Question

my cliff!   I have a plant that my mother gave to me, it was propagated from a plant that cAme from my great grandfather's funeral before I was born. I'm not sure how to care for it, I'm not sure what the plant is and neither does my mom. The leaves look awful, turning brown and yellow. It never drops any leaves, but just looks poorly. I am not sure of the proper light or watering conditions for Cliff...I named him after my great Grandad:) if you could please help me in identifying my guy so I can care for him properly that would be great! I have 16 other houseplants that are thriving beautifully, except this guy:( please help!

Answer
nikki
Your plant is called a corn stalk plant (Dracaena fragrans)...Type this name into your search engine and compare it to the plant you have.
Water by weight. Put a saucer under the pot. Water and let the plant sit in the excess water for 5-10 minutes. After that time pour off any excess water in the saucer. Pick up or lean the pot. It should feel heavy. Don't water again until it feels considerably lighter in weight. You an also poke your finger into the soil to make sure it isn't too wet. Watering frequency depends on many factors(sun exposure, type of plant, wind, day temps, etc.). Plants die from too frequent waterings - not from too much water at one time. They can also die from being allowed to be too dry for too long.
Most idoor tropicals like bright lite, not direct sunlite...They do like morning lite or an easterly exposure...
You also need to add fertilize on a weekly to monthly basis during the growing season. Ask someone at a local garden center what to use and how to fertilize your plants...
Hope this helps Cliff improve...
Let me know what you think...
Rick in southern NJ