Song of India Plant  (Dracaena reflexa)

Description

Common Name: Song of India Plant / Song of Jamaica / Pleomele botanical Name: Dracaena reflexa This classic is celebrated for its beautiful slender pointed leaves that spirally arranged on its stems! Most are green with a bright creamy yellow edge, but this striking plant also bears its leafy flowers in dense clusters on the branchtips, adding a little structure to this wonderfully sculptural floor or accent plant. Known for their graceful upright, shrub-like habit, these evergreens generally grow rather slowly indoors and often take on their own charming twisting form with age, although with enough time they will reach very large heights as a floor plant.

An ideal house plant for an indoor position with lots of bright, indirect, or filtered sun. Place new to the home in an east or north window approx 2–3 feet away from it. Or if your only available space is a southern or western window, place a plant 6 feet away from the window or hang a sheer curtain between window and plant to help filter sun rays. Dracaena require brighter light than a lot of other Dracaena species, so be sure to provide as bright a spot as you can provide your new plant.

The Song of India plant is a relatively easy to care for houseplant, ideal for offices, where light conditions tend to remain consistent throughout day and year.Like most green foliage plants, this plant takes in light from the sun and converts it into energy as well as releasing oxygen throughout the day. Your new plant will ship in the pot pictured (or similar) complete with drainage!

Key features

• Slender, spiralled leaves with cream and yellow margins; the leaf centre is green. 
• This plant’s slow growth rate will allow you to skip frequent pruning and repotting. 
• Upright evergreen, this shrub takes on an interesting twisted shape over time. 
• Needs plenty of bright light for its shape and colouring to stay true.
• More tolerant of inconsistent watering than many other foliage plants once established
• Suited to both home interiors and office environments with steady indoor conditions
• Comes in a pot sized to fit the plant's current roots, with proper drainage
• A good option for tabletops now, with the potential to grow into a larger floor plant later

Care at a glance

Product specifications

What's in the box

• 1 × Live Song of India (Dracaena reflexa) plant
• 1 × Pot (Bare-rooted / Pot: Optional, as selected at checkout)
• Potting mix
• Basic care guide

Important notes

• Each plant is a living thing, so leaf size, striping, and overall shape will vary slightly from the photos shown.
• Some leaf drooping or minor leaf drop can happen during transit. This is usually temporary, and the plant typically recovers within a week or two of settling into its new spot.
• Don't immediately expose the plant to strong, unfiltered sun once it arrives, as this may burn the leaves. Gradually bring it to a higher light.
• Inconsistent watering: Brown leaf tips can be caused by water with too many fluorides and chlorine, try using filtered or room temperature water. 
• Low toxicity in cats and dogs: may be ingested with risk if pets chew on it. 
• Plant dislikes dark corners: Do not place it in a darkly lit area unless you have even just a sliver of sunlight.

Frequently asked questions

Q: My Song of India leaves have brown tips, any idea why? 

A: brown tip on most plants is from tap water containing too much chlorine or fluoride. Dry air is another common cause.Use filtered room temperature water and slightly increase humidity for future new growth.

Q: How often should this be watered?

A: allow soil to become slightly dry between watering’s as this plant is more forgiving for occasional dry periods than overwatering . When in doubt go a day or two longer before watering.

Q: Can this be grown indoors the entire year?

A: Yes this can be grown indoors at any point in time, if the plant will receive indirect bright light and remain in a place that does not have extremely cold temperatures during winter. This will not require outdoor growing and conditions.

Q: Will it require direct sunlight to grow well?

A: No. Bright, direct light will burn the leaves of this plant. However, it requires more light than most other so-called “low-light” houseplants - don’t tuck it away in a gloomy corner, but rather provide it with bright, filtered light. 

Q: How fast does Song of India grow and how big can they get?

 A: They are rather slow growing so don’t expect things to happen quickly. When given the time and the right growing conditions Song of India can be quite tall an indoor plant; however most are maintained at smaller sizes through periodic pruning. 

Q: When should I report it, and does it require feeding? 

A: Repot approximately every 2 years or if you see the roots beginning to fill the container. Feed with a balanced liquid fertiliser mixed with water ( diluted, no feeding to the 4th to 6th dose) every 4th to 6th week during spring and summer.