Question
Hi,

I bought a beautiful, large corn plant back in November.  It was actually four different canes at four different heights all planted together in large pot.  I placed the lush plant in the corner of my condo between two very large windows. Over the last two months three of the four canes (the smaller three) appear to be dying.  The foliage on those canes developed brown spots or became very pale. Basically all of the foliage is now gone from those canes either because they fell off or because I removed them.  The largest cane however is doing great and is showing no signs of it suffering the same fate as the rest.  At this point is there any chance that the three canes that are failing can rebound.  I absolutely would love to bring the plant back to its previous grand state.

Katrina

Answer
Katrina,

Immediately make sure that no sun is shining on this plant. It likes a bright location but it hates the sun. It also cannot stand water with flouride and chlorine. Flouride and chlorine causes brown spots on the leaves like you describe. You need to water the plant with distilled water or allow your water to sit in an open bucket for 48 hours so the flouride and chlorine will dissipate into the air before you use it to water the plant.

Also do not water the plant until it is very dry. Wait until the top 2 inces of the soil has been dry for 4 days before watering it. There will still be some moisture in the bottom of the pot. The pot should feel very noticably lighter weight than it was right after you watered it. When you water it you should give it enough water that all the soil in the pot is moist and a little water goes in the drain tray. Also an hour or two after you water you need to empty the drain tray. The plant cannot be left sitting with a large amount of water in the drain tray or the roots will rot. If you cannot pick the plant up to empty it you can use a turkey baster to empty it. If the pot has no drain hole and drain tray that is a large part of your problem. It must be able to drain or the roots are rotting.

If you follow these instructions and the small canes still have roots and living tissue they will come back. If you wiggle them and they easily pull out of the soil the roots have rotted away. Scrape the bark in a small area and see if it is still green just under the surface. If it is it can still grow new roots and leaves and come back. If not it will not. If not you can buy a smaller corn plant with only 3 canes and use that to replace the 3 canes in this pot then care for it the way I have instructed. Good luck, I hope you can save it.

Darlene