Dracaena fragrans “Massangeana” is frequently referred to as corn plant. Other monikers include mass cane, fragrant dracaena and Massangeana. This true tropical is winter hardy only in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 10b through 11 and lends itself well to indoor culture. Undemanding and quite tolerant of novice gardeners, corn plant may grow very large and needs periodic pruning to keep its size manageable. While you can safely prune this plant during the year, trim it back through spring or summer to control growth efficiently.

Use clear, sharp shears or loppers to prune the corn plant’s comes back to an appealing height. Make your cuts clean and leave no ragged edges. New shoots sill soon emerge directly below the cuts. Prune stalks straight across for even shoot increase, or cut at an angle for interesting variants in shoot heights. Leave at least 12 inches of the stem above the ground level. Should you maintain your corn plant lifted on a table or stand, prune stalks to between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 feet tall to make an appealing accent. For larger floor plants, prune stalks to between 3 1/2 and 5 feet tall to include dramatic highlights to any décor. Multi-stemmed corn crops are especially handsome with stalks trimmed to staggered lengths.

Cut two or three of the stalks of adult multi-stemmed corn plants close to each other at the exact same height to fill in sparse sections of the canopy wherever you desire a thicker appearance. The new increase will rapidly populate the ends of the cut stems, leading to more foliar quantity in the region.

Prune out any broken, diseased or dead stem development as it happens during the year. Remove any discolored places, and all tissues which are not bright, healthy green.

Clip off occasional brown leaf areas with clean, sharp scissors because they may occur during the year. Cut across healthful tissue just above the brown element. Consider trimming out spots or brown borders by following the general outline of the leaf so that it is going to maintain its appealing form.

Prune all of the corn plant’s comes back to about 6 inches tall in the spring to replenish an extremely leggy or weak-looking plant. This will give it the entire growing season to produce strong new development and restore itself to its former beauty.

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