How can I save my Corn Plant?

Question

My Husband bought me a Corn Plant as a gift about 4 months ago. Here are all the specs of our plant: 1) Located inside, getting extremely low light. We have no windows in our apartment to let direct sun in. 2) Leaves--especially on the bottom--turning brown on the tips. 3) We just noticed some mites near the bottom of the leaves. 4) Watered according to what the florist told us.

It seems week by week that we notice more brown leaves. What can we do to make our Corn Plant flourish again?

Thanks!

Answer 1

What I would do is buy a plant light to add more light and spray the plant with a mixture of a couple drops of dish detergent in a spray bottle, for the mites. I water my plants once a week and check before I water it to see if it needs it. It is almost always better for a plant to dry out than to over water.

Here is the basic care for your corn plant.

LOCATION. Place the plant in a location where it gets light, just not direct sunlight. Best location is to the side of a south or east window. The plant can be directly in front of the window only if the window is covered by a shear curtain. The leaves may start to turn very light green if the plant is getting too much direct sunlight. Also, the plant should not be in a draft, and that includes a breeze from an open window.

Step2WATERING. Fill your watering container and allow the water to set for at least 48 hours before using (this is good advice for any plant). Water the corn plant when the top half of the soil is dry. That may mean watering only every two to four weeks. Because the roots are short and close to the stalk, pour the water close to the stalk to ensure the moist gets to the roots. You may want to use a water gauge to check the soil. Insert the gauge at least two inches below the soil top and close to a stalk. The gauge should read DRY before you add water. Add the water slowly, watching the gauge until it reads “moist.” If you want to use a fertilizer on a healthy corn plant, use a liquid fertilizer and only every other month, applying when watering. Brown tips can frequently be an indication that the water has chemicals in it, like fluoride (but that is not the only cause of brown tips). If allowing the water to set for two days before using does not stop the occurrence of brown trips, then switch to distilled water. Too much water can change the leaf color to yellow.

Step3POT SIZE. The root system of a corn plant is so minimal, that it can live well in a small pot. It actually prefers to be a little root bound. The only reason you should need to upgrade to a larger pot is if the plant is so tall that it will topple over because the pot base is too small. For example, a 9 foot corn plant can do well in a 16 inch pot.

Step4CONTROL HEIGHT. If you like the height of your corn plant, to keep it from growing more, you can pull out the center of new growth on the plant.

Step5CLEANING. Dust on the leaves can be wiped off with a damp cloth. You can also place the plant outdoors in the summer rain or in a bathroom shower to give it a quick rinse off with tepid water. That cleansing event would become a watering session, so perform when the plant is dry.

Answer 2

If this is the common corn plant, dent corn or field corn, there is not much you can do. They need direct sunlight and like warm weather. The typical life span is very limited, only 5-6 months. Field corn is planted, in the midwest, durring April or May. It begins to ripen late August to early September and then havested late October to early November,once the entire plant has turned brown. Your plant is normal. They start to ripen from the bottom up with the leaves turning brown.