Brown tips on leaves
Crispy brown tips are usually dry soil, dry air, or salts and fluoride in tap water. How to tell which one by the pattern, and which plants are most sensitive.
Plant Problems
Dracaena (Corn Plant)
A tall, low-maintenance floor plant for dim corners.
Dracaena fragrans
Dracaena fragrans growing in a botanical garden. Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Light
Dracaena (Corn Plant) tolerates: low light, medium / indirect. It is one of the few plants that copes with a dim room — growth just slows down.
Watering
Water when the top half of the soil is dry, every 2–3 weeks.
Is dracaena (corn plant) safe for cats and dogs?
Toxic to cats and dogs (saponins): vomiting, drooling, dilated pupils in cats. Keep it on a high shelf or in a room pets can’t reach — or pick a pet-safe plant instead. Source: ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list.
Size and humidity
Typical size indoors: 3–6 ft (1–2 m) indoors. Humidity: not fussy at all.
Top tips
- Brown tips often come from fluoride in tap water.
- Cut the cane and it sprouts new heads.
- Slow grower in low light.
Guides that mention the dracaena (corn plant)
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