Dracaena ballyi, the dwarf stepmother's tongue

Only water your Dracaena ballyi when the substrate is dry. If you're not sure what your plant needs, observe it: when it's thirsty, its leaves become hollow and stunted.

Avoid tap water, which is often too hard. Instead, use room-temperature rainwater or demineralized water.

Thirty minutes after watering, empty any stagnant water from the saucer or planter to prevent root rot.

Dracaena ballyi grow in arid regions and do not like humidity. No need to spray them.

In spring, transfer your Dracaena ballyi to a larger pot, so that it can continue to grow.

Line the bottom of a pierced pot with a layer of gravel, small pebbles or clay balls for drainage.

Then pour in a light, well-draining potting soil. You can mix potting soil for green plants with sand, or use a substrate for cacti and succulents.

Plant your Dracaena ballyi in the center. Add potting soil and tamp down. Water to remove air bubbles and facilitate rooting.

You can stimulate the development of your plant during its growth phase, in spring and summer, with fertilizer.

If you want to stimulate the growth of your Dracaena ballyi, mix a liquid fertilizer for cacti and succulents with the water when watering.

Prune the leaves when they are dry, but do not prune your Dracaena ballyi. Cut leaves do not grow back.

Once the last spring frosts have passed, you can plant.

Where's the best place to plant your Dracaena ballyi? A sunny spot at the top of a slope, to encourage rainwater drainage.

Dig a large hole to give the roots room to spread out. As for repotting, place a layer of gravel at the bottom, followed by a layer of substrate. Place your plant in the center and cover with soil, possibly enriched with leaf compost. Press down to eliminate air pockets and water.

Cutting is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.

Remove the shoots that form at the base of the plant with their roots. Proceed delicately, with your hands or a clean knife, to avoid damaging the root system.

Prepare a pierced terracotta pot. Block the hole with a pebble and lay a bed of gravel. Pour in a substrate composed of one third potting soil, one third soil and one third sand to promote drainage. Plant your offshoot, tamp it down and add a layer of sand to the surface.

Place your new succulent in a bright room, but without direct sunlight and with a temperature of at least 18 degrees.

Between two applications of water, check that the substrate has dried out, as you would with a mature plant.