My March column brings me to continue my discussion of my neighbor Pat’s lovely collection of house plants which she has so faithfully entrusted to my care.

To be sure, sustaining any indoor house plant thru our New England winters can be a challenge.  Limited sunshine, dry house heat, dust, drafts, up and down temperatures all contribute to that challenge.  My goal as their part-time guardian, is to return these faithful house plants to their owners in a glowing, thriving condition; thus suggesting to my benefactors that I may actually know a thing or two about growing houseplants. 

The second houseplant in this collection is what I refer to as the “anchor” plant.  It is a stately 4 foot tall very large plant called DRACAENA or commonly known as CORN PLANT.  Situated in the center of this very large pot surrounded at its base by the previously described Snake Plant, this Corn plant gives height, flow and dimension to the grouping. 

The plant itself has been a main stay of the houseplant industry in the USA since the early 20th century.  Corn plants grow as thick canes that then sprout leaves from buds that form along the cane.  They make good house plants because they are tall and narrow, with controlled growth and can with stand a fair amount of abuse from us casual indoor gardeners.  This Dracaena has long slender yellowish-green leaves with a darker green color running down the middle. 

Currently I am dealing with some leaf tip burn which can be caused by fluoride or boron in drinking water.  We have an elevated level of fluoride in the water where we live, so I am going to try giving this plant bottled water for a while and see what happens. 

If it gets much taller, I may experiment with it and cut the top off.  Experts say that in 4-6 weeks new leaf buds will form on the cut cane and new leaves will appear like magic!  That would be just about the same time the plants owner will be coming home to pick up this plant…to prune or not to prune, that is the question  ……stay tuned to see what my decision will be!   

Cheers,
Deb (March 2018 Horticultural Newsletter)