Question
corn plant
I have a corn plant where the leaves are beginning to die and fall of at the bottom. Also, I've detected so white powdery spots on leaves. please help.
AnswerTitus,
The white cottony spots pictured are the insects called mealy bugs. You need to mix rubbing alcohol and water in equal quantities and add 1 tablespoon of dish detergent per quart of the mix. Put that mix in a sprayer and spray the entire plant twice a week for at least 2 months to kill the insects you have now and any eggs that hatch out. The eggs can stay dormant for some time so you have to keep up the spraying. The juvenile insects are microscopic. The adults hide themselves under that cottony substance you see.
That is probably not the only problem with your plant. It was probably weakened by too little light or too much water which enabled the insects to attack the plant. A healthy plant fights off an insect attack on it's own.
This plant has to be in a pot with drain holes in the bottom and a drain tray under it so it has good drainage. You should always water it enough that all the soil in the pot gets moist. Then you have to empty the drain tray an hour after watering it. You can do that with an old turkey baster. Then you should not water the plant again until the plant has felt dry for at least 4 days. Normal watering is done every 7-14 days. In winter it can take as many as 21 days for the plant to dry out enough for it to need watered again because in the shorter days of winter a tropical plant goes semi dormant and does not use water as fast. Your should not water your corn plant with city water that has flourid and chlorine in it. Corn plants hate those chemicals and it can cause brown spots on the leaves and eventual leaf death. If your water has those chemicals you can use distilled water that you can buy at Walmart or any drug store or you can leave your water sit for 48 hours in an open bucket before using it and the chemicals will dissipate into the air and not harm your plant.
Your plant needs to be sitting in a location that is bright enough that it makes a shadow most of the day. If it does not it is not getting enough light and you need to move it closer to a window or open the blinds or drapes in the room during the day. If you have more questions write again. Good luck.
Darlene
