Do you want to know a cool trick of the nursery trade? When dealing with houseplants that tend to grow on a single stem, like Dracaenas and Rubber Trees, many growers will pot multiple plants in one container to give the appearance of a bushier plant. Although a great look, many people like to see their Dragon Trees (Dracaena marginata) potted as a single trunk and often wonder if it is possible to separate multiple plants from one another.
Is it possible to relocate multiple Dracaenas planted together into separate pots? Absolutely! Because each individual Dracaena plant has its own root system, the best way to separate each plant is by removing the entire root ball from the existing container, brush or wash away as much soil as possible, and then gently untangle the roots from one another.
Dracaenas are tough and can handle a transplant any time of year, but it’s best to do this in the spring to give each plant ample time to root out in their new pots.
Dragon Trees usually produce one stem that protrudes from its root system, so if you have a potted Dracaena at home that has multiple stems, you most likely have three or four separate plants potted together.
The good news is that, although each plant’s root system is probably intertwined with the others, it is actually pretty easy to separate individual plants out and pot them separately. Below, I’ll take you through what the process entails and how you can set your newly separated Dragon Trees up for success.
Should You Separate?
I always like to start articles like this with a small disclaimer. While the process of separating individual Dracaenas is pretty straightforward, you should always be aware that it is not without a small bit of risk.
Dracaenas are pretty resilient plants, generally, and often bounce back from transplanting pretty fast. However, any time you start poking around a plant’s root system, whether you plan to repot the entire thing or are separating individual plants, there is a chance that the plants can respond negatively.
If this happens, it is usually in the form of the plant being shocked or going dormant as it struggles to acclimate to its new environment. If your plant is already suffering from a health issue or has been subjected to less-than-adequate care, a separation can make a small problem worse.
Keep that in mind when you are considering separating your Dragon Trees. Look for and remedy any health or care issues before moving forward with splitting out individual plants.
If you want a single-trunk Dragon Tree but are worried it won’t react well to being transplanted, you can always cut down all but one stem to the soil line. This gets you the look you want without disturbing the root ball, although you may need to center the remaining stem the next time you transplant it to a larger pot.
I, myself, don’t like to waste an opportunity to turn one plant into many, so I prefer to separate individual plants when I’ve decided I want the single-trunk, classic look. After all, it takes a lot of time, energy, and care to get each individual plant to where it is, so why waste all that? Single-stemmed Dracaenas are often stunning, and if you ever end up with too many (never!), they make great gifts for friends.
When is the Best Time to Separate Dracaenas?
I’ve mentioned that Dragon Trees are pretty tough, so you really can separate them whenever is convenient for you. However, the process does involve digging out the root ball, separating individual plants, untangling (and sometimes clipping away) roots, and repotting them into new soil, all of which puts stress on your houseplant.
To ensure you’re setting your plant up for the most success, it makes sense to time this for when the plant is fully functional and strong.
I always try to time plant dividing or separating in mid-spring. This allows plenty of time for the plant to fully ramp up all its critical processes and systems after the dormant, winter months. It also is early enough in the year that, once separated, the individual plants will have plenty of time during their growing season to fully root out and acclimate to their new containers.
Also, because the plants are already actively pushing new growth, they’ll have plenty of resources to aid in the plant’s recovery after transplant.
Gather Your Supplies
Because your multi-stemmed Dracaena is just a collection of individual plants, separating them is actually pretty easy. You, of course, will need a few supplies to repot each separate plant, so making sure you grab what you need ahead of time won’t leave you scrambling to find pots or clippers while you’re elbow-deep in potting soil.
The main thing you will want to use is a pair of sharp, clean scissors or garden shears. Because these plants have been potted together since they left the nursery, their root systems are bound to be tangled up, and you’ll likely have to clip away a few severely tangled roots to fully separate each plant. Be sure whatever you are using is sterile to avoid inviting disease into the root systems.
Second, you’ll want to make sure you size up each Dragon Tree in the pot and find containers that will fit the individual plants once you separate them. Again, these pots should be clean (or at least sterilized if you are reusing) and be large enough to allow 1-2” of space all around the plant, sides and bottom. Also, always select a container with at least one drainage hole.
It’s also nice to have a bag of potting soil on hand to transplant the individual Dracaenas into fresh soil. Dragon Trees aren’t super particular about their soil conditions, so you should be just fine using a quality premixed soil, but if you want to ensure your houseplants have excellent drainage, feel free to add a few scoops of pumice, perlite, or cactus soil into your potting mix.
Don’t worry about fertilizing at this point. The new soil you plant your separated Dracaenas into will have ample amounts of nutrients for the plants to utilize. Adding feed to a newly potted plant, especially after trimming back roots, is usually overkill and can end up shocking it. Allow your repotted plant to fully root out before you resume any feeding schedules you keep.
How to Separate Dracaenas
The very first step in separating any houseplant is to prepare it for transplanting. I like to do a quick visual inspection of the plant to ensure it is healthy and free of pests. I also water it a few days before I plan to separate it so that the plants are well-hydrated and strong. I feel it helps them handle the stress of disruption and repotting better so they recover faster. Once you’ve gathered up all your tools and supplies, you’re ready to begin.
You’ll need to remove the entire root ball from the existing container in order to separate the plants. To do this, gently tip the pot on its side and slide the root ball and soil out. It’ll probably be a bit messy. If you have trouble getting the pot off the root ball, you can run a butter knife around the edge of the pot to loosen the dirt a little.
Remove as much soil from around the roots as you can. You can use a garden shovel or other tools, but I like to get my hands in there and gently work the soil loose around the larger roots of the plants. Once you get most of it loosened, you can rinse the rest out under a water tap.
Next, you’ll want to pick one stem and work to untangle its roots out from the rest of the root mass. Work slowly and carefully. The idea here is to preserve as much of each plant’s root system as possible. You’ll probably find that some of the roots are too knotted to save. That’s ok, just strategically prune the knots out with scissors or shears.
Once you’ve gotten one plant freed from the root ball, repeat these steps with the remaining stems.
Replanting Your Dragon Trees
At this point, you should have your two, three, or four separated Dracaena stems untangled and laid out, ready to pot up.
Grab your containers and fill them each about 1/3 full with new potting soil. Grab the first stem and place it in the pot, being careful to spread the root system out as much as possible. Gently scoop more soil in over the roots and carefully pack it down to support the stem.
When doing this, be mindful of the positioning of your plant’s stem. Obviously, you’ll want to center the stem in the new pot, but you should also be paying attention to the plant’s height in the pot. Make sure that, as you add soil, the stem is planted to a similar depth that it was in the old pot. If you go too deep, you may face some rot issues. Alternatively, if you are too shallow, the tops of some roots may dry out, or the plant might not have enough support from the soil.
Repeat these steps with the other Dracaena stems. Once you have everything potted up correctly, water each plant deeply so that all the soil is saturated and excess water drains from the bottom of the pot. Set your newly potted plants in a spot with lots of bright, indirect light and allow them a few weeks to acclimate to their new home.
Final Thoughts
Pretty simple, right? Because multi-stemmed Dracaenas are just a collection of individual plants, separating them is even more straightforward than the process of dividing plants, in which you actually split one plant into two.
Dragon Trees are robust, as well, and typically recover from separating rather quickly. As long as you follow the guidelines above, your Dracaenas will get acclimated and thrive in their new homes in no time.