Dracaena fragrans
Good-looking, palm-like tropical shrubs, corn vegetation or mass cane (Dracaena fragrans), are fashionable broadleaf evergreens grown houseplants or out within the panorama and far cherished for his or her enticing foliage and low upkeep care wants.
The naked, unbranched woody stems, generally known as canes, are topped with fountains of fabulous foliage.
The lengthy, lance-like leaves are vibrant shades of inexperienced and infrequently function variegations of cream or yellow.
New foliage grows upright and straight, then because the leaves mature, they develop a slight wave and begin to bend over, giving them an look just like edible corn, Zea mays – the frequent identify “corn plant” is an apt moniker!
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Though it’s uncommon for corn vegetation to flower indoors, in the appropriate situations you is likely to be handled to clusters of small, aromatic white flowers adopted by orange berries.
The good-looking foliage and stately silhouette fits any decor model, and since they can adapt to virtually any lighting situations, corn vegetation slot in wherever.
From a dimly lit nook nook to a vivid kitchen – so long as they’re not in direct daylight, mass canes are joyful.
Additionally they deal with pruning effectively, so it’s straightforward to maintain them a manageable measurement – and you’ll rapidly propagate new specimens on the identical time!
Lush, tropical, and splendidly non-fussy, are you able to attempt your hand at cultivating D. fragrans?
Then let’s get proper into the main points of develop straightforward care corn vegetation!
What Are Corn Vegetation?
D. fragrans, often known as Chinese language cash tree, corn plant, cornstalk dracaena, fortune tree, and mass cane, is a species within the Dracaena genus.
Sluggish rising broadleaf evergreens, they’re perennial shrubs within the asparagus household (Asparagaceae) with tree-like progress, native to tropical Africa.
Typically confused with yucca and a few cordylines, corn vegetation are among the many hottest kinds of dracaenas.
Extremely prized as inside specimens, most potted varieties are bought as requirements, usually with a number of heads of foliage on a single cane or in teams of two or three canes per pot.
Rising wild of their native atmosphere, they develop as a lot as 50 ft tall, however potted houseplants sometimes have a extra manageable mature peak of 5 to 10 ft.
The genus identify Dracaena comes from the Greek phrase drakaina which suggests feminine dragon. The species epithet fragrans means aromatic and refers back to the candy smelling, vanilla-like scent of the flowers, which is used within the fragrance business.
The small, starry blooms are creamy white to pale pink, rising in demure panicles which are extremely enticing to pollinators when grown open air.
Sadly, corn vegetation hardly ever flower indoors, however they could achieve this when given situations that replicate their native habitat.
Younger vegetation have a single unbranched stem with a rosette of leaves rising in a spiral, and the trunk gained’t department till flowering has taken place or it’s been injured not directly, reminiscent of from pruning.
The shiny inexperienced, lanceolate leaves measure as much as 5 inches vast and might develop as a lot as 60 inches lengthy, with the ends of longer leaves bending and drooping beneath their very own weight, producing a dramatic, fountain formed cover.
As they develop and mature, corn vegetation naturally lose their decrease leaves, giving them a particular, palm-like profile.
Together with their verdant foliage and regal type, mass canes are valued as houseplants for his or her adaptability to a variety of lighting situations from vivid, oblique mild to darkish, shady corners – plus, they’re extremely tolerant of neglect!
Please be aware that the excessive focus of saponins present in all elements of D. fragrans are poisonous to pets. Examine our information that covers dracaena toxicity in cats and canines for more information.
Cultivation and Historical past
Mass canes had been found by European explorers within the 1700s through the Age of Discovery.
And due to their straightforward propagation, by the mid-1800s rooted cuttings of D. fragrans had been out there all through Europe.
They had been first marketed commercially in North America within the Thirties, and rapidly grew to become fashionable in properties and workplaces.
Right this moment the recognition stays and corn vegetation are amongst quite a few frequent houseplants studied for his or her air purifying properties.
They had been proven to be efficient at decreasing sure airborne indoor toxins reminiscent of formaldehyde and carbon dioxide.
Corn Plant Propagation
Stem cuttings are the quickest and most dependable option to propagate D. fragrans, with spring being the perfect time to do that mission.
Spring to early summer season can also be the perfect time to prune your vegetation, so you should utilize the elements faraway from pruning to your propagation functions.
Use clear, sharp snips to take away a six- to 10-inch part of stem, making certain there are at the least 4 leaves on the tip.
Take away any leaves from the underside half and dirt the reduce finish in rooting hormone powder if desired – rooting hormone isn’t obligatory, however it does enhance the probabilities of success.
Should you want powdered rooting house you will discover Bonide Bontone II out there at Arbico Organics.
Bonide Bontone II Powdered Rooting Hormone
It’s also possible to use a six- to 10-inch part of the woody trunk, however it should have at the least one bud – which seems as a slight swelling slightly below the bark.
Insert the reduce finish right into a six-inch pot stuffed with a moist potting soil combine amended with one half sand to enhance the drainage. You’ll be able to root a number of cuttings per pot, simply guarantee they’re spaced about two inches aside.
Place the pots in a heat location – round 70°F is good – with vivid, oblique mild and hold the soil flippantly moist.
Cuttings ought to root in eight to 12 weeks. Transplant into particular person containers after they begin to produce new progress.
Should you’re new to this propagation methodology, our information to propagating dracaena houseplants has all the main points.
The way to Develop Corn Vegetation
Corn vegetation develop effectively in a spread of lighting situations from to dimly lit shade to filtered solar, however a spot with medium, oblique mild produces greatest outcomes.
Additionally, they’re delicate to sturdy, direct solar which might trigger the leaves to burn – sheer curtains within the window are useful to stop solar scorch from direct mild.
D. fragrans are inclined to develop in the direction of the sunshine. To encourage upright progress with a straight trunk, rotate container specimens by 1 / 4 flip each few weeks.
They want a web site with persistently heat temperatures and like a spread of 60 to 70°F for daytime temperatures and barely cooler nights.
Keep away from areas that drop beneath 55°F and hold them away from drafty spots like chilly home windows or blowing air from AC and warmth vents.
While you first deliver your houseplant house from the shop, you’ll possible must repot it into an appropriate container.
Select containers with drainage holes and add some porous drainage materials like pebbles or damaged pottery shards if desired.
I like so as to add a two-inch layer of pottery shards to my houseplant containers to make sure the water strikes freely and the roots don’t sit in moist soil.
Partially fill containers with a top quality potting soil that has a flippantly acidic pH of 5.5 to six.3, a free texture for good aeration, plus natural supplies like coconut coir to supply construction and vitamins.
Personally, I discover that industrial potting soils with coconut coir or peat moss drain too slowly for a lot of houseplants.
I prefer to amend these industrial mixes with some grit to maintain the water shifting freely, including in a single or two elements of panorama sand, perlite, or stone chips for a quicker movement.
If the foundation ball is compacted or tangled, gently loosen the roots by rigorously teasing them aside along with your fingers.
Set the foundation ball in place, and after making certain the trunk is straight, prime up with extra soil to cowl the foundation ball and crown – the highest of the foundation ball needs to be one to 2 inches beneath the soil floor.
Agency the soil gently in place then water your plant deeply.
If any water stays within the catchment tray after half-hour, pour it off to stop the roots from sitting in moist soil.
Throughout the rising season of spring to fall, hold the soil flippantly moist, however not soaking moist.
In fall and winter, cut back watering however don’t enable the soil to dry out utterly. Water when the highest two inches of soil is dry to the contact.
If the air in your house is dry, mist the foliage often or place them on a tray with pebbles and water to enhance humidity – they do greatest in a humidity vary of fifty to 65 p.c.
Houseplants can be moved exterior onto a balcony, deck, or patio for the summer season months. Place them in vivid, oblique mild or a web site that receives morning solar solely.
After the specimen has spent the summer season open air, bear in mind to acclimate it correctly to indoor situations.
Rising Ideas
Corn vegetation are simply cultivated and the next suggestions assist guarantee vibrantly enticing, wholesome progress:
- Keep even moisture through the rising season, and be sure you pour off any extra water that continues to be within the catchment saucer half-hour after watering.
- As a result of they go dormant for winter, cut back watering between November and March. In winter, water when the highest two inches of soil dries out.
- To forestall brown leaf suggestions, keep humidity by misting incessantly or putting them on a saucer of pebbles and water.
Now let’s take a look at their straightforward upkeep routine.
Pruning and Upkeep
Though upkeep is minimal, somewhat common care can hold your corn vegetation wanting their greatest.
Pruning
Ought to your corn plant outgrow its house, spring is the perfect time to prune.
To scale back the dimensions of your specimen, use clear, sharp backyard shears to take away shoots near the primary trunk, or to lop off the highest part of the trunk.
Scale back the trunk measurement by as a lot as two thirds and reduce it on a 45-degree angle.
Lopping off the trunk additionally encourages new progress to sprout just under the reduce, making a lush, multi-headed cover.
Use the cuttings to propagate new specimens and take a look at our information to when and prune dracaena for detailed steps.
Cleansing
As houseplants, the beneficiant leaf surfaces of mass cane accumulate their share of mud and family particles.
To maintain your dracaena wholesome and looking out its greatest, be sure you clear the leaves often.
Use a fabric dampened with water, and beginning on the leaf’s base or axil, gently wipe the surfaces all the best way to the tip, cleansing each the highest and underside of every leaf.
Use a lightweight contact so that you just’re lifting the mud, however not crushing or tugging the leaf.
A neater and quicker various to cleansing leaves by hand is to maneuver the pot open air and rinse them off with a delicate bathe from a hose or watering can – you can too rinse small specimens in a kitchen sink.
Enable the foliage to air dry completely earlier than shifting them again to their indoor areas.
To maintain your dracaena sturdy and very important, repot D. fragrans each two or three years to refresh the soil vitamins and forestall them from changing into root sure.
The day earlier than repotting, water your corn plant deeply to moisten the soil evenly, then put together a container that’s two to 4 inches bigger than the present pot.
Fastidiously slide the foundation ball out of its pot, gently loosen the roots along with your fingers, then set the foundation ball into the bigger container.
Straighten the trunk, backfill with soil, and punctiliously agency in place.
Water gently to settle your corn plant in its new house.
Cultivars to Choose
Corn vegetation are available at many nurseries and on-line.
There are a selection of D. fragrans cultivars out there. Here’s a sampling of a few of my favorites to get you began.
Massangeana
‘Massangeana’ develops a number of trunks and luxurious rosettes of foliage.
The putting silhouette options sturdy, upright canes with good-looking, arching foliage – the lengthy, strappy leaves in forest inexperienced with chartreuse middle variegation.
Container-grown specimens can attain a mature peak of six ft or extra with a selection of as much as 4 ft, and with correct care, might produce clusters of small, aromatic white flowers adopted by orange berries.
Yow will discover vegetation in three-gallon containers at Quick Rising Bushes.
It’s also possible to discover this cultivar out there at Nature Hills Nursery.
Janet Craig Compacta
Slim and stylish with a singular silhouette, Janet Craig aka D. fragrans ‘Compacta’ (syn. D. deremensis) options slender, branched stems with dense tufted canopies of quick, darkish inexperienced leaves.
The shiny foliage is wavy and deeply veined, rising in lovely, lush rosettes that keep a small, trim measurement as they develop – the right cultivar for any tight nook or spot with restricted house.
This cultivar reaches a mature peak of three to 6 ft with a selection of three ft.
Nursery vegetation in four-inch containers are out there at Nature Hills.
Lemon Lime
Colourful with incredible striped leaves, ‘Lemon Lime’ has lengthy, sword-shaped foliage for a full of life tropical vibe.
The richly coloured leaves are a deep, darkish inexperienced with a mix of cream, lime inexperienced, and butter yellow striations – preferrred for lighting up indoor settings.
‘Lemon Lime’ reaches a mature peak of six ft and spreads as much as 4 ft.
Container vegetation can be found at Quick Rising Bushes.
Different fashionable cultivars embrace ‘Dorado,’ which sports activities thick, darkish inexperienced leaves and lime inexperienced margins with downward curling leaves.
‘Hawaiian Sunshine’ is a compact cultivar that includes shiny, forest inexperienced leaves with a crisp, slender middle strip of chartreuse or lime inexperienced.
A tricolor jewel, ‘Warneckii’ has fantastically striated leaves with darkish, inky inexperienced facilities, chartreuse margins, and a skinny band of white separating the inexperienced colours.
Managing Pests and Illness
You’ll love the low upkeep and non-fussy nature of corn vegetation, however even straightforward care species can develop a couple of issues from pests and illness once in a while.
Sapsucking bugs like thrips, scale, and spider mites could be interested in the plush leaves, inflicting disfigurement, leaf spots, a sticky layer of honeydew, and lack of vigor.
To banish sapsuckers, essentially the most dependable methodology is to meticulously wipe the highest and bottoms of leaves and stems with a humid fabric.
A pure pesticide like neem oil can be used to spray vegetation, or you possibly can simply make your personal insecticidal cleaning soap by combining a teaspoon of biodegradable liquid dish cleaning soap with a quart of heat water.
Spray the tops and bottoms of leaves in addition to the leaf axils and stems for full protection.
Corn vegetation cultivated as houseplants aren’t typically affected by illness, except root rot, attributable to overwatering and perpetually soggy situations.
Our information to dracaena illnesses offers the run down in case your plant is wanting sickly. If the stems are turning black, we’ve got a information that will help you determine that out as effectively.
D. fragrans can be vulnerable to faucet water toxicity from components like chlorine and fluoride, inflicting tan to brown splotches, streaks, and suggestions.
If the leaves are browning, flush the soil with distilled water, then use solely non-fluoridated or rainwater when watering.
Be taught extra about water dracaena in our information.
Greatest Makes use of for Corn Vegetation
With their putting foliage, stout stems, and daring silhouette, corn vegetation are extremely decorative and work effectively in a wide range of mild settings.
This makes them preferrred as indoor specimens for low to brightly lit areas.
They’re additionally extremely efficient when set in a row to create an indoor display screen, room divider, or non-public nook.
Fast Reference Rising Information
| Plant Sort: | Perennial shrub | Flower/Foliage Shade: | White/inexperienced, variegated inexperienced/white, inexperienced/yellow |
| Native to: | Tropical Africa | Water Wants: | Reasonable |
| Hardiness (USDA Zone): | 10-12 | Upkeep: | Low |
| Bloom Time: | Summer time, however rare indoors | Tolerance: | Low mild, some drought |
| Time to Maturity: | 5 years | Soil Sort: | Unfastened, organically wealthy potting soil |
| Publicity: | Oblique, vivid to low lighting | Soil pH: | 5.5-6.3 |
| Spacing: | 36-48 inches | Soil Drainage: | Effectively-draining |
| Planting Depth: | Prime of rootball 1 to 2 inches beneath the floor | Order: | Asparagales |
| Top: | 5-10 ft indoors | Household: | Asparagaceae |
| Unfold: | 3-4 ft | Genus: | Dracaena |
| Frequent Pests and Illness: | Thrips, scale, spider mites; root rot | Species: | Fragrans |
A Tropical Contact
Enticing and simple with their lush foliage, stately type, and no-fuss care, corn vegetation are a ravishing and dependable selection for including a tropical contact to our properties!
They’re proud of virtually any lighting from vivid to dim however keep away from direct daylight which might scorch the leaves.
Throughout the rising season, hold the soil barely moist and feed flippantly, then in winter cut back watering and withhold fertilizers till spring.
And bear in mind to show your potted vegetation a bit each few weeks to maintain the stems rising upright.
After that, sit back and admire what a sensible selection you’ve made to your indoor greenery!
Are you rising corn vegetation or considering of including D. fragrans to your houseplant assortment? Tell us within the feedback part beneath!
To be taught extra in regards to the good-looking vegetation within the Dracaena genus, add these guides to your studying checklist subsequent: