Dragon trees grow best in bright light but they can also survive in dim light. Plants in lower light situations will grow slower and will produce smaller leaves with less intense color. Don't put your dragon tree in full sun, which can burn its leaves.

When growing as a potted plant, use loose, well-drained potting mix—loamy soil amended with peat moss is ideal. Make sure their pot has room for the extensive root system. Some varieties are imported from Hawaii and will arrive with lava rock. If this is the case, remove about 1/3 of the soil and replace it with potting soil.

It's easy to over-water this plant. To ensure that you don't drown it, wait until the top half of the soil is dry before watering. In low light, this can take up to 3 weeks. If the plant develops brown tips on the leaves, that is often a sign of overwatering or that the water has too much salt or fluoride in it. Like other plants in its genus, Dracaena marginata is sensitive to fluoride, which can cause discoloration. To avoid fluoride, water dragon tree with distilled or non-fluoridated water. If the plant has, yellow leaves, it usually means the plant needs more water.

Dragon plants prefer temperatures between 70 to 80 degrees F. Regular household humidity should be fine for them. If your house is particularly dry, consider a light misting from a spray bottle.

Dracaena plants have a relatively low need for fertilizer. Feed them lightly at the beginning of spring or twice a year with controlled-release fertilizer. Do not fertilize in the winter.

Repot your dragon tree into larger pots as necessary. Since these trees grow so slowly, they generally require repotting only every second or even third year. Refresh potting soil annually with fresh soil to replace any that has become compacted.

Dracaena marginata roots easily from stem cuttings rooted in water—so easily that it’s often used in dish gardens and readily propagated by nurseries and retailers. It takes about three weeks for the cutting to sprout roots, and using a rooting hormone isn’t necessary. Dragon tree cuttings can make a thoughtful housewarming gift and using cuttings from your own plant is a personalized touch.

Although there are several varieties, the most commonly found at plant stores include:

• Dracaena marginata 'Tricolor', which has dark red margins, green leaves, and an ivory stripe down the leaf center
• D. marginata 'Bicolor', with red and green stripes
• D. marginata, the basic form with dark green leaves and thin red leaf margins

Beautiful as it is, the plant is also poisonous. While it's not harmful to humans, the leaves are extremely toxic to cats and dogs. Cats, in particular, seem fond of chewing on the leaves, which contain toxic alkyds. Most obvious symptoms are vomiting and excessive salivation. Veterinarian treatment for Dracaena poisoning may include inducing vomiting then giving fluids to reverse dehydration.

Although they are usually disease resistant, Dracaena marginata is susceptible to scale, mealybugs, and thrips. Mealybugs are easy to identify as they leave small, sticky, cottony deposits. Dragon tree plants are also very susceptible to the common plant pest, spider mites. They tend to occur when temperatures are warm and the air is very dry; however, they are very difficult to see until they have already damaged the plant.

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