The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
The Florida Beauty Plant (aDracaena surculosacultivar) is an award-winning tropical evergreen shrub.
The variegation turns from bright yellow to a creamier white as the plant matures.
Outdoors, the plant can handle a few hours of direct morning sun.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Water
These plants thrive when the soil is kept evenly moist during the growing season.
But don’t go overboardleaving your Florida beauty plant in standing water typically leads toroot rot.
In the winter, wait for the top few inches of soil to dry out before watering again.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
They grow best in temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
If your home is dry, it pays toincrease the humidityaround your Florida Beauty.
They won’t need feeding during the winter when growth slows.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Pruning
There aren’t any heavy-duty pruning requirements with a Florida Beauty Plant.
But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to invest in some pruning shears.
Trimming older, overgrown stems in winter promotes new, healthy growth in spring.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Light trimming also keeps your plant in a shape and height that fits your space.
This means they shouldn’t need repotting more than every other spring.
confirm the new pot has ample drainage holes.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
But mealybugs are sometimes attracted to these plants.
Keep an eye out for these fuzzy white sap-sucking insects gathering around the base of your plant.
They emit sticky secretions that are mold havens and can stunt plant growth.
Wiping down the plant with neem oil helps prevent these pests from returning.
Look out for these signs your plant has a problem.
Leaves Turning Brown
Avoid overfertilizing.
The first sign that you are overfeeding is often leaf margins turning brown.
Browning and drooping leaves can also indicate your Florida Beauty is receiving too much intense, direct sunlight.
Remember they like bright but indirect light.
Shade or intense sunlight isn’t this plant’s friend.
Still seeing leaves dropping?
Consider whether the spot you have them is too drafty.
However, yellowing leaves aren’t always a reason to panic.
Older foliage will eventually turn yellow and drop to make way for new, healthy leaves.
Watch out for the yellow or creamy white variegation disappearing too.
It’s rare for slow-growing Florida beauty plants to reach more than three feet tall when kept indoors.
Gold dust plant is the common name forDracaena surculosa.
Florida Beauty is a cultivar of this species.
Keep these plants away from curious kitties, pups, and kids.
The Florida beauty plant is mildly toxic to petsandpeople.
ASPCA,
Dracaena Surculosa.North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.
