Thank you for taking a look at my three plants and helping me identify the type. Once I know what they are I would like to learn a proper watering schedule and amount as well as any other required information. Thanks!

Hi there,

The first one looks a little like it might be in the Croton family, but I'm not certain. The 2nd is Sansaveria (Sp?) aka "mother-in-laws tongue" or 'snake plant' and the last one is sometimes referred to as Dumb cane (or corn plant, but that's pretty generic). If you google those you should be able to get cultural requirements. Dumb cane gets it's name because it causes the mouth to go numb if chewed or eaten. Not sure about toxicological factors on those.

NHJenDion said:Hi there,

The first one looks a little like it might be in the Croton family, but I'm not certain. The 2nd is Sansaveria (Sp?) aka "mother-in-laws tongue" or 'snake plant' and the last one is sometimes referred to as Dumb cane (or corn plant, but that's pretty generic). If you google those you should be able to get cultural requirements. Dumb cane gets it's name because it causes the mouth to go numb if chewed or eaten. Not sure about toxicological factors on those.

Not a dumb cane, its a dracaena(sansevieria) species. corn plant is one of the correct common names, though.

Middle is Sansevieria trifasciata futura.

thank you for the info folks. Would anyone be able to recommend a one-stop-shop for all the care info i would need?

Your Croton is already struggling from the repotting. Two of the stems have lost their leaves and probably will not recover. Crotons do best on a cool sunny windowsill. They also don't like their roots disturbed. The repotting has also made proper watering more difficult. In general, the soil around the roots should stay damp.

Your Sansevieria also would have been better left in its tight nursery pot. The soil needs to dry deep (halfway) into the pot before watering it lightly. It can withstand drought, but not constanly damp soil. It can tolerate low light as well as a sunny location.

Your Dracaena fragrans is commonly called Corn Plant. It is not a Dumb Cane which is a Dieffenbachia species. The Dieffenbachia is toxic but the Dracaena is not.

Your Corn Plant also would have been better left in its nursery pot. It should be close to a window but beyond the reach of the direct rays of the sun. Allow the top 2 inches of soil to dry before adding just enough water so that the top 2 inches get dry again in about a week.

Every plant is unique in its requirements so a one-size-fits-all approach is not a good idea. If you have care questions about specific plants, this site is the best place to get reliable information

#1, #2, #3 are Croton (Codiaeum variegatum)
#4 Dracaena
#5 Mass Cane (Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana')

GraceHazel said:

Not a dumb cane, its a dracaena(sansevieria) species. corn plant is one of the correct common names, though.

WOW- I am not sure what Grace Hazel meant. Its probably just doing quick punctuation but it appears confusing.. .

Here's a quickie on naming plants. There are Latin names that start with genus (group) than species (specific type). Then there are common names that are used as a hold over from old times and also now as a way to identify brand variations (e.g. Stella D'oro day lillies or certain named roses).
If you want people to think you're really smart- Always Capitalize genus, never species. E.g. Homo sapien.

Dracaena describes a genus. A genus is a group of species closely related. Dracaena ARE commonly known as cane plants (3rd plant).
Sansevieria is an entirely different genus- they are commonly known as snake plants (second plant).
They are 2 separate genus, or groups, just like canis/felis (AKA dog/cat) are two different genus. House cat and lion are two common species that belong to the genus Felis, their traits are Feline. You would never describe something as Canis(Felis) which reads: dogish(catish)- or, in this case Dracaena(Sansiveria).

I can't ID your species specifically.
The third plant is a cane, a Dracaena something. The second is a snake plant, Sanseveria something. Although I can't answer your question specifically, I wanted to prepare you to go get the information you want, understand the responses, and consider their validity.

Good news is, these are really tolerant plants. Don't over-water them- they are not canine or feline, lol- daily water will kill them.

Thank you for all the great info.

Can you please tell me which plant this is and the proper watering/sunlight it requires? Thanks!

Fittonia or nerve plant. If you search this forum there are many threads about this plant which can be difficult to keep.

With those spotted/splashed leaves, it looks more like Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)
It appears to be planted in a terra cotta type pot which will dry out much faster than plastic so you may need to water more often. I would place it as close to a window where it will receive very bright light but no direct sun falling on the leaves. In nature they grow in dappled shade and too much direct sun will burn the foliage.



It appears to be planted in a terra cotta type pot which will dry out much faster than plastic so you may need to water more often. I would place it as close to a window where it will receive very bright light but no direct sun falling on the leaves. In nature, they grow in dappled shade and too much direct sun will burn the foliage.



Here's the database link for Nerve Plant, whose leaves are larger and have distinctive veining, rather than spots/splashes: Nerve Plant (Fittonia albivenis)

Ah yes, Lin is right. Polka dot plant.

@kniphofia, Sue .. LOL, I recall some time ago that I identified a Polka Dot plant as a Fittonia. In a wilted state, they do appear a bit similar; I had to enlarge the photo and keep going back and forth comparing it to the Nerve Plant and the Polka Dot Plant.

@tonightwetaco - Your Hypoestes is wilting pretty badly. Unless the soil is dry, it is probably a reaction to the repotting that was done.

In general, it should be located where it can get a few hours of direct sun each day. The soil needs to stay damp, but not constantly wet. It does best when kept tightly potted.

thank you once again. It is doing very well after some watering!

Good news!

Cheerio!

please see the photos below. I came up with this idea in the hopes that it would solve a leaning plant. I would like to be sure this will not harm the corn plant and would of course appreciate any other advice. Thanks!

What you have done will not harm the plant. However, there are some more elegant ways to deal with the leaning problem.

Moving the plant closer to the window will help it develop thicker, sturdier stems in the future.

You can pull up the soil/rootball an inch or two and reposition it slightly in the pot so it is more upright.

You can prune off the top foot or so of the main stem and insert the cutting in the soil where there is a reasonable chance it will root and grow upward from there. Removing the top foot will make it less top-heavy. New growth will emerge starting where you make the pruning cut and grow upward from there.

You can do any one of those things or all three.

thank you once again.

@Turbosaurus, Just as I was surprised about it. Sansevieria is now under Dracaena. Seems the flowers are the same and they can cross pollinate and produce fertile seedlings. There is a new patent on one now.