Dieffenbachia: maintenance, repotting, cuttings, varieties

Dieffenbachia is a tropical American plant, also known as the cane of dumbs or deaf-mutes. Excellent for adding color to your home, it allows you to blow a breath of freshness in your home. So that it retains its colors and that it remains in good health, its environment must imitate the characteristics of its natural environment. To this end, you must know the rules to be observed for its maintenance, repotting and cutting.

Dieffenbachia maintenance: the rules to be observed

The rules to be observed during watering

Pour Ensure good health for your Dieffenbachiapay attention to its water needs. Sprinkle it as soon as the earth begins to dry on the surface, so as to make it moist in its entirety.

However, avoid excessive or too frequent intake of water. Indeed, a soil which is constantly soggy or which remains wet over a long period is waterproof. This leads root asphyxiation that rot in low heat. They thus lose their ability to ensure the nutrition and hydration of your plant.

The ideal watering frequency For the cane of the dumbs depends mainly on the season. From November to February, it is resting, which considerably reduces its water expenses. For this reason, you need a lot Space watering During this period. The rest of the year, the Dieffenbachias are more greedy in water because they provide more efforts.

Rules in terms of location

Place your DIEFFENBACHIA in A place where he will benefit from daylight without being exposed to the direct sun. Direct sunshine can be a source of boredom in this plant, as direct sunlights are capable of causeing the leaves drying out. And if they all came to dry, it would cause his death.

You can turn your plant from time to time to allow all its foliage to enjoy the same dose of light.

Fertilisation

Pour Fertilize your dieffenbachiayou can use liquid fertilizer or a slow release fertilizer. The effect of the last type of fertilizer generally extends over a duration between 3 and 4 months depending on the products.

It is in the form of balls that it is enough to scatter on the surface of the earth. THE slow liberation fertilizers Also exist in the form of sticks that it is enough to drive into the substrate.

In addition to Stimulate your plant growththey act as an insecticide. As such, they fight against all the parasites likely to attack your Dieffenbachia.

Dieffenbachia repotting

The Mute cane repotting is carried out every three years, between the months of April and May. This consists in transplanting it into a pot that slightly exceeds the size of its current container. The goal is to allow the roots to be more comfortable while providing your plant with fresh earth.

The choice of soil and pot

To repot your Dieffenbachia, get a garden center Ready -to -use mixture made up of peat and soil. If you wish, it is possible to add a bit of a heather to bring a suspicion of acidity. The substrate thus obtained will allow your plant to feel as in its original environment.

During a repotting, preferably use a terracotta pot. This material is preferable for its maintenance. In terracotta pots, humidity is distributed in a homogeneous manner in the soil. While with the plastic pots, the soil can be much more humid below than it is on the surface. It can distort your diagnosis during watering And push you to bring more water to your plant than necessary.

When you want repot a dieffenbachiamake sure that its new pot has drainage holes. These prevent water from stagnating at the bottom by evacuating the surplus from the bottom of the pot.

The importance of a pot and clay beads

Remember to place a calm cover or saucer containing clay balls under your plant. The latter will maintain it in height and thus prevent its roots from being in contact with humidity.

The clay balls will also absorb the excess water which will then mix with the ambient air by evaporation. This will create humidity around your plant And will help you fight against drought of the atmosphere.

To increase hygrometry, do not hesitate to regularly spray the leaves With non -limestone water at room temperature. This treatment also makes it possible to keep certain parasites away, in particular the cochet and the red spider which fear humidity.

Cutting

Pour Cutting your DieffenbachiaTake a healthy upper measuring 15 to 20 centimeters and whose base is devoid of leaves. Otherwise, remove the leaves manually on the cut part.

Wait for a few hours, while the base of the dry rod. Then applycutting hormone On the cut part before breaking it in an appropriate soil. Place your cutting in a warm place, lit, but out of the reach of the direct sun.

Diseases and parasites

Dieffenbachia is the target of many diseases among which we can list:

• the soft rot whose main cause is a bacteria called Erwinia. The latter causes the appearance of wet spots on the stem of the leaves.
• The fusarium which manifests itself by the appearance of black spots on the trunk and on the root system. This disease is due to a fungus which causes the yellowing of the foliage in the Dieffenbachia. To heal your plant, you just have to apply an appropriate fungicide to it.

Like many plants, the Dieffenbachia can be invaded by parasites that will empty the leaves of their sap. This is particularly the case Cochets and red spiders. To get rid of these pests, various solutions are available in garden centers.

Varieties

The mute cane is available in more than 30 varieties among which we can list:

• the dieffenbachia camilla which is recognizable by its variegated green green foliage in cream.
• The dieffenbachia exotica which has green leaves spotted with white.
• The dieffenbachia reflector whose foliage sports a mixture of light green and dark green.
• The dieffenbachia seguine (Also called Dieffenbachia Maculata or Dieffenbachia picta) whose leaves are distinguished by their center and their ivory vein and their dark green edge.

Pour make your house alive And attractive, do not hesitate to plant one or more species of Dieffenbachia.

Precautions to be taken before manipulating a dieffenbachia

Dieffenbachias are plants toxic to humans and animals. Irritating for the eyes, the sap they contain can have a paralyzing effect on the tongue and on the vocal cords. It is because of its paralyzing action that it is also called the mute cane.

Let your skin rub against this plant. Before manipulating it, remember to put gloves. Also make sure that your Dieffenbachia is out of the reach of children and your pets.