We’re back this week with one of our most loved houseplants, none other than Dracaena ‘Golden Heart’! This glowing plant can be easily identified by its large, variegated leaves, with bright golden centres. This popular dracaena is one that we like the recommend to new plant parents; it’s easy to care for, low maintenance, and strikingly beautiful in any space! Native to areas of Africa, Golden Heart is a strong and dependable plant that will happily grow up to 6ft tall with the right care.

Lighting

Dracaena ‘Golden Heart’ isn’t too high maintenance when it comes to lighting. Provide it with medium, indirect light for it to stay happy and healthy. Direct sunlight will burn the leaves, but as long as it’s in a room with some natural light, it should slowly reward you with marvelous new growth!

Water

Being native to Africa, Golden Heart is relatively drought tolerant, and can go a couple of weeks without water. When the soil is completely dry, give the plant a good drink until water flows out of the drainage holes. When watering this dracaena, you’ll want to make sure you use filtered or bottled water. It can be very sensitive to fluoride and chlorine, so it’s best to avoid using straight tap water!

Soil + Potting

As a low maintenance plant, a standard tropical potting mix will do just fine, as long as it provides enough drainage! This slow-growing plant won’t need to be repotted often, but check every year to see if it’s become rootbound.

Dracaena Problems

Most of the problems that you see with Dracaena ‘Golden Heart’ are water-related. Dropping leaves is often a sign of over watering and root rot. If you notice this, check the moisture level of your plant; if the soil is soggy, you’ll need to leave the plant for a few weeks to dry out completely. In some cases, it might be easier and better for the plant to repot it in fresh, dry soil.

Yellowing tips of the leaves is often the cause of too much fluoride in the water. Although you can’t fix the yellow tips, you can trim them into shape, and start using filtered water when taking care of this plant!

Our Top Tips

Looking for brighter variegation on the leaves? Brighter light levels will help bring out the stunning golden hearts!

Don’t be too concerned if you notice your Dracaena slowly dropping its bottom leaves as it grows. This is a natural sign of aging, and will continue to happen over time, revealing a tree-like trunk!