Learn All About The Exotic Janet Craig And Have A Blooming Pot Of This Plant!

If you have been unable to buy a mechanical air purifier, then why don’t you try the plant Janet Craig? Don’t get puzzled as nature has got everything settled for you with the Janet Craig plant that cleanses air naturally along with beautifying the household. We are going to tell you how to grow this plant along with some interesting facts too.

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About the Janet Craig

Another gem in the vast world of houseplants, the Janet Craig plant is one of the most preferred ones that people use to decorate their spaces in offices and houses. However, decorative purposes aren’t where the scope of this plant ends as it carries many other advantages too. You may get surprised to know that this plant has been officially recognized by NASA as a natural air purifier as it promotes the cleaning of its immediate environment by eliminating the harmful toxins.

The plant has been a native of the tropical regions of Africa and is now cultivated commercially in different parts of the world like Hawaii for its huge demand as a decorative houseplant. The botanical name of the plant has been misconstrued often and you must know the right one which is Dracaena deremensis. The plant is popularly known with the name Janet Craig which was kept after a nursery man’s daughter.

This plant belongs to the Dracaena family of plants that share certain common morphological features within themselves. All of them are usually natural air cleaners too.

Another notable but precautionary fact about this plant is that it has some degree of poisonous substances in different parts that can prove to be detrimental to pets like cats and dogs if consumed in severe proportions.

Different species of the J.craig plant

Over the past years, many species of this plant have been introduced by different growers into the commercial world due to the high demand for this plant. The original plant was also a variety of Dracaena Warneckii. Here are some of the popular varieties:

Dracaena Lisa- It has narrower leaves than J.craig which are dark green and grow up into a straight columnar structure. This species is a bit expensive but looks even more beautiful.

Dracaena michiko- This is another very popular dracaena hybrid species and looks like a cane with tightly held leaves. This plant can be an excellent filler and even cheap too.

Dracaena Compacta- This is a very compact species that grows slow but remains most durable. It can make up to be a great table decorative piece.

Physical characteristics of the dracaena Janet plant

It is the leaves of dracaena Janet Craig that are the sole center of attraction as they have a very unique texture, color, and properties. They grow up into long sword-like structures and can be as much as 2 feet tall and 3 inches wide. They shine amazingly with a leathery texture and dark, emerald green color.

The flowers that appear in this plant are white and they grow on long stalks that can be around ten to twelve inches. The appearance of these flowers indicates the slowdown of leaf growth and change in plant shape. They are also filled with sticky sap.

Growing the Janet Craig plant

You may want this plant as a workhorse for your office interiors, floor plant, or mass plant around your bed and the best part is that such desires can be brought into reality with the least of efforts. This is one very easy to grow and care plant and here is all that you need to do for growing it successfully.

Basic requirements of the plant

The light given to the plant determines its growth rate but you don’t have to put it under direct sunlight ever. Low to medium and indirect light is good enough for the plant to grow. Low light exposure will have narrower and slow-growing leaves and vice versa.
Any loose soil or standard potting mix amended with peat moss, sand, or pine bark can be easily used for starting this plant. The soil chosen must be well-draining and be able at losing excess moisture quickly.
The ideal temperature range for dracaena Janet Craig is 55- 70 degree F. Just make sure that they don’t get exposed to frost and scorching heat both.
A humidity level of room conditions is enough for the plant to thrive well.
Use small pots for these plants as the roots like compactness and grow better in that case.

Method of propagating the plant

The cuttings taken from a mature plant are the best bet for starting a new plant. Take around 5-8 inches long stem cuttings and leave them aside for at least a night so that they dry out completely. After that, go ahead with directly inserting the cutting into the prepared pot with soil mix and make sure that you keep the root part of the cutting dug into the soil.

Water the soil immediately and let the cutting develop in indirect bright light. Keep watering when the soil gets dry and it would be around 3-4 weeks when you will see new leaves and roots starting to emerge.

Caring for the Janet Craig plant

Here are the best tips on maintaining Janet Craig dracaena:

Watering the plant also depends upon the intensity of light exposure that it is getting. This means that low light exposure goes with lesser watering requirements and vice versa. Water only when almost half of the soil goes dry and use clean water as the chemicals can lead to browning or yellowing of the leaves.
These plants are very light feeders and they only need an annual or bi-annual dose of any balanced houseplant fertilizer. Make sure to dilute it 50% before the application as an extra dose can lead to leaf burn.
Repotting can be done in the spring season when you see the roots overcrowding the container. You can change the containers in three years when the plant is actively growing but don’t choose a very big container.
Prune the bare or thinning stems during the spring and summertime along with the top cane portion near the stalks' growth point. This promotes the emergence of new leaves from the cuts made. Also, trim down the leaves' edges and browning tips.
You must clean the leaves with a damp cotton cloth to remove the dirt build-up to allow them easy breathing.
Browning of leaves is a common problem with this plant and it can be dealt with by flushing the salts annually.
Some minor pests like scale, spider mites, thrips, and mealybugs can cause issues with Janet Craig dracaena but they can be removed by any organic oil-based spray. Make sure to wipe the spray off the leaves sometime after the application for clearing the pests as well as dirt. Similarly, diseases like leaf spot can be prevented with the right precautionary measures.
Cut the flowers as they appear to keep the plant and its leaves healthy and in shape.

Conclusion

This was all about the Janet Craig plant and the right steps you need to take to have the plant blooming in your house and making the surroundings cleaner to breathe for you. This is one of the best houseplants that you can have and everything about it will just amaze you.

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