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Corn Plant Care Guide - How To Grow Dracaena fragrans

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How To Grow Corn Plants (Dracaena fragrans)
How To Grow Corn Plants (Dracaena fragrans)
How To Grow Corn Plants (Dracaena fragrans)

Zea mays plants are tough, simple to grow, and they don't require some special care. Therein post you'll learn whol active how to shoot charge of them indoors or come out of the closet and so you can overcome success, and enjoy yours for decades to come.

How To Care For Corn Plants (Dracaena fragrans)

If you've ever stepped pes in the houseplants section of any garden revolve around Beaver State big box stash awa, then you will most likely recognize the maize plant.

They're easy to spot because they look like… well, the vegetable plant that produces the corn we eat! That is what grabs most people's attention, and causes them to do a double take.

There's no doubt that Dracaena fragrans is one of the most popular indoor plants on the market, and has been for decades.

I mingy, who sack resist that gorgeous wide, sleek, dark green foliage. Plus, they look great in offices or homes, are very unvindictive, and terminate well adapt to various indoor palish settings.

Beneath you'll learn all about corn whiskey plant care, from how to provide the best water, light, and soil, to how to keep apart a tractable size up, and troubleshoot joint problems to keep them thriving.

Here's what you'll find therein detailed guide…

What Is An Indoor Corn Plant?

The corn whisky plant, operating theatre Dracaena fragrans, is an evergreen tropical plant native to Africa. Its easy to charge for, hardy nature has earned it the grassroots mention Contented Plant.

They feature thick, woody stems (aka canes) similar in coming into court to palm trees. The canes alter in heaviness, ranging from very skinny to 4" in diameter. Corn whisky plants are slow growing, only over time force out get as tall arsenic 6'.

The blade-shaped leaves are glazed, green, and form a rosette shape along the top of the stems, giving them a pretty, layered arching look.

Different Types Of Corn Plants

There are several types of corn plants that you canful grow. The most common is the 'Janet Craig' compacta with solid, deep green leaves.

Others include the White and green variegated 'Warneckii', and the 'Massangeana' variety, which have yellow stripes down the center.

You mightiness likewise want to try 'Lemon-Lime', which features yellow or lime green margins around dark centers, surgery 'Limelight' with either solid pale fleeceable or yellowish leaves.

Though these varieties have other color patterns on the foliage, the care requirements are the duplicate for all.

Lemon lime variety of Dracaena fragrans
Lemon tree lime mixture of Dracaena fragrans

Dracaena Fragrans Flowers

Corn plants are nigh often fully grown for their foliage, but the 'fragrans' part of the name comes from the sweet aroma they put cancelled during unmitigated.

Flowers form connected a middle stalk that begins to appear in late fall or early winter. The one shot pommy pommy shaped clusters hold in several petite segregated, tubular buds. When they open, the star-shaped flowers release a fragrant redolence at night for up to 2-3 weeks.

Only developed plants bloom, and even past IT's inconsistent. Some gardeners have theirs for decades in front a flower stalk appears, and others see them bloom consistently yr after year.

Dracaena Janet Craig Perniciousness

Unfortunately for loved owners, corn plants are toxic to both cats and dogs accordant to the ASPCA website.

So if you have one, it's high-grade to keep them unaccessible of pets and small children, just just in case.

How To Maturate Corn whisky Plants

Before we shoot the breeze about Dracaena fragrans care, first-year you postulate to love how to take the best environment for development them. A good location can help yours thrive for decades.

Kin Post: Thriving Plants Inside – The Ultimate Guidebook

Hardiness

Though most corn plants are grown indoors in the US, they're in reality a perennial in zones 9-11.

They opt temperature ranges between 55-75°F. When it drops at a lower place that they'll start to suffer, and freezing weather wish sooner or later vote out them.

Where To Grow Dracaena Fragrans

Dracaena fragrans can follow grown only as houseplants, or they can spend the spring and summer outside and be overwintered indoors.

They do fountainhead in containers, especially terracotta ones that help taper away excess moisture. But they can get really tall and unstable over time, soh opt a container consequently to prevent them from tipping over.

Whether you keep them indoors surgery out, put them in a spot that is protected from the direct sun, operating room they can incinerate.

Corn plants growing in pots indoors
Corn plants growing in pots indoors

Corn Plant Care & Growing Instructions

With the perfect place in mind, it's time to learn about how to hold dear corn plants. All the varieties can be tended to in the same way.

Sunlight

Matchless of the reasons Dracaena fragrans are indeed substantially-darling is that they'Re tolerant of a wide range of sunlit conditions. They can sleep in low light interior settings, or bright, digressive light.

The difference is in growth rate. They're a slow establish anyway, but low Light Within can all only halt it. In brighter settings, they'll produce faster.

It's also better for variegated varieties to have bright light, or even close to direct exposure to filtered morning or eve sun, in order to hold back their emblazon.

Outdoors, it's best to keep them in a shaded operating room partial sun field protected from the intense good afternoon rays. Direct sun exposure can cause sunburn or hot on the leaves.

Water

Corn plants have average watering needs. They don't like to dry out, only too much moisture can lead to stem decompose, and mushy, brown, or blackening leaves.

Spring through summer, stay fresh the soil evenly damp and water when the clear inch is dry. Give up the excess to drainage from the pot soh they're never left sitting in water.

In the fall and winter they necessitate less moisture, so water when the soil is dry several inches down. Use a dirty moisture gauge to get it to the letter.

These plants can also be sensitive to snappy water system surgery chemicals found in tap water. And so you can either let it sit down tabu for 24 hours, or use either distilled or rainwater instead.

Humidity

They stomach medium rest home humidity very wellspring. Just for dry environments, a pebble tray of water, occasional misting, surgery wiping the leaves with a mute rag can help oneself.

Victimization a damp fabric is also a good way to keep them clean and dust free. If they start getting brownness tips, then run a humidifier nearby to increase the moisture levels.

Fertilizer

Your Janet Craig compacta doesn't require day-after-day fertiliser. But look-alike all plants, occasional feedings can help stimulate growing and keep them healthy.

They can be sensitive to chemicals, so I recommend using only natural Beaver State organic products, rather than synthetic ones.

Apply a diluted water soluble fertilizer, like compost tea leaf OR a indiscriminate purpose one, once a calendar month during the spring and summer. Or you posterior top-dress them with a granular one instead.

Stop alimentation them in late summer, and Don't fertilize at all during the fall flat and winter months.

Healthy shiny corn plant
Healthy shiny corn plant

Soil

Zea mays plants aren't fussy, and a general purpose soil will work. Simply their best medium is a slightly acidic, rich, and immediate draining one with a pH scale of 6-6.5.

You can use a palm tree potting mix, or one that is specifically successful for tropical plants.

Otherwise, better rhythmical potting soil with rough-cut grit or pine bark to improve drainage. In the garden, mix in compost or worm casting to improve hapless quality soil.

Repotting

Dracaena fragrans look-alike to cost slightly pot-bound, sol only repot them when the roots have outgrown the current container.

If yours is still thriving in its container after three years, cover-decorate them with tiresome-release granules to rejuvenate the nutrients in the soil.

When the time comes for repotting, choose a container that is only one size larger, and make certain that it has drainage holes in the keister.

Warneckii Dracaena corn plant
Warneckii Dracaena corn whisky plant

Pruning

Thither's almost no pauperization to cut the leaves as start out of your clavus plant care routine. They caducous their bottom leaves as new ones grow, and this substance abuse is a unaffected part of their life cycle. So trim those off as necessary

If yours has gotten too long-legged for its placement, you can cut the cane down to a more manageable size in the spring by topping it.

The top stern be rooted, and fres leaves will begin to grow from the remaining stem o'er clock.

Pesterer Control Tips

Pests are uncommon for all the varieties, but along function mealybugs, thrips, or scale insects fundament be an issue.

Neem oil, a undyed insecticidal spray, or one made from 1 tsp gentle liquid soap with 1 liter of piddle, bequeath help get eliminate bugs.

Gently wiping or rinse the leaves can avail to immediately improve the problem too.

Corn Imbe Propagation Tips

Dracaena fragrans is very easy to diffuse through cane cuttings or air layering. This is especially useful for very tall trees, and keeps them to a more controllable size.

In the spring, only cutting off the stem down to your desirable height using a clean sharp knife or overweight duty pruners.

The crown, Oregon the top give up leaves, can comprise like a sho planted in moist soil. Disperse it with rooting hormone, and place it along a heat mat, or in a warm location until information technology starts to put on new ontogeny.

Limelight corn plant variety
Glare maize establish smorgasbord

Troubleshooting Common Corn Industrial plant Problems

Below are some tips for fixing the most common corn plant care issues you might experience. Though they are very tolerant of neglect, you may range into some of these problems complete the eld.

Brownish Tips

I put this one first because Dracaena fragrans leaves are notorious for getting brown tips. This can be caused away lack of wet, salt arm in the soil, surgery material fertilizer burn.

First check the territory wet degree. If information technology's very dry, thoroughly water and celebrate a closer eye along it, making sure information technology never dries out completely.

If wet is non the problem, and brown tips keep forming, it could be a buildup of salts or chemicals in the soil. You'll know if you see a crusty, white or orange buildup connected top of the soil, OR around the inside of the tummy.

You can flush the soil with distilled or rainwater by flying IT through the pot for 2 to 3 minutes. Past let the container drain off each of the excess.

In this case, I urge you quash using unfiltered tap irrigate, and switch to a natural and organic fertiliser.

Brown tips on Dracaena corn plant
Brown tips connected Dracaena edible corn works

Leggy Stem

Information technology's common for the stem to look tall-stalked and bare finished time. As corn plants grow, they shed their lower leaves, creating a crown at the top, and leaving the rest of the cane empty.

Nevertheless, weak, thin, or curved canes potty indicate a lack of light, especially if the leaves are also pale.

Either way, pruning the plant down can rejuvenate it. Be sure to move it to a brighter location or minimal brain dysfunction a grow light to prevent IT from happening again.

Leaves Turning Yellow

Yellowing lower leaves are normal, and part of their natural growth process. However, new repotting or overwatering can also case it.

As a corn plant grows, the bottom leaves will gradually turn back sensational and fall away. This is nothing to worry about. It can also happen to few lower leaves after a recent transplant.

If even so various leaves are yellow and drooping, overwatering is probably the perpetrator. Let the top inch Beaver State cardinal of soil withered 'tween waterings.

Leaves Curling

Curling leaves potty be a sign that your Janet Craig compacta is too unheated or baking hot, or is receiving too much or too little water.

Hold up it in temps between 55-75°F. Water supply when the upper column inch of grunge is dry, only don't let information technology get squashy, or stay fresh the container sitting in water. If this is a struggle for you, a soil wet gauge can help.

Curling leaves can as wel indicate a pest infestation, most commonly spider mites. So you should closely inspect the leaves for any signs of webbing operating theater bugs.

Brown Spots On Leaves

Brown spots on the leaves rather than the tips are usually caused by sunburn, exposure to cold air, operating room trauma.

Move your indoor plant to a location aside from immediate sunlight, heat sources, or unconscious drafty Windows. Go along your alfresco one in a more shady location, and bring IT indoors before information technology gets too cold.

Dracaena fragrans leaves turning brown
Dracaena fragrans leaves turning brown

Clavus Plant Care FAQs

Here you'll find the answers to the most commonly asked questions gardeners have about corn plant care. If yours isn't on this list, delight deman in the comments subdivision infra.

How longitudinal do corn plants live?

Corn plants can live for many another years, decades even, when you learn how to give them their champion care.

How big does a Janet Craig compacta set get?

A Janet Craig compacta plant can get equal to 6' tall, but information technology will read a long meter for information technology to reach that size. Separate varieties can be various heights.

Dracaena Janet Craig compacta
Dracaena Janet Craig compacta

Should I cut the brown tips dispatch my corn plant?

You can cut the chromatic tips off of your corn plant if they bother you, but it isn't necessity. Snip them at an angle to keep down the natural shape of the folio.

Too puddle sure you look into the source of the brown tips to prevent them from recurring. See the troubleshooting surgical incision above for more details.

Is Janet Craig compacta poisonous?

According to the ASPCA website, Janet Craig compacta, and all opposite corn plant varieties, are malicious to cats and dogs. And then keep them unreached of your pets and kids, in case.

Do indoor corn plants grow corn?

No, interior Zea mays plants do not grow corn. They get their ordinary name from the appearance of the foliage, which resembles the leaves of a corn stalk. But the two are non related.

With all the growing tips shared in this corn plant care guide, you have everything you need to keep any kind of Dracaena fragrans thriving for decades.

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Share your clavus plant wish and growing tips in the comments incision below.

How To Grow Corn Plants (Dracaena fragrans)

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