Question
Hello,
I've had a corn plant for about 6 months that was given to me by a friend. It has three stalks, 1 of which looks great and seems to like the new location. Another came looking troubled, and the third is now dead/dying. On examination, the cane looked ok until about two weeks ago. Now it no longer has any green shoots, the bark is pulled away from the cane, and one of the stems is brown and mushy. When I peel some of the bark away, I don't see any mites, but the cane looks grey, black, and rotted out. Should I pull out the dead canes? Do I need to replace some soil? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

THank you.

Answer
Hi Tim,

Once the outer bark becomes papery and pulls away from the cane underneath, you can be sure that cane is dead and should be removed. Twist the dead cane in place until it spins freely in the soil. Then pull it straight up and out. Finally, press the surrounding soil into the vacated space. No need to add any soil.

I don't know how your Corn Plant has been cared for so I cannot speculate on why two of the three canes are struggling, but I can say it is not pest related. Here are the basics on Corn Plant care:

*Keep it tightly potted and never repot it
*Locate it close to a north or east window where it will get lots of bright indirect light
*Water it only when the top quarter of the soil feels dry to the touch
*Skip the fertilizer and misting is unnecessary

I have written an article on Corn Plant care that explains all this in greater detail and that I will email for free to anyone who sends a request to me at my address below.

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

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and nomination for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.

Need more information? Visit my website at www.HorticulturalHelp.com
or email me at [email protected]
or call me at 917-887-8601 (EST)
 
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC