Dieffenbachia, with its gorgeous, strong leaves of different sizes and colors, cannot leave more than one amateur gardener indifferent. Depending on the type, Dieffenbachia may have one or several trunks. It grows very quickly. Some varieties can reach two meters in height. Requires constant painstaking care.
Region of origin: tropics of South and Central America.
Growth: rapid, especially in spring and summer. During the dormant period, autumn and winter, Dieffenbachia can continue to grow.
Location: The plant is shaded from direct rays of the sun. It is better if you place the tub with Dieffenbachia a meter or one and a half from the window. Some varieties, such as Dieffenbachia charming, can grow in partial shade. It is not difficult to determine whether your plant will feel good in the back of the room - the fewer white spots on the leaves of a variety, the more shade-tolerant it is. If you place a spotted plant in the shade, then over time it will lose its properties and the leaves will become dark green. In addition, when kept in the shade, the leaves may become smaller. Dieffenbachias do not tolerate drafts! It can lead to rapid leaf loss.
Temperature: The plant should be kept warm. The lower temperature threshold is 16 degrees. At temperatures above 25 degrees, the tips of the leaves may dry out.
Air humidity: As with most tropical plants, humidity should be high. To do this, the plant is sprayed every day. You can’t do this only if it’s cold in the apartment. Dieffenbachia loves “bathing” in a warm shower. To do this, place the plant in a bath, wrap the pot with plastic wrap to prevent water from getting on the ground, and rinse the leaves and trunk well with water. In addition to a simple hygiene procedure, you will thus protect your plant from the possible occurrence of diseases and pests. If the flower is of impressive size, simply wipe the leaves and (necessarily) the trunk with a damp cloth from time to time.
Watering: in spring and summer, Dieffenbachia is watered immediately after the top layer of soil dries; during the dormant period in autumn and winter, watering is moderate, that is, a couple more days should pass after the top layer of soil dries. You cannot overwater the plant.
Feeding: during the growth period from spring to autumn, feed with mineral and organic fertilizers 2-3 times a month. If Dieffenbachia is not fed, it will shed its leaves faster. When applying fertilizer with a high nitrogen content, the leaves acquire a dark green color, while losing their variegation.
Flowering: It blooms briefly in April-May in the form of a yellowish cob. Blooming Dieffenbachia does not cause any interest, so in order not to weaken the plant, it is better to remove the inflorescence. If you want to see what the flower looks like, remove it immediately after flowering.
Carefully! All parts of the plant are poisonous! Wear gloves and wash your hands thoroughly immediately after touching the plant.
Pruning: Dieffenbachia is pruned only for rooting. This way she is rejuvenated. If you don't do this from time to time, you will end up with a bare stem in your tub with a crown of leaves on top.
Dormant period: autumn-winter, but even during this period the plant can continue to grow. Keep at room temperature, additional lighting is desirable.
Soil: Dieffenbachia grows well in loose, slightly acidic soil. It itself can be composed of two parts of leaf soil, two parts of turf and one part each of peat, crushed sphagnum moss and sand.
Transplantation: as Dieffenbachia grows, it is replanted, or better yet, transferred to a slightly larger pot than the previous one. When transshipping, you need to replace the drainage, lower and upper layers of soil. The plant can easily tolerate replanting at any time of active growth (spring-summer).
Reproduction: this is usually done when the plant loses its decorative effect. It is necessary to cut off the apical part with leaves. The cut should be 2 cm below the extreme node. After this, it is necessary to wash the cut from the milky juice in warm water and powder it with crushed charcoal or root. It can be rooted in both soil substrate and water, where it is advisable to add activated carbon. The roots will appear in about two weeks. Rooting is almost one hundred percent, provided that the sprout is kept in a warm place with constant spraying.
The remaining bare trunk can be left in the tub, watering it moderately. After some time, a new sprout will appear from the top node. It is trimmed and rooted in the soil mixture. In this way you can get several new young Dieffenbachias.
When propagating by stem cuttings, the plant trunk is cut into 2-3 internodes, the juice is washed off with warm water and dried for 1-2 days. Lay it horizontally in a substrate of peat and sand, sprinkle it and keep it constantly moist. After the roots appear, they are planted in the prepared soil mixture for Dieffenbachia.
The plant trunk, cut and rooted to the maximum, can be left in the ground, watered and fertilized as usual, and another plant can be obtained from the apical bud on the trunk.
Possible problems when growing:
- leaves become smaller: move the plant to a brighter place, but not in direct sunlight;
- leaves turn yellow: the plant may be overwatered;
- the plant loses its leaves too quickly: irregular watering, too small pot;
- The tips of the leaves dry out: dry air, draft, waterlogging of the soil (may be due to poor drainage in the pot, this leads to stagnation of water), too high or low temperature, direct sunlight;
- The stem rots: the plant is over-watered, the air temperature is low. It usually starts at the bottom of the stem, so the best solution is to trim the top of the plant and root it. Then you can root the healthy parts of the stem by cutting them into pieces of three buds and burying them horizontally in the soil;
- lower leaves curl up: draft, low temperature;
- the edges of the leaves turn brown: the plant is cold, the soil is drying out, the water is hard;
- leaves lose their spotting: direct sunlight;
- the leaves take on a pale hue: direct sunlight.
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