Song of India or Song of Jamaica is a common name of Dracaena Reflexa. Dracaena is derived from a Greek word, Drakaina, which means “Female Dragon”. It is a very popular house plant because of its easy growth and minimal care. Dracaena has various types with different leaf shapes, colors, foliage, and plant sizes. Dracaena Reflexa can grow up to 18 feet in length and 8 feet spread out under the right conditions in the garden as well as in wild. It is very easy to grow the Song of India Plant from cuttings. It blooms in the winter season with white flora.
Why it is Called Song of India?
It is a very interesting common name for this plant. Almost everyone thought about the reason for this name. This plant is common (native) to Indian oceans near Mauritius, Mozambique, and Madagascar. Its leaves are long and shiny, astound. That’s why it is named Song of India.
Song of India Plant (See its Growth in Small Pot).
The fundamental reason for attraction to this species is its leaves. Its leaves are glossy, bushy, and attractive. They are hard to attack. Although Song of India blooms during the winter season usually, its flower is not much appealing. Its leaves arch over, are a couple of inches wide, and almost 1 foot long. Pruning and trimming of leaves are necessary after some time.
Plants’ Insider’s Experience to Grow Song of India Plant by Cuttings:
As all my fans know how much I am fond of planting new plants. My office has a lot of species of indoor and outdoor plants. I take some cuttings of this beautiful song of India plant for my indoor home decor. And here, I am going to share the plantation procedure of the Song of India plant by using cuttings.
We can grow the plant in either small or large pots. In small pots, one to two stem cuttings is enough. Whereas in large pots you have to plant at least three to four cuttings. The reason is when cuttings start growing, the leaves on the lower side of the stem fall. Thus, the single plant in a large pot does not look good. If you will plant more stems, your pot will look bushy and beautiful.
An ideal cutting should be six inches long. Choose the stem which has new rosettes. When you will cut the stem for propagation, cut it obliquely. I mean on a 45-degree angle, not straight cuttings. I took three types of media (soil) to place cuttings. One is sand, the second is normal soil, and the third is coco peat soil. The soil must be moist. I fill three containers/pots with these media and breach at the center with the help of any tool.
Now, I separated the leaves from the area of a stem which I have to place into the soil. Peel the stem skin carefully with the help of a sharp cutter so that it can start easy rooting. Peel that side of stem which is going to be placed into the soil. You can use any rooting hormone for ultimate growth. Cinnamon powder or honey are also good rotting hormones. I put that peeled part of the stem into the media and press it from the sides so that no air can pass through the hole.
You can cut, trim or remove the leaves from cuttings. But I am not removing leaves just to check what will happen with them when the plant grows. Do not overwater your plant. Check in this video. In a wild or open garden, the Song of India can grow as a tree whereas, in containers, the plant can grow only 3 to 6 feet in length which is ideal for an indoor plant.
Optimal Growth of Dracaena as a tree
The Plants are Placed into Large Pots and Kept Under Ideal Conditions. Now, They Grow as a Whole Tree.
Some Tips Before You Go to Plant Cuttings:
When you cut the stem from the parent plant, do not place it into the soil immediately after cutting. Because there is a risk of a fungus attack. Put these cuttings into the open air for some time so that they can dry. Then place them into the soil. The dry stem has a greater tendency of fast rooting.
Care of Song of India.
This plant needs minimal care and is hard to kill under the right conditions. Put it into a warm place and provide indirect light. In direct or bright light, it can get a burn. They love humidity so you can choose a humid area also on floor specimen as well as on tabletop. You must have proper drainage from the pot and keep your plant moist but not wet at all. Overwatering or wet soil will cause root rot in them. Trim and shape your plant on regular basis and it will look beautiful.
This plant loves humidity. For better growth, place the plant in a humid area, or onto moist pebbles, or even in bathrooms. Mist your plant on regular basis to avoid dryness. Regular misting also keep pests away. Pests that can attack Song of India plants are mealy bugs, spider mites, or scales.
Light plays a vital role in the optimal growth of a plant. The Song of India plant needs indirect and bright sunlight. The ideal time duration for this light should be four hours per day at least. It will give a beautiful leaf coloration. However, direct light or light more than five hours per day may cause scorch.
Scorch is actually a kind of disease, (browning of leaf margins due to access light exposure).
Also, avoid overcrowding in a pot. If the plant is growing rapidly, then shift it into the new, bigger pot for optimal growth. Shifting should be careful and speedy.
Benefits of Song of India Plant:
Plants Insider suggests keeping this plant in your home (indoor) because of its enormous benefits. It is the best air purifier and cleanses the atmosphere. Toxic elements like xylene, toluene, formaldehyde cannot stay in the atmosphere in the presence of the Song of India plant. That’s why NASA listed the Song of India plant in the top air purifier plants.
This plant is also useful in the preparation of medicines, especially for malaria, dysmenorrhea, diarrhea, and poisoning. Its stem is also used in herbal tea. It has a lot of benefits that are hard to list here.
WARNING!
Use filtered water for your plant because Dracaena don’t like fluorides. When they consume fluoride, their leave margins have yellow wilting. Even its leaves can shed so be careful about the water you are going to use for your plant.
If you are planting cuttings in the dry season, then cover your plant pot with a polythene bag. So that the moisture of the plant can maintain the internal moisture. Remove the covering when watering it and then again cover with polythene. Do not forget to remove polythene permanently in the wet season.
Song of India plant is poisonous to all pets. So, try to put the pot away from pets, if you have!
