Question

Dracaena Massangeana   Hi, and thanks in advance for your help.

I have a four stalk corn plant, that is at least 40 years old, in a rather large planter about 24" wide.

The tallest stalk, not counting the leafy portion, is seven feet tall.
The leaf portion on top has grown into the ceiling many times, and I have made many successful cuttings from this top, by rooting them in water.
The top looks terrible after all these cuttings and is very close to the ceiling.

What I want to do is cut the stalk severely down to size, say down to 3-4 feet, bare with no leaves, and wait for it to sprout again. My understanding is this will happen naturally in 4-6 weeks.

My question is regarding rooting  the remaining 4 feet of stalk. Of which I plan to remove the entire top leafy portion, leaving a bare stalk 4 feet long.

I have seen instructions on how to root stalks with 2-3 node sections of about 3-4 inches, by placing them in soil, (either horizontally or vertically), covered with plastic, (elevated with small sticks.)
But, I do not want to do this. And, I need to know if what I would like to do will be successful.

Okay! What I want to do is cut the 4 foot stalk into 3 pieces, say 8", 16" & 24" in length, and root those pieces to make a three stalk plant out of them. (I hope this is clear...)

Finally here is the question!

If I place these three stalks vertically, (say 2-3" deep), into some fresh, moist potting mix, and cover it with plastic, (also kept elevated above the stalks), is there a good chance it will successfully root?

Would I be better off putting the three bare stalks into and inch or two of water instead?

Thanks for your time!

(Note: In the picture, you can't tell, but the stalk, -I do not want to cut, -is itself over six feet tall. In the picture it seems to blend in with the stalk I want to cut. I am saying this so you know the plant will still be quite big, even after the drastic move I want to make!)

Answer
Hi Richard,

What you would like to do is theoretically possible, but as a practical matter the odds are against successs.

The older any given section of stem is, the less viable it is. That is why top cuttings root very easily and the pruned back stem quickly puts out new growth. As you prune further down on the stem, the percentage of success diminishes.

If you cut the stem in question back to 3-4 feet, it will probably produce a new shoot, but it may take longer than you expect and it may not happen at all. You need to understand that risk.

Getting bare, leafless stem sections to propagate is quite difficult outside the greenhouse. When you insert them in damp soil vertically, there is a tendency for the stem to rot before roots develop. Stem sections placed on the surface of damp potting mix are less susceptible to rot. Again, the age of the stem sections may work against you here, either way. It is better to try it this way than in plain water.

That said, you have nothing to lose by trying to root the bare stem section as you are going to discard them anyway. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!

I have written articles on propagation and on Corn Plant care that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who emails a request to me at [email protected].

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

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