How to Care for a Corn Plant That Is Browning
By Lane Cummings, eHow Contributor
updated: February 16, 2011
Corn plants (Dracaena) are ideal indoor plants -- they tolerate low light conditions though they thrive best in direct sunlight. The plant is unbranched, resembles a small tree and has skinny, oval-shaped leaves that can grow to be about 2 feet long and 4 inches wide. When grown outdoors, the plant can sprout fragrant yellow flowers, though rarely blooms when grown inside. Sometimes this plant will develop brown areas. You need to conduct a thorough investigation to determine what is causing the spots and how to deal with them.
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
- Distilled water
- Examine the leaves of the plant. If the brown spots are primarily on the edges of the plant's leaves, your plant is reacting either to an accumulation of salt in its soil or to fluoride in the water. You should continue with your normal watering routine but use distilled water instead of tap water.
- Hold a magnifying glass over the leaves. If the brown areas are scattered along the body of the leaf and you detect areas of gray among these brown patches, it is most likely a fungus problem. Increase the air circulation of the room by adding a fan, and keeping the windows open. Try keeping the plant drier and decreasing the humidity of the room.
- Move the plant to a window that faces east. This way the plant will experience a reduction in the amount of sun that it receives, which might be causing the brown spots on the leaves.
- Check the soil with your finger, shoving one finger at least a knuckle deep into the soil. The soil should feel moist, but not soggy. If the soil feels soggy you're overwatering. Reduce the amount of water you give it weekly by one-fourth.
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