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abigail1280

Repot the corn plant

abigail1280
12 years ago

Last summer I received 2 corn plants quite by accident. (They were supposed to be Spider plants) I potted them up and today, I decided to repot them. Some of their roots were like fat worms, and they were pot bound. So, how often do I need to repot them?

Comments (17)

  • birdsnblooms
    12 years ago

    Abigail, when roots fill a pot, it's time for a larger pot, or if roots are pruned, a plant can be set back in the same container.
    Can't give an exact repot date, since plants grow at different rates.

    Dracaena 'Corn Plants' doesn't need frequent repotting. Toni


  • thirdyearbonsai
    12 years ago

    Depending on the age/size of the plant and how vigorously it is growing, I'd say for "younger" plants every other year is a good rule of thumb. This isn't true for much older, larger plants, but hey I'm really just generalizing here.

    How big are the plants? What size pots were they in and what size did you pot-up to? Hopefully you thoroughly opened the root balls before you re-potted them?

    Personally, I like corn plants more than spider plants (which are OK too..) so if you got those by accident sounds like you scored!!

    -3rd yr

    Here is a link that might be useful: Houseplantblog.com

  • abigail1280
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    They went from 2 1/2" pots up to a 4" pot and the other one is about 4 1/2". The smaller is about 12" from the soil to the end of the longest leaf, while the other is 17". Yes I did work the root ball open. I can't say I'm disappointed. At first I was like, a corn plant??? Instead of my Hawaiian Spider plant?? But now that I know what they are, I'm very happy with them. Not to mention, they look much prettier than they did when I first got them.

    When they arrived in the mail:
    {{gwi:84009}}
    {{gwi:84010}}

    Today:
    {{gwi:84011}}

  • karate626
    12 years ago

    The plant in those pictures is a green spider plant. Not all of them are variegated.

    T.J.

  • abigail1280
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Wow now I'm confused.

    I have a green spider plant, and the 2 plants in the last picture look absolutely nothing like it. My green spider has very thin leaves, while the leaves on the other two are more than twice as thick. They're thicker than my thumb.

    I had posted the top 2 photos on here last summer and every one had told me that they were corn plants.

    I'm 100% positive that the plants in the top 2 photos and the plants in the bottom photo are the same.

    So are they corn plants or spider plants? And if they're spider plants, I now want a corn plant, lol.

  • karate626
    12 years ago

    Here is a picture of green spider plants I found online that look just like mine.

    {{gwi:84012}}

    This is a corn plant that looks like mine.

    {{gwi:84013}}

    I think yours looks like a green spider plant.

    T.J.

  • abigail1280
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Well, you've rained on my parade! Lol, just kidding. Honestly, seeing those pictures, I agree with you. I did take a picture of my green spider plant and the other together. The green spider plant (on the right), I got from a friend off of her spider plant in early 2010. The other (on the left) I got in the summer of 2010. Is there any chance it could possibly be a Hawaiian Spider Plant? I'm only asking because there was supposed to be one in the grouping. Or are there different varieties of green spider plants? I just find it interesting that the two younger plants are so much larger and have wider leaves than the slightly older one, while they've both been grown in pretty much the same conditions .. sitting approximately 2 feet apart from each other in the same window.

    {{gwi:84014}}

    Now I need to acquire a corn plant!

  • birdsnblooms
    12 years ago

    Abigail...no, corn plant..sorry..your first group of pics...the first two pictures, are definately different.
    Do you notice the lines on the leaves? An ordinary green Spider doesn't have these lines..It's most unusual.

    In your second group of pics, the Spider to the left is Hawaiian. Very beautiful. They're babies/shoots are amazing.

    I've seen tiny tiny Corn Plants w/o bark, 'showing.' At first glace, yours could have passed for a seedling Corn Plant, but in your renewed pics, they're obviously Spiders.

    Ususally, Home Depot has Corn Plants for sale. Not bad prices, either. 10.00 for a 4' tree. But the best time to buy them, 'from HD,' is when they're first shipped..they're a little more money, but foliage is perfect..plus you get to pick one you like. I've always admired Corn Plants with a deep yellow band in-between green leaves.

    Good luck, hope you find your plant..Your Spiders are very nice..now all you need is Fire Flash, Curly, Variegated w/green in the center, Variegated w/white in the center, and Golden...lol. Toni

  • gravyboots
    12 years ago

    I actually have 2 different types of green spiders; one is lighter green, with wider leaves & the other is darker, glossy green, with narrower leaves... The lighter plant's leaves are more tender.

    Were the roots big, swollen-looking, like they were storing lots of water & bulging out toward the tips instead of tapering? Chlorophytums have pretty distinctive root systems, while in my experience, Dracaena's roots are pretty run-of-the-mill.

    GB

  • abigail1280
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thank you for the compliments!

    Toni ~ Come to think of it, I've seen corn plants for sale. So perhaps soon I will get one.

    I do have the curly spider, and the variegated with green in the center, along with my green and the two in the pictures. I've not even heard of the Fire Flash or Golden. I googled both and found images of the Fire Flash. Very pretty!

    GB ~ When I repotted, the roots did look like fat worms!

  • karate626
    12 years ago

    About the roots. Mine also look like large white worms. I would say the differences in your spider plants is just natural variation. I have spider plants with solid green and one that looks just like yours, a little variegation in the middle but barely noticeable. I love the look of them in a hanning pot with lots of babies (the little plantlets) hanging off the side. If you leave the babies hanging off the mother plant long enough, the babies may produce more babies themselves!

    T.J.

  • gravyboots
    12 years ago

    Abigail, I have some Fire-Flash seeds ripening... I'll mail some if you like, when they're ready. No guarantees about germination though :D

  • birdsnblooms
    12 years ago

    Abigail..Oh yeah, FireFlash is very pretty. Walmart had then for sale a couple years ago..4" for 1.50!

    Here's my Golden Spider.

    {{gwi:84015}}

    I bought cuttings from a seller on Ebay in 2009..She sold nothing but cuttings.. .99 a shoot, not bad. Toni

  • abigail1280
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    TJ - I love the way they look too! My Curly spider's babies always start growing roots of their own. Yesterday I found another baby tucked in almost under the pot, and it had these really odd looking sideways roots .. like it was trying to reach the dirt. My varigated has quite a few babies on it. It's very pretty!

    GB - I would LOVE to have some seeds! Do you have advice on proper conditions? Do I need to create a "greenhouse" for them? And what type of soil/soil mixture would be best? Thank you!

    Toni - That plant is gorgeous! I love the variegation on the leaves. Very beautiful!!

  • gravyboots
    12 years ago

    Abigail, shoot me an e-mail from my page here (if anyone else is interested, send a note too). The seeds are pretty dinky, so a SASE will do for shipping.

    I've never grown Fire Flash before - the S.O. just purchased one for me in Jan, but it has a whole bunch of pods ripening... slowly. Very slowly. I have no idea when they might be done.

    Toni, how long have you been growing your FF? Any idea when the pods finish up?

    The comments on the PATSP blog make sowing sound like a cinch:

    Here is a link that might be useful: some FF info, from someone who knows more than I

  • karate626
    12 years ago

    Toni- The growth your spider plant has produced is amazing!

    Gravyboots- I sent you an email.

    T.J.

  • birdsnblooms
    12 years ago

    Thanks..

    Gravy, found my FF at Jewel, 'grocery store,' 7-8 yrs ago. I'd have to check my plant jounal to be certain.

    It's only flowered twice. A few yrs ago, and last summer. Are you saying after flowers fade, pods produce? If so, I don't remember seeing any..Are they seed pods? Cool. Toni

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