Not sure what is wrong with my corn plant

Hi there,

I was given a corn plant (Dracaena fragrans massangea) as a housewarming gift and when they gave it to me the tips of the leaves were brown about and inch in from the tip and as well there are black long spots forming on a lot of the leaves and they are splitting in the middle. They told me that they left the plant in the car all day and it was very hot outside. Could this have caused the condition my plant is in now?

How do I fix my plant? I tried watering it everyday for a few days but then read I should only water it once a week. I have the plant in a hallway but there is no sunlight there. Should I move it?

In the picture I have attached you can see the browning of the leaves on the leaves on the right hand side. That is now happening on a lot more of the leaves. Have i overwatered it to cause this?

Please help.
Thanks

Often if plants like that get brown crispy tips, it's just from lack of humidity, but yours looks more like it's either from overwatering or some sort of fungus. I don't like the sound of the black spots that you mentioned, although I don't see any of those on the leaves now--have they gone away or do they just not show up very well in the picture? That sounds like fungus to me too. I would definitely get the plant more light than it's getting now, I can't remember how much light these plants need if they're in the house but they definitely need some, a dark hallway is not going to be a good place for it. And for watering--how often you need to water is going to depend on a lot of factors. Watering every day is almost definitely too much, but whether it's once a week, twice a week, once every two weeks, etc is going to depend on a lot of other things. The best thing to do is check it every few days by sticking your finger down into the soil an inch or two, if it still feels moist then don't water, but if it's feeling dry then it's time to water. After you do that for a while, you'll start to get a feel for how often your particular plant needs to be watered.

First, it does need to be moved to a much brighter area, preferably by a window, where it can get more light. Second, if the soil is soggy, repot it with fresh soil. Water sparingly until it shows signs of improvement. Check the roots when you repot--if any appear damaged (rotted), carefully prune them off. Until it recovers, I'd put it in a window with an eastern exposure so it doesn't get too much sun. I have mine on my front porch which is covered with a full roof. It's sitting up against the wall where it gets bright indirect light and it's just beautiful. One other thing, although I can't tell for sure looking at your picture, the leaves appear slightly dull. If they are dusty, either carefully clean them with a soft wet cloth or gently rinse in your sink with your sprayer. If you rinse it with your sprayer, do it before you put it in fresh soil so you don't get your new soil soaked.

Thank you for your help. I am glad that there is hope for my plant, especially since it was just given to me a week ago.

I will try moving it how long should I wait before I decide to repot it? Could it heal on its own with the sunlight?

Also I have a dehumidifier could this be part of the problem?

This message was edited Jul 25, 2007 10:42 AM

There are still the black spots I think there weren't as many as there are not when I took this picture.

I have had the same problem with this exact plant. I moved mine to a brighter location and filled a spray bottle and misted it every day to give it more humidity. I finally moved it out to my covered front porch (east light) about a month ago but it still doesn't look good at all. I have a solid green one that's in a dark corner of the living room and it's doing fine. I have hundreds of plants, but sometimes I come across a few that just don't like me!

Here's the link to Plant Files on this plant:

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/119595/

ROFL! I have that problem too plantlady. I have lot's of plants and every now and then I get one that just refuses to live for me. I wonder if plants are as prejudiced as people!

Well NatureLover, I am not prejudiced or biased at all when it comes to human beings ... but there is one type of plants I DO NOT like .... every plant with thorns! LOL. I recently bought a couple of Bougainvillea's though, so maybe I shouldn't say every plant with thorns! :) Bougie's get huge sharp thorns as they grow! But, they are oh so beautiful when they bloom. I swore I would never have another one, gave my last hanging basket one away early this past spring .... then I walk into the garden center and see these Blooming Beauties and just couldn't resist!

Oh we are gluttons for punishment when it comes to our plants, aren't we? I always said I wouldn't have roses because they have thorns and need to be pruned. Well, while landscaping our new place, I ended up with three I "just couldn't resist." LOL--you should hear me out there pruning those devils! But they are gorgeous. Love your bogie--its very showy. I'm sure like me, you enjoy your plants a lot even if they inflict pain, lol.

Oh yeah ... I do enjoy them! About 30 years ago I had a cactus collection ... the desert cacti with thorns! I had some huge cactus and boy did they have thorns. I remember hubby getting jabbed by one when he was hammering on a wood deck and one was sitting right by him .... his hand swelled up so bad, looked really awful ... he didn't like the cactus after that either! I've been jabbed one too many times with thorns! So ... I won't ever have more than a couple of plants with thorns!