hey everyone, new to the forum, but got found it searching for advice, and have been reading it ever since. I love plants, but for some reason, they sure don't seem to like me. after having 2 palms die, i was looking for a fairly easy plant to maintain and got the general impression that corn plants might fit the bill. i went out and got one and have had it for maby 15 days now and the tips of the leaves are already rapidly turning yellow/brown. what am i doing to send so many plants to an early grave? i need some advice... please help me save this plant and turn my plant relationship around! thanks!
what is its environment? indoors/outdoors? if indoors what is its lighting. soil type water etc. yellow leaves is often nutrient or perhaps water problems.
Here's a few sites with info on growing corn: http://www.ricecrc.org/reader/veg-grow/h8139.htm http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-405/426-405.html http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-98.pdf (pdf file)
Lol... Michael F. I think they mean Dracaena fragrans, not the corn we eat. Freeranger, Dracaena fragrans is a very easy plant to grow. It's a great choice for people working on their green thumbs. The key is to leave it alone for the most part. Give it the best INDIRECT light you can, water when the first couple inches of the soil is totally dry. That's about it. You can look into what to feed it later, there is no hurry for that. If you just bought it, it has likely been fed heavyly its whole life at the greenhouse.
thanks! yea your right, it is dracaena, i just read a few post where people were referring to it as a corn plant. i've read the soil should be about 2 inches dry, which it has been since i brought it home. it's indoors, in indirect light, but some of the leaves are turning yellow quick, and if i look down the center, the new growth also looks wilted and starting to brown.
what would be some of the factors that could cause the tips to turn yellow? thanks again for all the help!
The commonest is probably overwatering; let the soil dry out between waterings, so the roots don't start to rot in soggy soil. Exposure to cold (below about 12°C, or any sudden changes even at higher temperatures) can also cause browning.
awesome! thanks, like i said, the soil is pretty dry and has been since i brought it home. how long should the soil stay dry for, ie how often should this guy get water? once a week, once a month?
Not to any timetable, stick a finger in the pot, and when the soil feels substantially dry, water it. That could be anything from daily for a pot-bound plant in hot summer weather, to less than monthly for a plant with a small root system in a large pot in cool winter weather. If it is fairly dry now, that suggests the problem arose before you got it, or might it have got chilled while carrying it from shop to home?
