Question
I have a corn plant (indoors) that my grandmother gave me probably 20 years ago. About 15 years ago, it was looking pretty bad and she took it out of the pot and cut off most of the roots. She then replanted using her special soil mix. Well it has survived all these years but has grown into a 4 foot tall stick with only (1) green leaf remaining. How can I save this plant? Should it be trimmed off the stalk (4-5") below the top and rooted using root tone or re-plant and cut the stalk down to about 4-5" above the roots? Any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks

Answer
Hi Jimmy,
Thanx for your question.  Before you do any drastic surgery.  I would just repot the plant in some new, fresh potting soil, trim the roots up a bit, water it, give it a little 12-12-12 balanced fertilizer for houseplants following the directions on the container.  They like diffused sunlight, so next to a window with sheers would be beneficial, not a lot of darkness though.  It is also natural for some plants to eventually wear themselves out and die of old age which may be happening with this plant.

Check out this website for more information:  http://www.dracaena.com/Massangeana.asp

I hope this helps.
Tom