Growing guide · Houseplant

Dracaena

How to grow Dracaena 'Silver Sea Monkey'.

Less upkeep than the actual sea monkeys.

Light
Medium
Water
Moderate
Zones
Indoors, any
Size
12–18 in. tall
Pot
Glass water-culture bowl or tall glass vase; no repotting needed.
Pets
Not on the ASPCA pet-safe list; keep it out of reach
See sizes · from $20
Dracaena with wavy silver, white and green striped leaves in a glass bowl of water

Light

Medium to bright, indirect light. A few hours of good light a day keeps the stripes bright.

Water

Keep the roots covered with water, top it up as the level drops, and refresh it completely every 2–3 weeks. Use filtered, distilled or rain water; dracaenas are sensitive to fluoride and chlorine in tap water.

Pot and soil

Grown in water in glass, no soil. Rinse the roots and the vessel when you change the water, and add a drop of liquid fertilizer monthly. It can move to soil later, but don't switch back and forth.

Pot it inRosy Houseplant Soil · 4 qtThe everyday peat-free mix. 4 qt repots 2–3 plants. Peat-free, by Rosy Soil

Feeding

One drop of liquid fertilizer in the water monthly in spring and summer. Too much feeds algae.

Grooming

Pull off yellowed lower leaves. Trim brown tips with clean scissors, following the leaf shape.

Through the year

Spring and summer: it grows, so expect to top up the water more often. Fall and winter: growth slows; skip the fertilizer and keep it away from cold glass.

If something's off

Brown leaf tips usually mean fluoride or salts in the water; switch to filtered water and trim the tips. Slimy roots or cloudy water mean it's overdue for a change. Toxic to cats and dogs.

Plays well with

Plant it with friends.

Dracaena 'Urban Urchin'
DracaenaDracaena 'Urban Urchin' from $20
Marble Pothos 'Summer Nights'
Epipremnum aureumMarble Pothos 'Summer Nights' from $15

Why we stock it: It's a desk plant with nothing to repot and nothing to overwater.

That's the whole guide. Thanks for reading.

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