Need help: sick cutting from my great grandfather's corn plant

10 years ago

Howdy, y'all. I would greatly appreciate any info/advice on how I can bring this plant back from the bad place it's at right now. The pic on the left, behind my pooch, shows how the plant looked up to and including two years ago (the cutting was about five years old at that point); lush, healthy rows of leaves extending all the way to the base. The pic on the right is from today. Between then and now there has been a slow-yet-steady yellowing (followed by falling off) of the leaves, going from the bottom up. The plant continues to generate new rows of leaves from the top but the pace of new growth is slower than the pace of the bottom-up leaf death. The stalk is rock hard, similar to bamboo.
I've thought about simply doing another cutting from the top, from a point where the leaves are still 100% green, but there are only a few rows that look totally healthy. What I'd love to do is somehow restore the plant's health from top to bottom. As mentioned, this plant is a cutting -- one of several that are scattered throughout my family -- from the original, which also still exists and is healthy/huge, I'm told (I've never seen it in person). The original belonged to my great grandfather and is about 75 years old, so I'd really like to maintain this 'heirloom' cutting, one way or another. As you can see, it's near a good light source. We water it regularly. One person said that it may need to be moved to new soil (for nutrient reasons) but I first wanted to consult gardenweb before taking any actions. THANKS!

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Comments (2)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
all evergreen plants.. lose the older leaves on an annual basis ... some years worse than others ... and that usually happens in winter ... when light levels ebb ...

i think.. one of your problems.. is that it has outgrown the window ... when it was much smaller... it got much more light on top of its leaves ...

i dont have time to find you the latin name.. but i do know.. when you get it.. and google such.. there are millions of websites on how to propagate it [youtube also] ... as you are well aware.. its not that hard.. if the whole family has the plant ...

and once you cut the trunk to say.. about 6 inches.. and propagate 20 or so plants from the trunk .. the part still in the pot ... will rebud lower down ...

do not swamp it... over-watering it .... in winter ... it will be much worse.. if you rot off its roots... been there.. done that.. lol

and no.. a stressed plant does not need to be fed ... perhaps in late spring would be better time for a bit of plant food ...

ken

ps: when you cut it back to 6 inches.. that would be a great time to get rid of all the old 'used up' media... and repot it ... potting media does not last forever ...
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
10 years ago
Dracaena. Looks like chemical toxicity from tap water, as well as insufficient light. Direct sun during summer would burn the leaves, but during winter, looks like it could use more than what's coming through that window, if possible. If not, turning it once a week or so will prevent it from developing a (more pronounced) lean toward the window.

If you can catch rain, melt snow, collect condensate from dehumidifier or A/C, your plant should improve. Distilled is also free of added chemicals. Are you adding more water while the soil is still moist?
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