Corn Plant?

[Bunny McElwee]

I've got a plant that I have always called a Corn Plant because it resembles corn growing in a field. It grows from a short piece of "wood' stock and there are four "stems" growing up off of the top of the stock and grow quite well. I've had this plant in the same pot since it was given to me 10 years ago. It's always been a beautiful plant, but I have often wondered if there was a way to cut off one of the "stems" and make a new plant. I have two stems that are seemingly growing from the same spot on one side of the stock. The others all seem to be spaced well, and growing well. Is there a way for me to cut off one of the two that are growing right next to each other and pot it in another pot for another plant? I don't want to harm the mother plant, but if all I lose is one stem, I can live with that. Any suggestions on how to go about propagating this particular plant? I love this plant and would love to have another one growing as well as this one does. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help. Pics of plant can be found at

[Cereus-validus.....]

No, little funny bunny.

Its Dracaena fragrans, the Dragon Tree, and it really doesn't resemble Zea mays much at all.

Do a Google search and you will find much on how to care for this common plant.

[Stephen Henning]

Dracaena can be propagated from stem-tip, stem, or cane cuttings, and air-layering. Air layering is a low risk operation. Here's how to do air-layering. With Dracaena, you will need to remove leave for about

4" along the cane. Then do the air-layer in that part. Don't do the layer too far down the stem. Then you will have too much growth for the new roots to handle.

The advantage of air layering is that you can air-layer one stem at a time. You don't sever it from the parent plant until you can see lots of roots in the poly film

More detailed instructions for air-layering canes is provided at:

This combined with pictorial directions in the previous reference should give you what you need.