Basically, the dragon tree is known as a very easy to care for houseplant. However, if the leaves turn yellow or hang limply, this may be due to incorrect location conditions.
What light requirements does a dragon tree have?
Dragon trees need a bright location without direct sunlight. Places with natural shade or windows that face east or west are ideal. Acclimate the plant to direct sunlight gradually as it moves from indoor to outdoor areas.
The right light intensity is important
In general, deficiencies in a dragon tree such as brown leaves rarely have anything to do with a disease. In most cases, the characteristics of the following parameters do not fit well together:
- Temperature
- Water supply
- Sunlight or lighting conditions
If a dragon tree is kept in a room that is consistently warm all year round, it usually copes well. If it is not watered too much, problems are usually caused by incorrect lighting conditions. The dragon tree can cope with little light, but also likes bright locations. However, it shouldn't necessarily be a place with direct sunlight on a south-facing window. Here the leaves “burn” faster than you can take action against the water shortage, which is usually assumed in these cases.
The power of habit
The sensitivity of the leaves does not mean that you cannot place a dragon tree on a windowsill or in the winter garden at all. However, you should preferably choose locations where the sunlight hits the plants at a weaker level due to natural shading factors such as large trees or an east or west orientation. If you want to send your dragon tree out onto the balcony for summer, you must first accustom it to direct sunlight gradually or hour by hour.
Be careful when repotting
You should never make the mistake of repotting a dragon tree indoors after overwintering and then placing it directly on a sunny outdoor terrace. Even when switching to hydroponics, a shady location is recommended for a few weeks until the roots have developed to the water reservoir.
Tip
The basic rule for dragon trees is that due to the lower chlorophyll content in the leaves, subspecies with “marked” leaves need and tolerate more sunlight than dragon trees with dark green leaves.
