Corn plant
Dracaena fragrans, shrub, evergreen
Water a corn plant when the soil is dry a few centimetres down, which indoors means every 4–12 days in summer and every 7–19 in winter. It wants plenty of light but not the hot midday sun, and starts to suffer below 15 °C (59 °F).
Updated 12 October 2026. How we write these pages
Corn plant at a glance
Water, indoors
4–12
days in summer
7–19
days in winter
When the soil is dry a few centimetres down.
Month by month
Minimum temperature
10–15 °C
It starts to suffer between 10 and 15 °C (50–59 °F).
Cats and dogs
Toxic to dogs and cats.
Chewing the leaves can make them ill: keep it out of their reach.
Growth
Slow. It’s a shrub.
Feeding
Some, while it’s growing.
Follow the dose and frequency on your fertiliser’s label.
Repotting
When the roots fill the pot.
Pruning
No regular pruning needed. If the stems get too long, cut them back whenever you like.
Where does your plant live?
Pick its place and see what changes.
What changes
- Indoors, near the window. The light is right, as long as the hot midday sun doesn’t hit the leaves through the glass.
- Indoors, away from the window. With less light it grows more slowly and new leaves come in smaller. If you can, move the pot closer to the window.
- Outdoors, in the shade. This suits it: outdoors, bright shade is the light it likes best.
- Outdoors, in the sun. Full sun scorches its leaves, so move the pot into the shade, at least for the hottest hours.
- Indoors, summer. In July it usually needs water every 4–12 days. Heat dries the soil faster, so feel it more often.
- Indoors, winter, heating on. In January it usually needs water every 7–19 days, and more often near a radiator, because warm air dries the soil.
- Indoors, winter, cool room. In January it usually needs water every 7–19 days, and less often in a cool room, where the soil stays damp for a long time.
- Indoors, winter, cool room. It starts to suffer below 15 °C (59 °F), so the room has to stay warmer than that.
- Outdoors, summer. Outside the soil dries faster than indoors, where in July it needs water every 4–12 days, so in the sun feel it often.
- Outdoors, winter. It starts to suffer below 15 °C (59 °F). Bring the pot indoors before the first cold nights.
How often to water a corn plant
Indoors, month by month. Tap a column.
In October
Every 6–16 days
Usually every 10 days. Feel the soil first, and water when it is dry a few centimetres down.
Every month in a table
| Month | Usually | Usually between |
|---|---|---|
| January | every 12 days | 7–19 days |
| February | every 12 days | 7–19 days |
| March | every 11 days | 6–17 days |
| April | every 9 days | 6–15 days |
| May | every 8 days | 5–13 days |
| June | every 8 days | 4–12 days |
| July | every 8 days | 4–12 days |
| August | every 8 days | 4–12 days |
| September | every 8 days | 5–13 days |
| October | every 10 days | 6–16 days |
| November | every 11 days | 7–18 days |
| December | every 12 days | 7–19 days |
Typical intervals indoors in the northern hemisphere: light, the pot and the season stretch or shorten them. How to tell when to water, with a finger and the weight of the pot.
Soil, propagation and problems
Soil
An all-purpose potting mix that holds a little moisture but drains well: if it’s very dense, add some perlite. It likes it slightly acidic, like a mix for acid-loving plants.
Propagation
From a cutting: cut a piece of stem with at least one node and stand it in water or damp soil until it roots.
Common problems
The most frequent: Scale insects · Thrips · Mealybugs · Spider mites
When you feel the soil, look under the leaves too: pests show up there first.
Corn plant: good to know
Dracaena tips can brown from salts, chlorine and fluoride in tap water. Brown tips can also come from dry air, watering or insects.
Corn plant: questions and answers
How often should you water a corn plant in winter?
Indoors in January, usually every 12 days (between 7 and 19), compared with every 8 in July. The longest gaps run from December to February.
How can you tell when a corn plant needs water?
When the soil is dry a few centimetres down, not just on the surface.
How much light does a corn plant need?
Plenty of light, without the direct midday sun, which can scorch the leaves. Indoors it does well near a bright window, and further from the window it grows more slowly.
Is a corn plant toxic to cats and dogs?
Toxic to dogs and cats. Chewing the leaves can make them ill: keep it out of their reach.
How much cold can a corn plant take?
It starts to suffer from the cold somewhere between 10 and 15 °C (50–59 °F). If it spends the summer outside, bring the pot in before nights drop below 15 °C, and in winter keep it away from cold glass and draughts.
When should you repot a corn plant?
When the roots fill the pot. If needed, the best time is spring, when it starts growing again. There are usually 2 to 3 years between repottings.
How do you prune a corn plant?
No regular pruning needed. Cut weak stems back to about 15 cm.
How can you tell if a corn plant is getting too much water or too little?
Too much water often shows as leaves turning yellow, soft brown patches on the leaves and leaves drooping even though the soil is wet. Too little shows as leaves drooping, leaves and buds dropping and young shoots drying out.
What soil does a corn plant need?
An all-purpose potting mix that holds a little moisture but drains well: if it’s very dense, add some perlite. It likes it slightly acidic, like a mix for acid-loving plants.
How do you propagate a corn plant?
From a cutting: cut a piece of stem with at least one node and stand it in water or damp soil until it roots.
Which pests and diseases affect a corn plant?
The most frequent are scale insects, thrips, mealybugs and spider mites. When you feel the soil, look under the leaves too: pests show up there first.
Read next
Every plant has its own rhythm. LINFA keeps track for you.
It looks at the light where your plant stands, its pot and the season, and tells you when to check it.
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