Don't have a green thumb? It doesn't matter at all. After all, the Dieffenbachia makes it easy for every inexperienced indoor gardener.
Robust and easy to cultivate, the arum plants from the rainforests of South America are among the most popular representatives at the flower window. With their striking and differently grained leaves, the indoor plants are real eye-catchers. It doesn't necessarily have to be potting soil. The Dieffenbachia is also recommended for hydroponics. Below you can find out what needs to be considered when planting and caring for the Dieffenbachia.
Plant Traits
The Dieffenbachia belongs to the arum family and is colloquially referred to as the Schweigrohr. The plants come from South America and are particularly widespread in Brazil and a common representative in tropical gardens. There, the quite undemanding plants grow up to three meters high and reach a leaf size of up to 45 centimeters. The elongated leaves are shiny, conspicuous and have a white to yellowish veining, depending on the variety. Older plants also develop inconspicuous flowers.
Find the right location
Dieffenbachia prefer a bright, but not full sun location. In particular, the blazing midday heat does not suit the plants. Plants are actually children of the sun by nature. However, the Dieffenbachia sold in our latitudes are usually hybrids that were grown in Europe and are more sensitive to direct sunlight. The plants therefore also thrive in the shade or in a location that is too dark for most indoor plants. Dieffenbachia should not be exposed to draughts.
Important:
Too dark a stand is detrimental to the leaves. These then appear stunted and without the expressive leaf markings.
The optimal ambient temperature is 18 to 23 degrees, i.e. normal room temperature. The tropical plants should not be exposed to temperatures below 15 degrees. The plants also need high humidity. Here you can help with frequent spraying and humidifiers. Dieffenbachia can therefore also in thebathroom or the kitchen, as there is higher humidity there. The plants also like it when they are placed in a saucer filled with water. In order to protect the roots, the plants should not stand directly in the water, but should be placed on pebbles. Dieffenbachia do not tolerate waterlogging.
The ideal location in keywords:
- light
- Penumbra
- Avoid drafts
- Room Temperature
- high humidity
Selecting the ideal substrate
The Dieffenbachia is quite undemanding when it comes to the substrate. So you can use commercial potting soil. This can be loosened up with sand or clay. Loose leaf soil is also suitable. Since the Dieffenbachia is considered a pioneer of hydroponics, it can also be cultivated very well in expanded clay or conventional hydroponic substrate.
Keywords for the right substrate:
- loose
- nutrient rich
- humos
- alternative hydroponics
Plant Dieffenbachia - step by step instructions
- Select a suitable planter.
- Provide suitable substrate.
- Fill the planter about halfway with substrate.
- Insert plant carefully.
- Fill in the remaining soil.
- Press the base lightly.
- Water the plant.
How to repot the Dieffenbachia correctly
Especially young plants grow quickly. It may therefore be necessary to move to a larger pot as early as a year after planting. This becomes apparent at the latest when the roots protrude from the planter and literally burst it. However, you should not use a planter that is too large. Then you would have to replant less often, but at the same time you risk reduced growth, since the plant concentrates primarily on root formation in a correspondingly large planter. So choose the new planter only about five to ten centimeters larger than its predecessor.
By the way, older plants grow less quickly. Repotting is then only necessary every two to four years. It is best to always proceed as follows when transplanting:
- Select and prepare new planter.
- Place drainage on the bottom of the vessel.
- Pot plant.
- Remove diseased or rotten plant parts.
- Apply a layer of substrate to the bottom of the jar.
- Place plant.
- Fill in the remaining soil.
- Press the base lightly.
- Water the plant.
The new planter should not only be a few centimeters larger than the previous planter, it is also important to ensure that there is a sufficiently large opening in the bottom of the planter so that the irrigation water does not accumulate. You can also counteract waterlogging with drainage. For this purpose, gravel or potsherds are spread over the drainage hole.
Before transplanting, you also have the opportunity to take a close look at the plant. It is easy to see whether the roots are he althy and strong. Remove diseased or rotten spots on roots or foliage.
Holding Dieffenbachia in hydroponics
The plants are particularly suitable for hydroponics. However, those who have previously cultivated their plant in potting soil will not be doing them any favors by switching to hydroponics. The plants are usually not up to the changed conditions of this radical "relocation" and die. It is better to grow young plants and introduce them to hydroponics from the start. For this purpose, the cuttings are grown in coarse expanded clay. It is a good idea to use plants with darker leaf markings, as these have proven to be more robust.
Overview of the advantages and disadvantages of hydroponics
+ Benefits:
+ Cuttings are grown in expanded clay and do not have to be transplanted.
+ Handling the granules is easier and cleaner than potting soil.
+ Hydroponics ensure a lot of permeability and it more air gets to the plants.
+ Watering is simplified.
+ Hydroponics is hygienic. Allergy sufferers can also keep plants in the bedroom.
- Cons:
- The appropriate accessories must be purchased.
- Quite large plants find it difficult to grip in the loose granules.
- Granules can easily be dug up by pets.
Is the Dieffenbachia poisonous?
What you might not suspect at first glance is unfortunately a fact. It is a poisonous plant. Since all parts of the plant are poisonous, the green plants should not be accessible to children and pets. You should therefore always wear gloves when planting and repotting.
The contained plant extracts are used in South America to destroy cockroaches or rats. The poison it contains irritates the skin and mucous membranes. The slave owners in the southern states of the USA took advantage of this in the 17th century. Slaves prevented from escaping had to chew parts of the plant. Thiscaused the tongue and mucous membranes to swell and rendered mute for several days.
The plant has so-called shooting cells. When chewing the parts of the plant, the small needles trapped there are released. Pets can choke on it. Infertility is also a consequence of plant consumption. In humans, diarrhea, nausea, symptoms of paralysis and cardiac arrhythmias can also occur.