Dieffenbachia is very popular among domestic flower growers because it looks spectacular and is unpretentious in leaving. However, this flower should not be grown in a house where there are children and pets - the juice of the plant is poisonous. When caring for a flower, the necessary precautions should be strictly observed.
About the history of appearance
The flower owes its name to the German botanist. For the first time, this species was discovered in the wild by I.F. Dieffenbach. Later varieties for cultivation at home were artificially bred.
Dieffenbachia - a frequent "guest on the windowsills"
Appearance
Dieffenbachia belongs to the Aroid family. In the wild, it grows in South America. The main features of the view:
- Fleshy large dark green leaves with light green stripes;
- Tall but fragile stalk;
- A large number of lateral processes;
- Fast growth and development.
There are several varieties recommended for growing at home.
Common varieties
The most common varieties are Spotted (large-leaved bush variety), White Flame and Seguin, as well as Mix. They tolerate temperature extremes and are resistant to diseases and pests. You can buy planting material in specialized stores or from amateur gardeners.
Caution! Plant is poisonous
The plant itself is not harmful to health. However, if you cut a leaf or stem, juice will start to stand out from it. This juice has an irritating effect on the skin and mucous membranes, can provoke allergies or even Quincke's edema. Therefore, when pruning or transplanting, in no case should the flower be damaged mechanically.
Flower gives off poisonous milky juice
Attention! The poisonous juice of the plant affects the skin: itching, irritation, blisters appear. Symptoms resemble allergic dermatitis or eczema. In order not to encounter this unpleasant phenomenon, care for the flower is necessary only in protective gloves.
Home Care
Dieffenbachia care at home is the right watering and intensive top dressing. Also included in the list of required events:
- Maintaining proper temperature conditions;
- Fight against diseases, pests and parasites;
- Cropping
- Preparing for the winter.
Particular attention requires watering. It must be moderate, otherwise the stem will quickly decay.
Temperature
Recommended room temperature is above 17 degrees, ideal - from 20 degrees. When the street is cold, it is strictly forbidden to ventilate the room, because Dieffenbachia does not tolerate drafts. At the time of airing, the flower is taken out to another room.
Lighting
Experts do not recommend placing the plant on a southern window, because it does not tolerate direct sunlight. Lighting should be good, but diffuse. If the flower remains in the shade for a long time, the stem will become very long and brittle.
Watering
During the period of intensive growth and development, plentiful watering is recommended. However, when growth slows, moisture supply must be reduced. During the period of physiological rest (winter, late autumn), watering the earth in a pot is minimized. Neglect of these rules can lead to the death of a flower or its long top.
Spraying
On the large fleshy leaves of an adult plant, in the center and at the edges, dust constantly accumulates, so at least once a week the plant needs to make a warm "shower". Dieffenbachia can be sprayed from the spray bottle with room temperature water. This procedure is an excellent prevention of diseases, pests and parasites.
Humidity
In the wild, the flower grows in the tropical rainforests of South and Central America, so you need to constantly maintain high humidity in the room. In winter, when the air is dry due to the central heating, you can put a pot on the windowsill filled with warm water. Moisture will evaporate, having a beneficial effect on the growth and development of Dieffenbachia.
Waterlogging should not be allowed
Priming
The flower is undemanding to the composition of the soil, so it is best to use ordinary soil for indoor plants. It is not worth bringing land from the street - it often contains dangerous pests and parasites. Charcoal can be added to the pots as an adsorbent.
Top dressing
Since the plant develops intensively, it is necessary to feed Dieffenbachia daily. For this, any complex fertilizers for indoor flowers are well suited. The plant most needs nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. To fill the calcium deficiency, egg shells crushed into powder can be added to the soil.
Care in winter, at rest
With the onset of cold weather, the plant enters a period of physiological dormancy. If the autumn turned out to be warm and sunny, the air temperature is constantly maintained in the room, this period comes later. With a lack of light and heat, on the contrary, the flower can "retire" earlier than usual. Before leaving for the winter, it is recommended to trim Dieffenbachia. In order for the flower to tolerate the cold period well, it is necessary:
- Reduce watering, but regularly loosen the soil;
- Periodically arrange the flower with a warm "shower" from the spray gun;
- Inspect the leaves and stem as often as possible so as not to miss the appearance of dangerous diseases or pests (parasites);
- Before wintering, pruning in order to form a crown and get rid of dry, deformed, diseased shoots and leaves.
The end of winter is a great time to transplant. Usually it is carried out in the third or fourth decade of February. However, if February turned out to be frosty and it is cold in the apartment, it is better to wait until real heat sets in. The main thing is not to transplant the flower in extreme heat.
Advice! Sick, weakened plants do not tolerate wintering well, therefore, such instances need to be given special attention during cold weather.
In winter, watering must be reduced
Pruning
Dieffenbachia is a flower that grows very quickly and at the same time has a fragile, brittle stem, so improper crown formation and neglect of pruning, transplantation can become the cause of the death of the plant. Trimming should be done regularly, as the trunk and leaves grow. Before you trim and transplant dieffenbachia, you need to make sure that the plant is absolutely healthy, not weakened by diseases and pests.
Care of dieffenbachia is simple, but pruning is a troublesome business that requires certain skills. The step-by-step algorithm of the procedure is as follows:
- Wear gloves to protect hands from milky juice of dieffenbachia;
- Armed with a sharpened knife, carefully trim the top with leaves. A small compact stump should remain;
- Cover the cut area with plastic wrap;
- Reduce watering. When the awakening of the kidneys begins, the moisture supply will need to be activated again.
A clipped trunk with leaves, if it is completely healthy, is put into the water and wait until it takes root again. Then the plant can be planted. If the trunk is affected by diseases (pests), it is burned, otherwise re-infection is possible. You can also divide the trim into several parts and then use these cuttings for propagation.
Trimming is known to have a significant anti-aging effect. The plant begins to grow faster. Sometimes after a correctly trimmed dieffenbachia suddenly begins to bloom, its flowering is a rather rare occurrence, even in natural conditions.
Breeding
About how to propagate dieffenbachia, should know every lover of indoor plants. There are several ways:
- Seeds;
- Cuttings;
- Layering;
- Division of the roots.
The fastest and easiest of them is to propagate and root using cuttings.
Seed germination
Dieffenbachia seed propagation is a long and troublesome process. In addition, seeds often have poor germination, so this method is not of interest to amateur gardeners. It is used only for breeding new varieties by professional breeders.
Rooting cuttings
Many people know how Dieffenbachia propagates by rooting cuttings. The flower can be cut in water at room temperature, to accelerate the process, you can add a biological growth stimulator. After about 7-10 days, roots appear. When their length reaches 20 mm, the cuttings are planted in the ground.
Air lay
This is one of the most common methods of propagation of Dieffenbachia. Before you propagate dieffenbachia at home with the help of layering, you need to make sure that the shoots are healthy and strong, not affected by diseases and pests.
Interesting! On the trunk of the plant, a small ring is noted and the bark within it is carefully removed. A growth stimulant is applied to this ring, wet moss is placed on top and wrapped with cellophane. Moss needs to be constantly moistened. When the roots appear, the shoot is carefully cut and planted in another pot.
Other options
Another common method of reproduction is by dividing the roots. It is usually practiced during transplantation. The flower is taken out of the pot, the rotten parts of the roots are removed, with a sharp knife they divide one copy into several fragments and dry the resulting parts on a newspaper. After 24 hours, each part is seated in its pot. To disinfect the roots, experts recommend using a weak solution of potassium permanganate or activated carbon. These drugs are good at fighting fungus.
Transfer
Before transplanting Dieffenbachia, you need to prepare a new pot. For dieffenbachia, transplantation is associated with a greater risk of affecting the root system. Step-by-step transplantation algorithm:
- Pour a mixture of turf, peat and sand into a new pot;
- Carefully remove dieffenbachia with the earth from the old vessel;
- Carefully inspect the roots, if necessary, trim and disinfect them;
- Transplant the flower to a new place, slightly deepening the stem.
Do not transplant in the cold season. The best time for this procedure is spring. After a properly transplanted flower begins to grow faster and more actively.
During the transplant, you can not damage the root system, otherwise the flower may die
Possible problems in growing
All amateur flower growers know how to look after Dieffenbachia. However, not everyone understands why the plant can be sick. The most common symptoms of distress are:
- Yellowing of leaves;
- Pale coloring of leaves;
- Drying;
- Falling foliage.
Each of these disorders has its own cause, and therefore it is necessary to treat them differently.
Leaves turn yellow
Not everyone knows why Dieffenbachia leaves turn yellow. Most often this is caused by root decay. Reducing watering in most cases helps to save the situation. Also, the leaves may turn yellow if you plant Dieffenbachia in a cramped pot.
Leaves turn pale
If dieffenbachia yellow leaves, the reasons may be different. If the leaves turn pale, it is most often caused by a lack of nutrients. As an ambulance, the plant needs top dressing with complex mineral fertilizers.
Leaves may turn pale due to malnutrition
The tips dry on the leaves
Drying of the tips is an alarming symptom that signals stem and root problems. In this case, you can save the flower by performing a transplant and removing some of the diseased (rotten) roots.
Lower leaves fall off
If the lower leaves began to fall, curl and dry, this is the fault of the fungal or viral infection. To combat the disease, industrial fungicides can be used, and pruning also has a healing effect.
Fallen leaves indicate a fungal infection
Pests
Dieffenbachia infrequently becomes the prey of pests, insects are repelled by poisonous milky juice. However, the scale may attack the plant. She can leave mucus on the leaves, as if the flower is "crying" with real tears. To combat it, spraying should be used. Also, the scabies love dust, so you need to wipe the leaves as often as possible with a damp cloth and arrange a powerful “shower” of flower.
The best way to control pests is mechanical
Interesting! The best way to collect shields is by hand. Dieffenbachia does not always respond to industrial insecticides, and the mechanical method is guaranteed to fail. Affected parts of the plant are immediately destroyed by burning.
Other problems
Among other problems, the disease "viral mosaic of leaves." Foliage changes its color, whitish and yellow spots appear on it. Destroying and burning the affected leaves and the stem will help to revive the plant, no matter how sick it may seem.
This flower is good because it quickly adapts to any conditions. However, gardeners should remember its toxicity, such a plant is better suited for the office, and not for the home. When caring, you should pay special attention to proper nutrition. The rapid development of the plant at home largely depends on it.
