Corn Plant
Thick woody canes topped with arching, corn-like leaves striped with yellow. The office lobby classic, and for good reason: it takes low light, dry air and irregular watering without complaint.
The corn plant is the big, easy plant for a room without much light. It is sold as a few stout canes in one pot, each with a tuft of striped leaves on top, and it grows slowly enough that it looks the same for years.
It is a cousin of the dragon tree with wider leaves and a heavier build, and the same easy temperament.
Light
Medium indirect light is ideal, but it copes with low light and a room lit mostly by lamps. Direct sun bleaches and burns the leaves. The yellow stripe fades in very dim spots.
Water
Let the top half of the pot dry before watering, about every ten days in summer and every two to three weeks in winter. It is sensitive to fluoride and salts, which show as brown tips; filtered or rain water helps.
Soil and potting
A standard well-draining mix. Repot every three years or so; it grows slowly and does not mind a snug pot. A heavy pot helps stability.
Feeding
A half-strength feed every eight weeks in spring and summer. Overfeeding causes tip burn.
Propagation
Cut the top off a leggy cane and root it in water; the stump sprouts new heads. Sections of cane laid on damp soil will also sprout.
In a hot, dry home
A reliable plant here. Dry air and AC are fine. Keep it out of direct sun through glass, use filtered water to avoid brown tips, and wipe the leaves occasionally.
Corn Plant varieties
Same care, different look. These are the named forms you will see for sale.
- Massangeana
The corn plant proper: wide green leaves with a yellow central stripe on a thick cane.
- Janet Craig
Solid dark green, glossy leaves. The most shade-tolerant dracaena and a classic office plant.
- Tornado
A compact Janet Craig form with twisted, spiralling leaves.
-
Lime and chartreuse striped leaves. Has its own profile.
Full profile - Limelight
Solid chartreuse leaves.
- Malaika
Grey-green leaves with a broad white-green centre.
- Golden Heart
Green leaves with a wide yellow heart. Slower and pricier.
-
A shrubby, short-leaved dracaena in yellow and green. Has its own profile.
Full profile
Problems and fixes
Brown leaf tips
Likely cause: Fluoride in tap water or dry air
Fix: Switch to filtered water. Trim the tips.
Yellow lower leaves
Likely cause: Normal shedding if a few; overwatering if many
Fix: Old leaves drop as the cane grows. If many go at once, let it dry out more.
Soft, wrinkled cane
Likely cause: Rot
Fix: Cut above the soft part and root the healthy top.
Corn Plant questions
Is the corn plant toxic to cats and dogs?
Yes, mildly. Dracaena contains saponins that cause vomiting and drooling if chewed.
How much light does a corn plant need?
Medium indirect light is ideal, but it tolerates low light well. Keep it out of direct sun.
Why are the tips of my corn plant brown?
Usually fluoride in tap water. Use filtered or rain water and trim the tips.
Plants with a similar rhythm
Dragon Tree
- Light
- Low to bright indirect
- Water
- Every 10 days
- Pets
- Toxic
ZZ Plant
- Light
- Low to bright indirect
- Water
- Every 3 weeks
- Pets
- Toxic
