This is a Corn Plant, correct? It used to belong to my boyfriends sister, and after she died years ago, it went to his dad and stepmom. But now theyre moving into a smaller place and the plant is too big to go with them, so they gave it to us today. I dont know how old the soil is, so Im definitely going to replace it, but I dont know if I should leave it in the same pot, or if I need to upsize. ( photo / image / picture from TheBip's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from TheBip's Garden )
It looks like a way undersized pot to me, but it looks very nice for the size it is in. I would have thought there would be a bit of leaf burn after looking in the container and seeing the size its root mass and pot. It has been very well taken care of.
Yes, your plant is commonly called a Corn Plant. Its botanical name is Dracaena massangeana. Do NOT replace the soil or repot it. The plant is quite healthy and you want to avoid disturbing the roots. You could add a thin layer of fresh potting mix on the surface to cover the exposed roots, but otherwise leave it alone. Water it thoroughly until a bit runs through the drainage holes. Then, don't water again until the top inch of soil feels dry. ~Will Creed
Hmm ok. I was going to replace the soil because I dont think anyone has done it in the 10 years since the original owner died. Im surprised it looks as good as it does because it really hasnt recieved much care other than being watered every couple of weeks. Ill leave it alone though because I do NOT want to be the one responsible for killing it hahaha...
There is a common misunderstanding that soil gets old and needs to be replaced. The problem is that in removing old soil, the fine root hairs that do most of the work are seriously damaged. While it is true that after many years soil can become depleted of nutrients, it is better to replace those nutrients by using fertilizer. Indeed, that is the sole purpose of fertilizer. I would hold off on fertilizing yours until the Corn Plant shows signs of putting out healthy new growth. ~Will
If you upsize the pot one inch that will let you put in new soil and a little top dressing. I agree that if it is doing that great don't mess with the root system on such a lovely big plant. It obviously likes being root bound. What a score and you are so lucky to have a space large enough to house it.
Great looking plant! It looks like a utility pot inside a more decorative pot. Obviously someone knows not to let water sit between the two, as evidenced by the nice green leaf tips. It's also good to let it get rained on outside once in a while, (when it already needs a drink,) or a "fake rain" in the shower. When it's finished dripping, (overnight is good,) put back in the decorative pot. I've never harmed a Dracaena by repotting it, quite the opposite. Ten years without a repot - wow! I can see roots circling the pot, over and over, which I would remove along with all of the old soil. It should be able to go back in the same pot, especially since there is plenty of room to have more dirt in there, that pot's not very full.
Quite tall in a few years it will reach your ceiling for sure. Do you put it outside occasionally to get sunlight?
No, we never moved it outside except for when I finally did decide to repot it. Its very heavy and awkward to move so its stayed in that spot. I did replace the clay pot with a plastic one so its a bit lighter, but not by much.
Corn plants, or mass canes as they're sometimes called - aren't they wonderful? They thrive on neglect (as long as it's not too much), as yours shows. Professional plant care people never repot plants like this, and they may keep them around for years and years. However, I don't think that some reworking of the plant would hurt it. I realize that it's very heavy - not like repotting a 6 incher - but you have a couple of options. If you want to keep it in the same decorative container, you can make a 2 or 3 cuts about 6 inches long, an inch or so in from the edge of the root mass; in other words, you will be removing a few sections of the circling roots, leaving the rest intact to continue their work. Fill the removed areas with fresh soil - I recommend a 'soilless' mix such as Fafard-and put some fresh mix on the top too. You can even cut off those roots that are poking out the top. In 6 months you can remove some more pieces and fill in with fresh soil, and so on until the whole thing is rejuvenated. The thing about roots is that they grow vigorously if they're healthy, which these obviously are. You don't have to be so afraid of damaging roots. Now if you want to try a bigger pot, you'll still want to cut some of those big circling roots, to give the plant a chance to regrow vigorous new roots and root hairs. Just try to continue the kind of watering the plant has become used to - most people who kill corn plants do it by watering them too much.
