Knowledgebase
Propagate #923719
Asked January 17, 2026, 11:02 AM EST
Hi! I’m wondering if there is anything I can do to help this grow more evenly and fuller. Also if I cut off the top half, could I propagate it? Thanks!
Franklin County Ohio
Expert Response
This plant is Dracena reflexa, also known as Song of India.
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/dracaena-reflexa-var-angustifolia/
While they do not like direct sunlight, the do grow best in lots of indirect light, so you might try to find a location where it will get more light to encourage a bushier growth habit.
You can propogate the plant from cuttings either in water or by dipping the cut end in a root growth hormone and planting it in a mixture of equal parts peat and perlite.
From you photo, it looks like you could cut the plant back to the bottom part of the longer stem just above the leaves growing close together at the base of the plant. It should send out new growth from the cut area to create a fuller plant.
It looks like the plant was cut back at some point where the stem branches off near the top. This piece could also be cut off from the main stem and propogated in the same way.
Another way to make the plant appear fuller would be to re-pot the existing plant along with the propogated pieces into a new larger pot. You would need to wait until the new pieces form a solid root structure before doing this. By this time, you should have a good idea if the original plant will grow more fully after pruning it.