Indoor Corn Plant Care

Botanical Name: Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana'

Corn plant care is easy, making it an ideal house plant.

This hardy Dracaena is an unbranched, tree-like plant with sword-shaped arching leaves. Those dark-green leaves are 2 ft (60 cm) long and 4 in (10 cm) wide, and have a broad cream-to-yellow stripe down the middle.

Strongly scented flowers are occasionally produced on a plant grown in its native habitat, but it rarely flowers indoors.

As it grows, it will shed its lower leaves, leaving a bare stem with a cluster of leaves at its top. New plants may drop a few leaves. This is normal. It needs time to adjust after the shock of being moved to a new home.

With your corn plant, care should be taken to keep it away from drafts and direct sun, which can scorch the leaves.

This easy-care house plant will tolerate many abuses, but be careful not to over-water or over-fertilize. Droopy, yellow leaves are a sign it's overwatered and may indicate root rot. Be sure to use a container with a drainage hole and never allow the plant to stand in water.

Prune corn plant back if it grows too tall. If you want, you can propagate the stem tip cuttings for more plants.

Pruning tip: Prune it back in spring or early summer to control its growth. You can cut off the cane at any height. It will sprout a new cluster of leaves from where it was cut.

Repot in spring only when the plant's roots have filled the container. It is slow-growing and likely won't need repotted more than every 3 years. Corn plant prefers to be slightly root-bound, so keep it in a smallish container -- a heavy container will prevent it from toppling because this plant can get top-heavy.

Good indoor corn plant care will allow you to enjoy your plant for many years -- it's a long-lived house plant.

Corn Plant Care Tips

Origin: Tropical East Africa

Height: Grows slowly but can reach 6 ft (1.8 m)

Light: Bright light. Will tolerate low light.

Water: Spring through fall, keep the soil moist, but not soggy. In winter, allow top 2 in (5 cm) of soil to dry out between waterings.

Humidity: Average to moderate humidity.

Temperature: Average room temperatures 60-75°F, 16-24°C work fine for corn plant. Care should be taken that it isn't exposed to temperatures below 55°F/13°C.

Soil: Any good potting mix that drains well.

Fertilizer: Feed monthly spring through fall with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted by half.

Propagation: Take 4-6 inch (10-15 cm) stem tip cuttings in spring or summer and pot them in moist potting mix.