I Am Looking For Advice On Propagating Dracaenas

Question

We have some amazing dracaenas at our house which are nearly 20’ high and have awesome shapes & offshoots. I want to know if I can cut & propagate 7+ foot dracaenas to cover a space and create a backdrop? At first I was going to attempt to grow the roots in a vase of water or smaller planters, but I really think I’m just going to put them straight into the ground where they are permanently going to be. With cutting 7’ sections, my biggest concern is keeping them stable and from tipping over until their roots get established. I am putting them inside a raised planter bed, and am trying to create that backdrop with the dracaenas because of their height. I figure if I staple straps & ties to the inside of the planter bed and secure them, they might hold. I’ll also strap bamboo sticks to the backside of the bed, and try to help hold-up the top portions of the dracaenas with the bamboo. I guess my main couple questions are: 1). Have you ever propagated such large stems before, or would you advise against it for any reason? 2). Would it hurt to stick the newly cut stems a couple feet into the ground in order to help secure/stabilize them, or is that too deep? 3). Would cinching the stems tightly in multiple spots with ties hurt the plant at all? I know dracaenas are pretty hardy, but I don’t want to damage them at all. 4). Would it hurt if I put the cut stems right next to each other all bundled up where the new roots will all grow on top of each other? I’m trying to fit a bunch of dracaenas in a small area where they’re all strapped together and not sure how large their roots get or if they’ll interfere with each other. 5). Any additional tips on propagating such tall trees? Or with securing/stabilizing extremely skinny stems that are so top heavy? Any root hormone that you’d recommend? Would you advise to scrape the outside of where I cut the branch up several inches to help promote root growth? Thank you for any info you are able to give!

Answer 1

Here is an article about propagating dracaena. You can put them directly in the soil, but 6 inches should be far enough or stem rot may occur. Use bamboo stakes to stabilize them, and do not cinch the ties tightly. Also, you don't need to scrape the sides. Rooting hormone is optional. Here is more:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/dracaena/how-is-dracaena-propagated.htm