A Detailed Guide to Growing and Caring for the Corn Plant (Dracaena Fragrans)

The plant has an elegant, neat form and tolerates light shade. It likes high temperatures; below 13°C the plant goes dormant and stops growing. It prefers loose, well-drained soil; grow it in pots in leaf mold or peat soil. Propagate by cuttings; large numbers of cuttings are all imported from abroad. Cuttings require relatively high temperatures. It likes partial shade and plenty of fertilizer. Commonly cultivated plants of the same genus include: Dracaena deremensis, lucky bamboo, Dracaena godseffiana and Dracaena draco.

How to grow the corn plant:

  1. Soil: The corn plant does best in a loose, well-drained, fertile river-sand loam rich in humus, and dislikes alkaline soil. For potting, use leaf mold or peat soil, add about 1/4 river sand or perlite and a small amount of decomposed organic fertilizer. Loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter is good for its growth.

2. Sunlight: The corn plant adapts to a fairly wide range of light, but does not tolerate strong light; especially the strong sunlight from May to October can cause leaves to yellow or leaf tips to scorch, so shade it and give it bright indirect light. Although it tolerates shade, too much shade will also dull the leaf color, and especially in variegated varieties the markings on the leaves easily disappear, reducing their ornamental value.

3. Temperature: The optimum growing temperature for the corn plant is 20°C to 28°C, its dormancy temperature is 13°C, and its overwintering temperature is 5°C. If the temperature is too low, yellow-brown spots will appear on the leaf tips and edges, and in severe cases the young shoots or the whole plant may be damaged by cold. So in the north it must be moved into a greenhouse for the winter. Indoors, it should be placed in a spot with light, and the room temperature should preferably be kept at 6°C to 8°C or above.

4. Watering: During the growing season in spring, summer and autumn in the north, water the corn plant once every 2 to 3 days on sunny days, and mist the leaves once to twice a day. After late autumn, reduce watering and just keep the potting soil slightly moist. In winter, control watering and keep the potting soil half dry and half moist; too much water will cause root rot and scorched leaves.

5. Fertilizing: The corn plant consumes some of its own nutrients as it grows, and if fertilizer is not applied in time, it will run out of reserves and gradually decline. During the growing season, first bury organic fertilizer at the base or along the edges, then apply a liquid fertilizer once every 15 to 20 days, or a compound fertilizer once to twice, to ensure lush growth of branches and leaves. Apply dilute fertilizer; never use concentrated fertilizer. The fertilizing period is from May to October each year. Stop fertilizing in winter and move the plant indoors to overwinter. For variegated varieties, be careful to reduce the proportion of nitrogen fertilizer when feeding, so as not to cause leggy leaf growth and make the markings dull or even disappear.

6. Pests and diseases: Common diseases of the corn plant include leaf spot and anthracnose, which can be sprayed with a 1000-fold dilution of 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder. Common pests include scale insects and aphids, which can be killed by spraying a 1000-fold dilution of 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate.