Song of India – Dracaena reflexa – Plant

Description

Song of India Plant

The corn plant is an oldie but goodie in the houseplant industry. Europeans have been using them as indoor plants since the mid-1800s and they’ve been popular in the United States since the early twentieth century. Corn plants are grown as thick canes that sprout from buds along with the cane, achieving a “false palm” effect (they’re sometimes called false palms). They make good houseplants because they are tall and narrow, with controlled growth, and can withstand a fairly significant amount of abuse from casual indoor gardeners.

Planting and care

It can be propagated from tip cuttings taken with three or four leaves attached. Insert the tip cuttings in 8cm (3inch) pots filled with a moistened rooting mixture consisting of equal parts peat and sand. Enclose the pots in a plastic bag and keep them in a temperature of 21-24 degrees C in partially shaded positions. Alternatively can be used a heated propagator case. No additional water will be needed for four to six weeks.

After rooting has occurred, remove the pot for plastic bag or propagator and begin to water the new plant moderately, moistening the potting mixture at each watering and allowing the top centimeter (0.4 inches) or so of the mixture to dry out before watering again. When roots appear on the surface of the mixture, move the young plant into a pot one size larger containing the standard potting mixture used for adult plants and treat them as mature plants.

Sunlight: Bright indirect sunlight
Soil: Well-drained soil
Water: Keep the soil lightly moist spring through fall, slightly drier in winter. Do not let the soil get waterlogged.
Temperature: 18 to 24 degrees C
Fertilizer: Apply any organic fertilizer