Dieffenbachia Care – How to Treat Disease With Dieffenbachia?
What is Dieffenbachia?
All you need to know to protect Dieffenbachia is to know about Dieffenbachia Care tips. Dieffenbachia plants need to be protected from diseases, though they look healthy while purchasing them from the plant store, it is advised to take a look properly if they have any of the following diseases that can cause trouble in case of your money, time, or family. Don’t worry! we will let you know about all the diseases that Dieffenbachia gets and how to care for these diseases.
Key takeaways:
- Dieffenbachia is the best known indoor plant, due to its high resistivity power, and indoor conditions facing capabilities and also called dumb cane.
- Some people also named dieffenbachia as leopard lily and mother-in-law’s tongue.
- These plants are easy to grow and available in small to tall sizes.
- Dieffenbachia belongs to the family Araceae and is native to Mexico and Argentina.
Dumb cane plants can bear medium to very high light. They can survive well in the dry soil too, so they don’t need much care. These plants can grow well in moist soil too like Calico Kitten Plant. Dieffenbachia is a hardy plant, shade-tolerant making them a perfect plan to stay indoors and you need to protect the plants during winters.
All you need to know to protect Dieffenbachia is to know about Dieffenbachia Care tips. Dieffenbachia plants need to be protected from diseases, though they look healthy while purchasing them from the plant store, it is advised to take a look properly if they have any of the following diseases that can cause trouble in case of your money, time, or family. Don’t worry! we will let you know about all the diseases that Dieffenbachia gets and how to care for these diseases.
The reason behind the name dumb cane?
Dumb cane as the name dumb is related to the temporary speechlessness it caused after swallowing it. The sap of the plant has a chemical called calcium oxalate that leads to this condition. Also, it is believed to be given to prisoners as a punishment in ancient times.
Diseases and problems of Dumb Cane
The dumb cane plants are prone to get infected by many bacteria and fungi. They need moisture but humidity can get infected. So it’s important to keep an eye on them, and diseases so that you can prevent the damage.
Problems of dieffenbachia:
The problems related to Dieffenbachia are
Spider mites and mealybugs are seen to attack dumb cane plants. The plant is toxic to cats and dogs as well. It is important to make sure your kids don’t taste or eat them. Many skin irritants are also seen caused by dumb cable plants.
Dieffenbachia care tips:
You can apply soap spray, neem oil is also seen as effective to control mites’ attack on the dumb cane. Wearing gloves while working with a dumb cane is beneficial. Keep your pets and children away from this plant.
Diseases of Dumb Cane
Anthracnose
Caused by: Colletotrichum gloeosporioides
Symptoms: The shape of the leaves looks oval or distorted, and has leaf spots with a yellow halo.
How to care
Don’t give them water while standing, apply fungicide but avoid too much chemical treatment.
Bacterial leaf spot
Caused by: Erwinia carotovora or Erwinia chrysanthemi
Symptoms: spots on the leaf that are gray, and the shape of the leaves get distorted.
How to care: cutting off the leaves that are infected, avoiding overwatering, using clean equipment, and avoiding overhead watering.
Myrothecium leaf spot
Caused by: Myrothecium roridum
Symptoms: leaves color changes to brownish-gray, leaf spots are formed near the margins, and fungal infection is indicated by the concentric rings on the leaf.
How to care:
Applying fungicides will protect the plant. Make sure the fertilizer you are using has no excess nitrogen which is more than the normal requirement.
Wilt
Caused by: too much drying or soil(drought-like conditions)
Symptoms: yellowing of the lower leaves, wilting or bending of leaves appear leading to their death.
How to care: maintain a good level of moisture in the soil.
Brown margins (marginal leaf burn)
Caused by: over-fertilization
Symptoms: margin of leaves turns brown and later they die.
How to care:
Do not use too much fertilizer.
Nitrogen deficiency
Caused by: not giving proper fertilizer to the pant(improper fertilization)
Symptoms: The size of leaves reduces to nearly half, and they turn yellow. The short internodes appear.
How to care: proper fertilization with a balanced fertilizer is required.
Viral diseases:
Caused by: Dasheen mosaic virus
Symptoms: mosaic color changes to light green. Plants show slow growth and leaves shapes to get deformed. The viral infection causes early death of these plants.
How to care: remove the infected species to avoid harm to others. Look after aphids and control them. Sterilize the tools before using on them
For more such plant related-articles, you may also read, Groovy Plants Ranch: Location, Staff, Owners, Jobs, Products, Reviews, and Everything In Between
How to care for Dieffenbachia plants
Though dieffenbachia plants are easy to grow like leucadendrons are grown and maintained, they still need little care for sustainability. While showing care to the dumb cane, make sure you wear gloves as I told you before about sin reactions it may cause.
Sunlight
The plant can do well in shady spots, but they are bothered by bright light as well. The sunlight should be indirect.
Temperature
The temperature is influencing this plant with degrees below 50 degrees Fahrenheit like humidity, which causes damage to a dumb cane-like shedding of lower leaves.
Water
Dumb cane needs water but overwatering is need to be avoided to keep them healthy. During winter, it is advised to lightly spray the leaves to hydrate them.
Soil
Soil is needed to be aerated, well-drained, and fertile enough, with the composition of peat in it.
Fertilizer
You should apply fertilizer to the soil only twice a month or every 5-6 weeks.
Potting
Repotting is important as they have grown well, choose a pit that is large with holes.
Pruning and grooming
The lower weak leaves should be removed, and trim is required to maintain growth.
Propagation
Though dumb cane grows at any time at any season of the year, you can also propagate them in the following ways:
- Cut the shoot and wrap the cut with wet moss, trying it with a string. Wait for a few days until the roots are formed. Detach the new plant by cutting it and placing it in the soil.
- The stem of dumb cane can propagate, you can cut the stem and place it in a pot in a horizontal position to grow a new plant. A Lot of moisture is needed for this.
Wrapping up the context:
So, in this article, you came to know about the diseases related to dumb cane, and how to care for and treatment for the diseases to make your dumb cane healthy. The soil needs to be aerated, mist. The common species that are grown are D. seguine, D. amoena, D. masculata. The diseases are usually caused by improper fertilization, overwatering, and not using the cleaned equipment for trimming the plants. I hope you have learned a lot and like our effort to help you.
FAQ
Does a Dieffenbachia flower?
If they are provided with a perfect flowering situation which is not possible to bring indoors, they can show flowers.
How do you save a dying Dieffenbachia?
Dieffenbachia indicates the scarcity of nutrients by changing the color of leaves, wilting, etc. You need to make nourishing conditions available to these plants. The fertilizers should be given at least twice a month. Proper nutrients can save your dying dieffenbachia.
Why are the leaves on my Dieffenbachia dying?
Usually overwatering leads to the early death of the leaves. The indirect sunlight needs to be given for making leaves healthy. Avoid overhead watering too. Keep the upper surface of the leaves dry by watering them from below and near to the pot with not much pressure.
How often should I water my Dieffenbachia?
The soil should be well-drained and moist enough. Too much water can hinder the health of roots. Watering should be done once a week as the roots are thin and cannot withstand too much water.
