Question
I have a corn plant that is probably 25 years old.  It has three stalks-the tallest one is almost hitting my family room ceiling.  Each stalk only has leaves on the top 1/5 th of the plant.  All the middle and bottom leaves have turned brown and fallen off or I had to remove them.  It truly is a scrawny looking plant but new leaves keep growing out the tops of each stalk.  I hate to kill anything that is alive so is there anything I can do to make this plant look healthier?  Is there anyway to cut it back so that it is not so tall?  Appreciate any advice you can give me.  Thanks

Answer
Corn Plant?  Are we talking about Dracaena fragrans?

Please click here:

http://www.denverplants.com/foliage/html/DrMassCane.htm

for the Denver Plants website and color photograph of Dracaena fragrans aka 'Corn Plant' or in some houses the 'Corn Tree'.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Many people have this problem, Sharon.  Your Corn Plant has been very calmly growing and growing, up up and away, only vertically.  There is nothing horizontal about this plant.

What to do?

Please read the section on "Cane Cuttings"
(http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/L290-w.htm) on University of Georgia Extension's Dracaena website.  With patience, you can turn your Empire State Building sized tree into a flock of manageable potted plants for living room or windowsill.

Yes, this is going to take some guts.

It's scary.  First times are like that.  But thanks to the ease of growing these Dracaenas, you'll find it is simply a piece of cake.

Has this quarter-century-old specimen of yours ever flowered?

Give it a little more light and some fertilizer, maybe a nice new pot of soil.  Smells lovely, or so I'm told.  It's old enough to bloom.  You should enjoy the fruits of your labor.

When it blooms, let me know.

Thanks for writing.  Keep me posted.