Choose and Produce Your Sander’s Dracaena
This species originated as an understorey plant from the rainforests of Cameroon in tropical west Africa, although some literature state that it came from Congo. It is an herbaceous, evergreen, shrubby plant that grows to 2 meters tall and forms a clump by producing suckers. The stems are slender while the strap-shaped, sheathed leaves are flexible and arranged in a spiral.
Tall plants are prone to bend when there is heavy rainfall or strong winds due to the top heavy foliage. Without anchor or support, containerized plants may topple down. It is seldom seen flowering because it is often cut to a desirable height of less than 1.5 meters which prevents the plant from maturing to flowering stage. Nevertheless, it produces an inflorescence called a panicle under Philippine conditions.
Considered the most graceful and least gaudy species of Dracaena, this popular ornamental plant has been grown as a potted indoor plant or a landscaping material in the country for a long time. The ease of growth in typically poor conditions made it a favorite foliage plant among growers. With long-lasting vase-life, it is widely used as a cut foliage - actually, a shoot cutting that will eventually root when kept in water - in flower arrangements. Likewise, the small plants are ideal for terrarium and dish-garden.
It is also being exported as mini plants. With the advent of hydroponics or soilless culture, it is now grown as rooted cutting in water, colored agar medium or floral foam placed in a presentable container. It is now being commercialized as a Feng Shui material in different architectural shapes such as basket, vase, lantern, pagoda, braided, spiral, etc.
Due to its importance in the ornamental horticulture industry as an economic plant, it was considered one of the priority foliage plants in the Integrated Ornamental Horticulture Research and Development Program (IOHRDP) of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) and the Mutation Breeding Program of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), both under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
CLASSIFICATION
Dracaena sanderana belongs to the family Ruscaceae -(Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II System, 2003) where the genera Aspidistra, Beaucarnea (Pony-tail plant), Ophiopogon (Mondo grass), Ruscus, and Sanseviera (Snake plant) also belong. There are at least six different varieties available and half of these are widely traded. The table shows the valid or registered varietal name and their corresponding common names. They were all derived from the green non-variegated variety as spontaneous or induced mutants although it was the Striped Sander’s dracaena (with white variegation) that was first discovered in the wild and cultivated for ornamental purposes.
Results of an experiment conducted by PNRI researchers show that natural mutations can be duplicated by subjecting six-inch long stem cuttings to gamma rays. From the variety Virescens, mutants similar to the cultivars Ivory and Gold are three other chlorophyll mutants were obtained.
One mutant has yellow-green leaves that is not due to poor lighting not by nitrogen deficiency and may be classified in taxonomy as variety flavoviridus if it was collected in its native habitat. The other mutant has stiffer leaves arranged closer to each other or with internodes shorter than the other varieties. The central portion of the dark-green leaf is silver-green lined with white on the edges. It was registered with the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC) of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) on November 2001 as Dracaena ‘Marea’ (NSIC 2001 Orn-63).
The last mutant with yellow-green band in the middle of dark-green leaves is still undergoing purification to ensure that it will not revert to normal anymore.
PROPAGATION
Except for the cultivar Margaret Berkery, all the other varieties of Dracaena sanderana are very easy to propagate by cuttings. Shoot tip or top cutting will quickly root in various media in two to four weeks. Using only tap water, 20-centimeter shoot tip cuttings will start to form root in 11 days. Just make a clean, diagonal cut just below a node of a healthy or disease-free shoot.
To prevent entry of water and disease causing microorganisms on top of the stump where the cutting was obtained, a layer of wax is placed on the portion. The dormant buds along the stem will be activated to sprout soon after decapitation, but only one or a few new shoots will appear after a month. After three to six months, these offshoots may be harvested as shoot tip cuttings for further propagation. A new set of dormant buds will be activated to grow.
In an experiment, 100 percent rooting ability of tip cuttings as well as nodal cuttings were obtained when the planting materials were treated with indolebutyric acid (IBA) solution containing 100 milligrams IBA per liter of water for 30 minutes. The rooting hormone hastened uniform rooting by one week and resulted in higher survival rate after transplanting as compared to the untreated cuttings. The potting medium used was 1:1 burnt rice hull and sawdust placed in a 6 inches x 6 inches x 11 inches polyethylene plastic bag that accommodated only five pieces of 10centimeter to 15-centimeter tip cuttings. The basal part of the cutting was inserted into the medium about 4 centimeters deep.
In another experiment where hormonal treatment was eliminated, 100 percent rooting and 100 percent survival after transplanting were obtained from top cuttings inserted in moist, coarse-grade perlite for three weeks under 70 percent shade.
CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS
Potting. Usually, two or three plants are grown in the same container to make up for the slender appearance of individual plants. A denser growth can be obtained from a single plant a year after planting it and when it decapitated.
Potting Medium. A mixture of equal parts of sawdust and-burnt rice hull or coconut coir dust and sand had been tested as suitable soil-less substrates. If you still wanted to use soil, mix it with a similar quantity of coconut coir dust.
Lighting. Bright, indirect light is best. In an open area, a layer of fine-mesh net will be required to reduce light intensity to 90 percent as exposure to direct sunlight will result in leaf burns, making the leaves turn yellow and then brown. Nevertheless, cuttings should be rooted under 60 to 70 percent shade. Likewise, newly-transplanted rooted cuttings and plants that have been used indoors should be acclimatized for at least one week under 70 to 80 percent shade before placing in a brighter area.
Watering. Drench regularly - everyday during the dry season - or not at all when exposed to the rains. For plants grown in a container of water, the level of water may be changed completely every two weeks or just refilled every week. However, the irrigation water should contain very little fluorine. Yellow or brown leaf edges may be caused by fluoridated or chlorinated water but it can be prevented by leaving the tap water exposed to the air for a day before using it to water the plants. Salty and softened water can also cause the physiological disorder.
Fertilization. The recommended rate applicable one week after transplanting is 1 tablespoon of balanced complete fertilizer (14-14-14) per gallon of water three times a month and 1 tablespoon of urea (46-0-0) per gallon of water once a month. A balanced complete controlled release fertilizer (CRF) may be used but it is applied at one-half teaspoon per pot of 6-inch tall plants only once every three months. The amount of CRF is increased correspondingly to the height or size of the plants.
Crop Protection. The most common pests are scale insects and spider mites that are both most prevalent during the dry season. Effective control of infestation is by use of a systemic insecticide or miticida applied as spray. Regular washing or watering of the leaves will prevent buildup of destructive populations of these tiny pests.
Keeping the area always clean is another sure preventive measure. On the other hand, important diseases to prevent or control are stem rot and the more destructive root rot. Both occur more often during the wet season. Stem rot takes place when spores of diseasecausing fungi entered through wounds on leaf or stem that were left untreated with fungicide. Meanwhile, root rot takes place when the medium used is infected with the causal microorganisms - maybe a fungus or a bacterium or both - or after water-logging on the container or flooding of the area where the plant is grown. In addition, pull out any week to prevent it from competing with the plant for water, nutrients, space and sunlight, and serving as alternate host of pests.
PRECAUTIONARY NOTE
Dracaena sanderana is listed by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as toxic to pets. Although the toxic principle is unknown, there have been reports on the plant’s systemic effects on animals such as dilated pupils, abdominal pain and increased heart rate in cats, and vomiting, depression, inappetence, drooling, incoordination, and weakness in both cats and dogs.
I can attest to this because my pet dog convulsed its stomach and vomited the strands of leaves it nipped off from the shoots of our plant that toppled towards its cage. My friend’s pet cat suddenly had increased drooling and also vomited the culprit - strands of leaves that were traced from the damaged indoor plant. When the plant is toxic to animals. it might be toxic to human beings. too. especially to very young children who might accidentally ingest the leaves.
LIST OF NAMES OF THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF DRACAENA SANDERANA
Scientific name Varietal Name Common/Local Names
D. sanderana Ivory White corn plant
D. sanderana var. virescens “none” Green corn plant
D. sanderana varr variegata-Flava Gold Yellow corn plant
D. sanderana Marea Silver corn pant
D. sanderana Borinquensis* “none”
D. sanderana Celes* “none”
D. sanderana Margaret Berkery* “none”
*These mutant varieties have been reported from Puerto Rico.
