Song of India
A shrubby dracaena with short, glossy leaves striped in yellow and green, spiralling densely around branching stems. Slow, tough, tolerant of dry air and low-ish light, and unlike most dracaenas it branches on its own.
Song of India is the dracaena that looks like a shrub rather than a palm. The leaves are short, four to six inches, glossy, and striped in cream-yellow with a green centre, and they grow in tight spirals around stems that branch and bend as they age. A mature plant is a dense, irregular mound of stripes, quite unlike the bare-cane look of a corn plant or dragon tree.
It is slow and very forgiving. It stores water in its stems, tolerates dry air and dim rooms, and its one real dislike is wet feet. It also branches without being cut, which most dracaenas will not do.
Light
Bright, indirect light keeps the yellow stripes strong and the growth compact. It tolerates medium and even low light, going greener and leggier. A few hours of gentle direct sun is fine; hot afternoon sun through glass scorches the pale stripes.
Water
Let the top two inches dry out, then water and drain. Every ten days or so in summer, every two to three weeks in winter. It handles a forgotten fortnight without trouble. Yellowing lower leaves and soft stems mean too much water. Like all dracaenas it is sensitive to fluoride and salts, so filtered water prevents brown tips.
Soil and potting
A well-draining potting mix with a third perlite or bark. Pot with drainage. Repot every two years or so, one size up; it does not mind being snug.
Feeding
Half-strength balanced feed every six weeks in spring and summer. Dracaenas burn from fluoride in some fertilisers; use one without it.
Propagation
Stem tip cuttings, four to six inches, in water or damp mix. Roots in a month or two. Cutting a stem back also makes it branch below the cut.
In a hot, dry home
A very good dry-home plant. It comes from dry island scrub, tolerates low humidity and heat, and stores water in its stems. Keep it out of the direct AC stream, use filtered water to prevent tip burn from hard tap water, and it will grow slowly and steadily for years.
Song of India varieties
Same care, different look. These are the named forms you will see for sale.
- Song of Jamaica
The reverse pattern: dark green leaves with a lighter green centre stripe. Slightly more shade tolerant.
- Reflexa (green)
The plain green species. Tougher and faster than the variegated forms.
Problems and fixes
Brown leaf tips
Likely cause: Fluoride or salts in tap water, or very dry air
Fix: Switch to filtered water; flush the pot occasionally.
Lower leaves yellowing and dropping
Likely cause: Overwatering, or normal shedding of old leaves
Fix: Let the soil dry deeper; a few old leaves dropping is normal.
Stripes fading, leaves greener
Likely cause: Not enough light
Fix: Move it to a brighter spot.
Bleached patches
Likely cause: Direct afternoon sun
Fix: Pull it back from the window.
Song of India questions
Is Song of India pet safe?
No. Dracaenas contain saponins and cause vomiting in cats and dogs if chewed.
How fast does it grow?
Slowly, a few inches a year. A big plant is a sign of age, not effort.
Why is it called Song of India?
A trade name for the variegated form of Dracaena reflexa, which grows on islands in the Indian Ocean. Song of Jamaica is the reverse-striped form.
Plants with a similar rhythm
Corn Plant
- Light
- Low to bright indirect
- Water
- Every 10 days
- Pets
- Toxic
Dragon Tree
- Light
- Low to bright indirect
- Water
- Every 10 days
- Pets
- Toxic
Dracaena Lemon Lime
- Light
- Low to bright indirect
- Water
- Every 10 days
- Pets
- Toxic
