On Sun, 20 Apr 2003 16:56:05 GMT, "Cereoid-XXXX"
wrote:

Would prefer you call your Dracaena fragrans "Dragon Tree" rather than "Corn
Plant". They are not related to Zea mays nor do they resemble the grass nor
do they grow like it.

Appreciate the terminology lesson but I think it's a lot easier on
everyone if I just call the plant by it's common moniker

http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plan.../Dracaena.html

Dracaena Fragrans is a.k.a. Corn Plant. Betcha if I can asked for
help on the newsgroup and said... Dragon Tree..... everyone would
write back and say...Ohhh you mean a CORN PLANT !!

If you grow your plant in a humid greenhouse, you might be able to keep the
plant more leafy but eventually the plant will lose its lower leaves no
matter what you do. Leaves are only temporary structures. Once they have
fallen, they will never come back. The plant is a woody shrub to small tree
with woody stems up to 15 m or more tall under favorable conditions. The
leafy plants you saw at the gerden center were probably recently gotten from
the wholesaler. In time they too will lose their lower leaves as the plants
produce new growth.

Probably.... they were the only ones I'd ever seen like that. Just
made me think that I might be missing some information on caring for
the plant.

The part about the humid greenhouse is understandable,, I've noticed
a direct correlation between temperature / humidity change and loss
of leaves. Also the correlation between temperature change /
sunlight and growth of new leaf. Stable temperature / light /water
/ humidity would keep the plant more consistent.


Don't cut into the stem. That will only encourage infection.



Wrapping the stem with wet peat may encourage the formation of aerial roots
but not leaves.


Many thanks for the information. Saves me a ton of experimenting.

There is one other question, normally the plant is single stem, but
I've seen plants with a central stem and two or three branches.
Is this accomplished through grafting ??? How is it done ???

Thanks !!!




Plantkiller wrote in message
.. .
My indoor potted 'corn' plants are growing upward, and losing their
lower leaves (this is normal). However I've seen several corn
plants in the plant center which are more like bushy plants, i.e.
the leaves cover the entire plant, bottom to top.

Am I missing a method of growing corn plants?? Mine are like trees,
long stem, with a mass of top foliage, developing new leaves on
top as the stem hardends and leaves drop off the bottom.


I've tried making small 1/4 incisions into the trunk to encourage
new growth there, with a small degree of success.

Should I be wrapping the trunk with peat moss and keeping it
wet to encourage new growth?


Any ideas ???

Thanks...