Corn Plant also known as Dracaena fragrans is a popular indoor houseplant since the 18th century and is originally a tropical African evergreen plant. Corn plants are a popular choice for the home garden but one the most common problems that they face is that start seeing yellow leaves or brown leaves or both so what causes this let’s try to find out the problem and the solutions
Takeaway: Corn Plant Leaves turning Yellow
Underwatering or overwatering remains the main cause for corn plant leaves turning yellow as this plant needs to be watered once a week and sometimes in summer everyday you should check if soil is moist or dry to correct overwatering or underwatering. Besides water other reasons for corn plant turning yellow are fertilizers, humidity, pests, temeprature changes , salt and improper sunlight.
Why is my Corn Plant (Dracaena) Leaves turning Yellow & brown – 8 Causes
There are multiple things that can cause Corn Plant (Dracaena fragrans) leaves to turn brown or yellow some of them are pests, overwatering, low humidity, nitrogen deficiency, too much salt in the soil, drastic changes in temperature, or lighting problems and sometimes it is also natural yellowness let’s tackle each one of them.
Overwatering or Underwatering
Corn plants grown in pots usually have yellow leaves due to either overwatering or underwatering. Dracaena needs to be watered once a week and sometimes if it is too hot then even it should be watered every day. If you overwater the plant and the soil becomes soggy or you are underwatering the plant and the soil is dry in both cases you will start seeing yellow or brown leaves. To identify if overwatering is the problem you will have to check if the plant’s leaves are soft and they have started to sag toward the floor or if you check the roots by lifting the plant up and the see roots are either swollen or translucent. You can fix overwatering of the plant by watering it less and moving it to a dry place.
Fertilizers: Nitrogen deficiency
Corn Leaves turning yellow usually happens if the plant is facing a nutrient deficiency which in this case is nitrogen. Corn is one of the feeding plants that feeds itself heavily from the soil and is a type of grass and grasses always thrive on nitrogen in the soil. Nitrogen always moves slowly up from the bottom of the plant and that is why if nitrogen is the problem you will see it show itself from the bottom of the plant. You can fix this problem by using a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen
Low Humidity
If the corn plant is kept in an area with low humidity we will first start seeing the plant droop and then the edges of the leaves will start turning brown followed by full leaves turning first yellow and then brown. This happens due to dehydration due to lack of humidity and if allowed to continue will see firstly plant leaves turning yellow and then shriveling and then dying. If you are seeing these signs with your Dracaena plant you can try using a humidifier or using a pebble tray to increase the humidity
Pests & Diseases
The corn plant is susceptible to diseases such as maize dwarf mosaic virus which can cause the yellowing of leaves. This disease is spread by nearby aphids which might be around if you have planted corn plants near plants such as johnson grass. Another cause of yellow leaves is a pest called nematodes which is a kind of roundworm that gets itself attached to this plant’s roots and stops the plant from absorbing nutrients.
Temperature Changes
The corn plant has an ideal temperature range of 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and if the weather suddenly goes cold or the plant gets exposed to cold drafts you will start seeing the yellowing of leaves. This is primarily because of cold weather Dracaena has problems absorbing nitrogen from the soil especially more so when the soil is wet also. While this issue will not happen in summer you have to be especially careful in spring and autumn and you would be better served by moving the plant away from the window during spring and autumn otherwise you are bound to see yellow leaves.
Water Quality
If you are using tap water to water your corn plant then sometimes that can also cause corn plant leaves to turn yellow this is because corn plant is sensitive to water quality. The amount of chloride and fluoride in water is what the Dracaena plant is sensitive to. You can use filtered water, rainwater, bottled water, or distilled water to water this plant to protect it from chemicals. If you are using tap water to water this corn plant then first put the tap water in an open container so that all the chemicals get collected at the bottom or evaporate into the air and then use it.
Too Much Salt in the Soil
Sometimes if you use a fertilizer that has a higher concentration of superphosphates it can cause soil to have too much salt and can cause the yellowing of corn plant leaves. The best way to avoid this problem is to ensure that you use a balanced liquid fertilizer and always dilute the fertilizer to half its recommended dose.
Improper Sunlight
Corn plant needs bright indirect sunlight and if the plant doesn’t receive enough sunlight you may start seeing your plant leaves turning yellow.
Natural Yellowing of Corn Plant
Another important thing about the corn plant is that some of its leaves always have yellow color this is because as the new leaves start coming out of the plant the older leaves around these new growing leaves will naturally start yellowing. You will generally see this at the bottom of the plant as the plant redirects its energy toward growing new leaves causing your old leaves to turn yellow. If you find that your plant is having a natural growing and care conditions and you don’t see any of the other causes mentioned then it would be the natural yellowing of leaves that your corn plant is facing.
How to Treat Corn Plant (Dracaena) Leaves turning Yellow & brown
Depending on the cause of your corn plant leaves yellowing you should use the treatments suggested below
- Check the soil and if you find nitrogen deficiency you need to add a fertilizer rich in nitrogen once the first 8 to 10 leaves have shown up.
- For Over or under-watering you should change your watering schedule to water once a week during summer.
- If you have problems with humidity you should add a humidifier.
- If you’re facing issues with pests like nematodes you should use rotate your corn plant and if you have nematodes problems throughout your garden then you should solarize your garden. Ideally, try and keep the area around corn free of weeds for dealing with simpler issues with pests
- If you have water quality issues you should use filtered water or rainwater or use tapwater after leaving it in a container for 24 hours.
- If you face issues with sunlight then you need to move the location of your plant.
Conclusion
Corn plants are otherwise beautiful and very popular indoor plants until they start facing problems with their leaves turning yellow or brown. If your plant’s leaves have turned yellow or brown check our list of causes mostly watering is the main issue and their treatments I am fully sure that you will be able to fix your plants
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