Houseplant
Corn Plant (Dracaena)
Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana' · Asparagaceae
Also called: Mass Cane, Corn Plant, Happy Plant, Cornstalk Dracaena, Fragrant Dracaena
Corn Plant (Dracaena) (Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana') is a low-water houseplant well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It's a slow to moderate-growing houseplant. Expect white (highly fragrant) blooms Rarely blooms indoors.
Corn Plant (Dracaena) at a glance
- Water use
- Low (established)
- Sun
- Medium to bright indirect light indoors; tolerates lower light but the gold-green variegation fades in deep shade. Avoid direct desert sun, which scorches the leaves.
- Mature size
- 4-6 ft tall indoors (up to ~10 ft over time); upright cane with arching strap leaves.
- Growth rate
- Slow to Moderate
- Bloom
- White (highly fragrant), Rarely blooms indoors; mature plants may produce very fragrant white flowers, usually at night, in warm months.
- Cold hardiness
- Frost-tender; keep above ~55F. Grown indoors in Tucson. Min comfortable indoor temp ~55-60F.
- Soil
- Loose, well-draining peat-based potting mix; keep evenly but lightly moist, never soggy.
- Native range
- Tropical Africa (Sudan to Mozambique and west across central Africa); 'Massangeana' is a yellow-striped cultivar
- Best used as
- Indoor floor/decor plant, Low-light tolerant accent, Air-purifying houseplant, Office/lobby tree-form plant
- Wildlife
- None indoors.
- Toxicity
- Toxic to cats and dogs (contains saponins); causes vomiting (sometimes with blood), drooling, depression, and dilated pupils in cats. Generally considered non-toxic to mildly irritating for humans. Keep away from pets.
How to grow Corn Plant (Dracaena) in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Water when the top 1-2 inches of soil dry out, roughly every 7-10 days, less in winter. Allow slight drying between waterings to avoid root rot. Highly sensitive to fluoride and salts in hard tap water (causes brown/yellow leaf tips and margins), so use filtered, distilled, or rainwater, which is especially important with Tucson's mineral-rich, fluoridated tap water.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Light feeder; balanced houseplant fertilizer at half strength every 6-8 weeks in spring/summer. Avoid superphosphate/fluoride-containing fertilizers, which worsen tip burn. None in winter.
Pruning & care
Remove brown leaf tips and lower yellowing leaves. To control height, cut the cane at the desired level in spring; it will resprout below the cut. Wipe leaves to remove dust.
Notes
Grown only indoors in Tucson; frost-tender and intolerant of direct desert sun. Its defining Tucson care issue is sensitivity to fluoride and dissolved salts in hard tap water, which causes the classic brown leaf tips, so non-fluoridated water and periodic soil flushing are key. The 'Massangeana' cultivar has a broad yellow stripe down each leaf, resembling a corn stalk.
Sources: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension (Pima County Master Gardeners) houseplant guidance; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; ASPCA Toxic Plant List; NASA Clean Air Study