I grew glass gem corn exclusively this year, and got some pretty good ears so far, although not very many are ready yet. I did start mine a bit late, but I used soil blocks to start mine. It was only my second time growing corn, with the first being a total failure (corn doesn't like to grow up in containers), so I'd say big improvement here! How big did everyone's glass gem ears get? Mine might be on the small side (especially that one with poor pollination). Anyways, if I get a lot more successful ears, I might be willing to share some seed.

Jess. your poor Dracaena! It's been through a lot. Tap water is fine. You don't need Spring or any other bottled water. Also, it's not sunburn. One thing you should have been doing the last 5-years is rotating your Dracaena 1/4 turn once a week. I think your Corn Plant has/d a 'Dehydration' problem. How long did it go without being watered? You didn't mention time spent away from home. You also stated the pot doesn't have drainage. Do you know the container size? Was it watered before you left? Let's say soil dried completely and was w/o water for a good amount of time. Then you returned and gave it heavy drink..Possibly too much?? Even though there are rocks on the bottom of pot, if you added too much water, the roots could have been sitting in water all this time. Do you check soil between waterings? Not only the top, but halfway or further down? Your container looks large, 'by the picture.' If the top soil dries, it doesnt' mean the bottom soil is dry too. It needs to be checked..A thin stake is sufficient. Insert the stake as deep as possible. If the stake comes out wet, the bottom soil is still wet. And visa versa. Lifting a pot is another way to check. Lift after watering. Wait a week, two, etc, and relift. If the pot is light, most likely the soil is either drying out or dry. Only you can determine its weight and use judgement whether or not it needs a drink. Why did you start watering twice a month instead of once? It's possible its roots aren't absorbing water, 'if it's beens sitting in muddy soil.' Short periods of drought won't cause much harm, but heavy periods can cause permanent damage, preventing the plant from breathing. This happens frequently. Soil dries too much, then the plant ends up over-watered. Especially if the pot is w/o drainage. If your plant was in a pot with drainage, the first thing that should have been done is, soaking in a bucket of water, until top of soil is moist. Soaking can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes. Possibly more depending on pot size and amount of soil. What type of soil was used when you last repotted? Have you repotted in the last 5-years? Do you fertilize? It's going to require some work, but you love your plant so it's well worth it. Unpot the plant. Toss out old soil. Add fresh, semi-well-draining soil. Although your pot is very pretty, instead of potting directly in the container, pot in a plastic pot w/drainage. Pot size should be determined by the root-ball. 1-3 sizes larger is fine. After your plant is potted, it can be placed in your pretty blue pot. BUT, it's important you place something inside the pot so when you water, roots don't sit in water. I use styrofoam sheets. Break a piece or two to fit inside ccontainer, 'depending on thickness,' in the blue pot, then set the plastic pot on top of the styrofoam. Water well...enough all parts of the rootball are moistened. Remove dead leaves, or trim brown edges of leaves. Is the air in your house dry? If so, start misting. Or, if your plant isn't too heavy, give it a shower. Rain water is the best medicine, but if it's cold or not raining, that's out. lol. Instead, spray each leaf. After your Dracanea settles in, renews growth, give it a half-dossage of an All Purpose Fertilizer. In the future, rotate, once a week, so the entire plant gets balanced light. an unobstructed, south window is usually harsh for Dracaneas, in summer, when sun is blazing, but since your Corn Plant has been in that window the last 5 yrs, it probably adapted. Sunburn would be obvious. I wish you luck..It's going to take some work, but you love your plant, so get to it. BTW, check its roots. Corn Plants are pretty forgiving. Toni

You said you've had this combo-plant for 9 years (which is GREAT!) and repotted it a year ago. When you repotted it, did you move it to a different location? Maybe it's not getting as much sun as it used to? What side is the window where it is? Without knowing where you are, it's hard to know how much sun it is getting. You can find your zone here. If you include it in your profile info, it will show up next to your name automatically when you say something on these forums.

It's awesome! It's perfectly normal for a specimen of its' age in a pot inside. The foliage near the top could be a bit sparse from being above the window, getting less light. Sorry for the delayed reply, errand day yesterday. There's a bunch of pics of older plants here: http://allthingsplants.com/plants/view/76304/Corn-Plant-Dracaena-fragrans/ Even in a 3-story atrium, the lower parts of the trunks become naked over time, as older leaves are lost, similar to the growth of any large tree. Whenever a trunk becomes too tall, it can be cut where one would like to see a new side branch. New growth usually comes from a spot near the cut. So, the lower the cut is made, the more room a new branch has to grow before getting too tall again. Sticking the cut piece(s) back in the pot can help yield a more full look, but trying to hide the trunks isn't necessary, under the umbrella of "normal" but perfectly fine if that's just what you prefer to look at. If you go in the house plant forum and search for Dracaena within that forum, you'll also see tons of other, similar discussions, with many more pics. If none of this is appealing, you can "make" your own new plant from this one. Cut off the pieces that are the most attractive to you, stick them in a pot, pushing the trunks all the way to the bottom of the pot so they will be sturdily upright. Using an uneven number, cut to different heights, would yield an instantly bushy-looking "new" plant. Some of the existing leaves are usually discarded when doing cuttings like that, but I've never had one fail to take root and start growing great new leaves within a few months. A nursing home or university would probably love to have the rest of it, if you prefer that idea & want to ditch the stump/root ball. Keep asking questions (here or in house plants,) if you have more of them, until you feel confident & can decide on a plan that's right for what you want to end up with.