Dieffenbachia (Dumbcane) – How to Grow & Care for A Dieffenbachia Plant
The large and showy Dieffenbachia can be the ideal living beautification for the home or office. When you learn how to grow and care for a Dieffenbachia plant, you’ll find it to be flexible to different kinds of lighting and conditions in which you might not imagine a Dieffenbachia houseplant to grow.
How to Grow a Dieffenbachia Plant
The Dieffenbachia genus comprises a large group of beautiful tropical perennials, but the ones most normally grown in cultivation are D. sequine, D. oerstedii, D. maculata, and D. amoena. Some Dieffenbachia species have newly been reassigned with different names, so you may run into confusion on the exact naming of different varieties. Jointly, they are usually known as Dieffenbachias or Dumbcanes. The name “Dumbcane” invented because chewing the plant can cause bumps of the tongue and trouble speaking.
Dieffenbachias highlights pointed, egg-shaped leaves in a variety of combinations of green, cream, and white colors. A big, well-grown Dieffenbachia can reach 10 feet, with leaves 20 inches long. However, the plants will seldom reach this size in classic indoor situations, where 3 to 5 feet is more common. Dieffenbachia is a fast-growing plant that can attain 2 feet in height within a year of planting a rooted cutting, if it gets sufficient light.
How to Care for a Dieffenbachia Plant
Complications with Dieffenbachia plant can be simply overcome in most conditions. The most common problem with growing Dumbcane Dieffenbachia is excessive humidity. Overwatering is a common problem with many indoor plants and the Dieffenbachia is no exception. Plant the Dieffenbachia in well-draining soil and water jokily, keeping the soil constantly moist, but not wet. Examine the soil to validate it is dry an inch (2.5 cm) down before watering the Dieffenbachia plant.
Other problems with the Dumbcane plant may be generated by incorrect lighting. When growing Dumbcane, most varieties do best in a filtered light condition, where bright to moderate light gleams through a sheer curtain or other filtering window cover. Filtered light is mainly significant in the spring and summer season, when the Dieffenbachia plant is producing new, tender leaves that are subject to sunburn if the light is too bright or gleams straight on the plant.
Rotate the Dieffenbachia plant habitually to provide suitable light to all sides of the plant and stop it from reaching towards the light on one side. When growing Dumbcane of several cultivars, check light necessities for the particular plant. Some plants need low filtered light. Most cultivars do well with a low light location, however, growth is sluggish or stops, but the plant will stay healthy and gorgeous.
When growing the Dieffenbachia plant, fertilize twice a month to boost growth and a healthy plant.
Dumbcane Plant Problems
Browning bottom leaves on the Dumbcane are usual for the plant. Cut them off to keep the plant neat.
If other leaves seem washed-out, with a webby material on the underside, check and treat the plant for spider ticks with insecticidal soap spray or neem oil. Don’t use the chemical substances for this issue on the growing Dieffenbachia, as it often makes the problem poorer.
If you notice water drops on the Dumbcane plant, you may surprise, why the plant drip water. This is the byproduct of the transpiration practice, which is active in many plants.
It’s also significant to note that the leaves, if chewed or eaten, can cause impermanent swelling of the tongue and throat, which lead to a temporary loss of speech and the normal plant name of Dumbcane. While this is generally not serious, it can cause asphyxia. Avoid placing the plant where probing children or pets might be attracted to taste it.
Dieffenbachia Varieties
Only a few of the many varieties of Dieffenbachia are commercially sold:
- D. Seguine is the most famous Dieffenbachia species, a native of Brazil with groups of large egg-shaped leaves with green margins stained with yellow or cream color. They can grow as high as 10 feet.
- D. Maculata (previously known as D. Picta). Decent cultivars include ‘Perfection’, with deeply variegated 8-inch leaves; ‘Rudolph Roehrs’, with completely yellow leaves with ivory splotches; and ‘Superba’, with denser leaves and white variegation. ‘Camille’ has pale yellow leaves with white borders and grows to about 3 feet.
- D. Amoena is a big, 6-foot plant with 20-inch leaves. One prominent cultivar is ‘Tropic Snow’, which has minor leaves and more variegation.
Be alert that various species of Dieffenbachia have suffered reassignment, and species names may alter.
Propagating Dieffenbachia Plant
There are 3 easy ways to propagate a Dieffenbachia plant:
- During repotting in the spring, offsets can be separated (leaving some roots intact) and planted in their specific pots. If you take this route, make certain not to harm the root systems of the parent plant in the procedure, and use a disinfected tool to avoid spreading disease.
- In older, awkward Dieffenbachias, the top can be cut off and potted into fresh new potting soil with a rooting hormone. New leaves will bud from the stump. Once new leaves produced, remove the older leaves.
- Pieces of the plant can be grown by laying them horizontally in moist potting soil. As the pieces take root, leaves will progressively develop.
Potting and Repotting Dieffenbachia Plant
Repot yearly for better results—just lift the plant as a whole, knock away any old soil and numb material from the roots, and replace it in a bigger container. Watch out for signs of strain on the plant, such as roots stabbing out from the surface, crowding, or falling leaves, which could indicate that the plant requires repotting. After repotting a Dieffenbachia plant, give it some time to alter to its new situation. Confirm to wear gloves to evade contact with the sap.
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