Corn Plant - Dracaena fragrans - 26 years old

I have a Corn Plant I grew from a planter I received 26 years ago when I had my son. Through the years this plant has had Match Box cars in its roots, been peed on, and "watered" with beer. (I didn't know of these things until MUCH later, of course, and I'm sure some things I will never know.) This plant, alongwith a 28 year old Schefflera (my other son), have been a source of pride for me, for although the marriage ended, and the boys grew up, I still had the plants.

I had a wonderful experience last winter. I moved into a new house with a new husband, and for the very first time, the Corn Plant bloomed. To tell you the truth, I didn't even notice it. It wasn't until one evening that my husband came down from his office and asked mw what the heck I had been spraying, because even though it was pleasant, it was POWERFUL. The search for the smell took us to my sunroom, and there it was, loaded with blooms. (Odd, I couldn't smell it, but my husband could.)

Without further ado, I'll tell you my plight. I gave the Corn Plant to the respective son 5 months ago. When I saw it at Christmas, it had only a quarter of its leaves left. I can't bear this. The son is in Matoca, VA, and I am in Reading, PA. Even with the plant's total history combined, it has never looked so pitiful. Can anyone tell me how to take a cutting and how to properly ship it?

This message was edited Thursday, Jan 16th 2:25 PM

LittleDutch, I can't believe there are no replies to your plea. Surely someone has emailed you by now! But just in case everyone missed this, as I did until now, let me try to offer solace.

To make cuttings, you just get a pair of sharp shears or a sharp knife, and slice right through the stem. If it has so few leaves, you won't have any problem finding a place without leaves to make your cut. Now, wrap that cut end of stem in lots of wet paper towel, cover it with a plastic bag, tie a twistie very firmly around the top of the bag, place the whole thing in a newspaper and roll it up like those roses from the florist. If you were doing it yourself, I would say soak the stem overnight first, in a plant food solution like MiracleGro, then wrap it. But it sounds like someone might be doing it and sending it to you? When the cutting reaches its destination, take it out and soak it in a sink or bucket of water to be sure it is well hydrated. Now you have at least two choices of how to proceed from here. You can just plop it into a tall vase with water, which you will need to change about once a week, or you can place it into a rooting medium. Of course, all lower leaves should be removed first, and you should have about a top third of the stem keeping its leaves. I prefer the water/vase method. Roots will form in a few days to a couple of weeks. It should be in normal light, or it can take the dark of a corner just fine. Avoid drafts of either hot or cold air for best results. When you have a good set of roots, pot it up. That's all it needs, with the usual feeding you would do for a newly potted plant.

The good news is that the roots and stem of the mother plant might still be healthy enough to support a nice top, in which case the top of the stem will probably put out twin tops. But if I were in your shoes, I would probably talk DS into boxing the whole plant up and shipping it to me for some plant ICU time. And ICU would go on eternally.

Good luck.

Aimee,
Thank you SO much for the post. As you had thought, no one had replied. I spoke to my son last weekend, and I was afraid to ask if anything was left of the plant. This whole scenario is breaking my heart. I'll give him a call tonight to inquire, and if it is not doing well, I'll have him send me the top dressed for shipment as you stated. Again, thank you for taking the time to post.

LD - Carol

Have him wrap it well! It really needs to wait until it won't freeze, but the delay might be too much, so be sure he sends it the fastest possible method. I would opt for overnight express, and write prominently on the outside that it is temperature sensitive and should not be exposed to extremes. I am concerned about your baby, too, so keep us posted.

Dear Little Dutch,
This summer I had a 15 year old Corn Plant bloom for the first time. I did some research at that time and I read that after the Corn Plant blooms, which happens rarely, the blooms dries up and falls off. I read that sometimes the top will fall off and form 2 new heads.
Maybe that's what's happening to yours! I wish I knew the website where I read this, maybe I can find it in my Favorites somehow. My bloom hasn't dropped off yet, so I don't know if mine will grow two heads or not. If this is the case with yours, I thought it might ease your mind a bit.
yvana

Here's the website:
http://www.plant-care.com/PlantTips/1998/121198.htm

Yvana, thanks for the information. I ran across that site when I was trying to figure out what was going on...

Maybe it was molting a bit, but the difference in this plant was unbelievable. I haven't asked him about it recently; I'm afraid to. I think I'l question him this weekend. If it's dead, the murder will rest on his soul, not mine. ;)

AAWWWW!!!

Still haven't had the nerve to ask him if it is still living. I'm a wimp. I think I'm afraid to find out that something I had been watching over for twenty-six years is dead. If I ever get up the nerve to ask him, I'll let you know. ;)