Family: Asparagaceae
Common Name: Gold Dust, Spotted Dracaena
Botanical Name: Draceana surculosa 'Florida Beauty'
Draceana Florida Beauty epitomizes the term "looks are deceiving." This speckled leaf, the fancy-free indoor plant looks more like a ficus than a dracaena with its elliptical leaves and bushy form. Ready for this -- Dracaena Florida Beauty is not as fussy as a ficus! This low-maintenance indoor plant can tolerate low light levels and lower humidity than many other houseplants making it a go-to-gift or a must-have houseplant staple! It might even produce fragrant flowers if this dracaena receives over six hours of indirect light! Dracaenas will grow fuller and faster if given more access to natural light.
Light
It is true that some dracaenas can live for extended periods of time in low light conditions, but for this Gold Dust Plant, we recommend providing it with as much indirect sunlight you can spare without exposing it to the direct rays of the sun. A few hours of early morning sun will not burn the leaves, but harsh mid-day and afternoon summer sun can be devastating to this indoor plant!
Water
Dracaena Florida Beauty needs to get its drink on when the soil becomes dry, and only then! Over-watering this houseplant should be avoided as they have little to no tolerance for soggy roots. If you notice that the leaves are starting to turn brown, or yellow along the edges, and you have been watering like we suggest, then your water might be high in salts or even worse, chemicals and you should switch to filtered water (for both you and your plants)!
Soil
The best potting soil mixture for dracaena is a combination of fine bark, wood chips or coarse sand, organic compost and coco coir, or peat moss. Learn how to create your own universal soil mixture for all of your indoor plants! Most store-bought potting soil will suffice as long as the potting soil allows for adequate drainage. Never use Heavy soils, like garden soil for indoor plants like Dracaena Florida Beauty. Dracaenas like slightly acidic soils, and you can raise the PH by adding aluminum sulfate. Salts and minerals can accumulate in the soil, and as a result, dracaenas can develop leaf burn. Leach the soil twice a year to remove mineral buildup by rinsing the soil with water for a few minutes.
Temperature
The ideal temperatures for Dracaena Floida Beauty are above 65℉. Sudden coldness can damage the leaves, so keep them away from drafty doors and windows during the colder months. If the temperatures are too high, then you are going to be watering your plants a lot more often!
Humidity
Dracaena houseplants benefit from higher humidity levels when they’re in heated, forced-air environments, other than that, they can live happily in most humidity levels of most homes. If you live in an arid climate, then you may consider increasing the humidity with a cool-mist humidifier. Learn about alternative methods to increase the humidity for your houseplants!
Fertilizer
It’s not necessary to fertilize your dracaenas, but they benefit from you feeding them once a month during the growing season with a ¼ diluted complete liquid fertilizer or fish emulsion. You can also top-dress the plant at the start of the growing season with rich compost like worm castings.
Growth Rate
Dracaena Florida Beauty is a moderate grower once established. It is a compact indoor plant are rarely grows taller than 2’ high, but it will spread if given the space.
Pet Friend or Foe
These plants are toxic to pets! Foe
Pro Tips
- Use filtered water as these plants are sensitive to salts and chemicals found in most tap water.
- If you want to encourage this lovely plant to flower, expose it to bright indirect light.
- If your plant isn’t thriving, try to flush the soil of possible salt and mineral build-up. Place the potted plant under running water for a few minutes as this will help leach out the excess minerals and salts!
- Trim leggy stems to encourage new growth! This will help keep your Florida Beauty looking lush and full!