allow the plant to sit in water. The lower the light level the less water a dracaena warnekii needs. All dracaenas are very sensitive to fluoride. If your household water is heavily chlorinated allow it to sit out over night, use water from an outside hose, use rain water or distilled water.
Dracaena plants do not require much fertilizer. Feed monthly in spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to 1/2 the recommended strength. It’s not necessary to feed dracaenas in the fall or winter.
Dracaena plants prefer high humidity but do well in basic household humidity.
POT SIZE
These plants like to be root-bound in a small pot. When the roots have filled the existing pot, it is time to move your dracaena warnekii to the next size container. Be sure any pot you use has drip holes in the bottom.