DIEFFENBACHIA HOME CARE PHOTO CAN BE KEPT AT HOME

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Dieffenbachia (Dieffenbachia) is a perennial herb native to South America. At home, it is able to reach 1 meter due to the amazing growth rate: up to 40 cm per year. Dieffenbachia lives for a long time, but requires rejuvenation and regular care. This plant is flowering, but rare. Flowers are a cob with a veil and do not carry special value. Its leaves look much more attractive - huge, juicy green, densely covered with light spots.

Dieffenbachia is widely popular in Russia as a bright houseplant. It not only decorates the interior of the house, office and school, but also improves the atmosphere in the room due to useful properties.

	Growing fast. For one season, the plant adds 40-50 cm in growth.
	It blooms very rarely. Valuable are beautiful leaves.
	The plant is easy to grow.
	Perennial. Rejuvenate every few years.

The benefits of dieffenbachia

Dieffenbachia has a lot of useful properties, for which it is highly valued throughout the world.

Its large leaves accumulate moisture, which evaporates, moisturizing the air in the room. People who are indoors with this plant feel the effect: it becomes easier to breathe and the air is fresh, as if on the street.
Leaves release biologically active substances volatile substances into the atmosphere, which reduce the activity of harmful bacteria. That is why Dieffenbachia is found in hospitals and clinics. Phytoncides also destroy compounds of benzene, formaldehyde and other harmful substances.

Care for dieffenbachia at home. Briefly

Dieffenbachia at home requires attention and care. It is necessary to provide it with optimal conditions for growth, so that it saturates the atmosphere with useful substances and moisture from its leaves.

The plant needs the following conditions:

Temperature	In summer, temperatures are allowed to rise to + 29 ° C, and in winter, you should not lower the temperature below + 16 ° C.
Air humidity	At home, you need to spray and maintain high humidity (up to 50%).
Lighting	This is a photophilous representative of the flora, especially if there are bright white spots on its leaves. Dieffenbachia can tolerate partial shade. It is best to place a pot of plants on a window that looks to the northeast.
Watering	Abundant watering is required 2-3 times a week in spring and summer, but in winter 1 time per week is enough. Between watering, the soil should not be too dry.
Priming	Special for Dieffenbachia, a small amount of sand and peat may be added. For own preparation of the soil, 1 part of coarse sand is required, as much garden soil, as much wet peat. The pot must be with a hole.
Fertilizer and fertilizer	Additional dressing is required every two weeks in spring and summer.
Transfer	It is recommended to carry out every year, preferably in April.
Propagation of Dieffenbachia	It is carried out by the apical cuttings, air layers and parts of the stem, so that several buds are present on it.
Features	Remembering their homeland, the plant requires heat and moisture in sufficient quantities. May be in partial shade.

Care for dieffenbachia at home. In detail

Very thermophilic and hygrophilous of Dieffenbachia: home care should take these features into account.

Buying Dieffenbachia

At the stage of choosing dieffenbachia in the store, you should carefully consider it, paying attention to the following factors:

Dry leaf tips: the plant is weakened, does not get enough moisture.
Fluff on the underside of leaves: this is a sign of a mealybug.
Brown plaques on the stem: this is a signal of the presence of a scab.
Decayed leaves, although the soil is quite moist: excessive watering led to decay of the root system.

The best time to buy Dieffenbachia is in spring and summer.

Dieffenbachia after purchase

Do not immediately water and feed the plant, as well as put it on the illuminated windowsill. Such a change of scenery can be a shock to the plant, so it is recommended to put it in a not-so-bright place for a week, and neither water it nor feed it, since it has received enough nutrition in the store.

If the pot in which Dieffenbachia is located is too small, it needs to be transplanted into a more spacious one. Only after a week can the leaves be sprayed with a fertilizer solution, and after a month the first root top dressing can be done.

Flowering dieffenbachia

At home, the plant pleases the owner with flowering extremely rarely. Usually it is a few days in April or May. The flower looks like a cob, covered with a greenish coverlet. Flowering dieffenbachia is not the goal of the grower, on the contrary, it is recommended to prune the flower, as it weakens the plant. The smell of the flower is also not very attractive, perhaps the plant will even have to be taken out of the room at the time of flowering.

However, some fans of Dieffenbachia dream of seeing her flower. To do this, you have to put the plant in harsh conditions, since it blooms only after the stress. For example, you can temporarily stop giving the plant moisture and fertilizing. When the leaves sag, dieffenbachia should be placed in a vessel with water. Then she will come to life and show the buds.

Temperature mode

It should be remembered that Dieffenbachia is very fond of heat and hates frosts, so the temperature regime should remind her of South America, where she comes from. Summer temperature is optimal from +20⁰From to +26⁰C, and in winter you can slightly lower it, to +18⁰FROM.

Some types of Dieffenbachia are very capricious in this sense, they can "get sick" even with slight temperature changes.

Spraying

Spray the plant with either plain water or a solution with fertilizers. This action must begin in a week of quarantine, and continue regularly throughout the life of Dieffenbachia.

In summer, hydration of this type is recommended to be carried out either every day, or 2 times a week. In winter - much less often. Frequent spraying in winter at low temperature can lead to rotting of the stem and falling of leaves.

For a comfortable life, a plant needs enough humid air, which can be achieved by putting a damp cloth on the battery or putting an open container of water next to the pot.

Lighting

Although Dieffenbachia can be in partial shade, bright lighting provides maximum comfort. In summer, you need to protect the plant from direct sunlight, for example, protecting it with a curtain. In winter, direct natural light is allowed, and additional light can also be provided using fluorescent lamps. They should not be placed too close to the plant, otherwise burns may appear on the leaves.

Dieffenbachia flower at home reacts to a lack of lighting as follows:

growth slows down;
the stem is extended;
leaves do not become motley, but green;
lower leaves dry and fall.

With excessive lighting in Dieffenbachia, you can notice the following symptoms:

leaves turn yellow, then lose their color;
leaves droop, wrinkle and fall;
brown or gray spots are visible on the surface of the leaves - these are burns.

Watering

Even if the plant likes moisture, watering should be moderate, otherwise excess water will cause root rot. It is important that the soil dries slightly between watering, so that its condition is balanced between dry and wet. You can check the condition of the soil by lowering your finger into it. If the soil is moist at a depth of 1 cm, then watering is not needed yet.

To ensure this balance, a pot with a drainage hole is suitable and peat soil is not suitable, since moisture stagnates in it. Ideal for irrigation, standing room temperature water.

In winter, the plant needs less watering than in summer, however, if it is located in a room with powerful heating, then the summer irrigation regime is maintained.

Dieffenbachia pot

To make the plant comfortable, you need to choose the right pot for dieffenbachia. Its size should not greatly exceed the size of the root system, otherwise harmful stagnation of moisture will occur in undeveloped soil.

The pot should be purchased with a drainage hole, and the drainage itself should consist of pebbles or expanded clay 3-5 cm high. Since Dieffenbachia is constantly growing, you need to update the pots for it every year.

Soil for dieffenbachia

The soil for Dieffenbachia must be loose and at the same time dense, so that air can pass freely, but the powerful roots of the plant are firmly held in the pot. A mixture specially prepared for this type of plant is recommended.

You can also prepare the soil for Dieffenbachia yourself by mixing sheet soil, sand and humus.

Fertilizer and fertilizer

From April to September, the plant is actively growing, therefore, in these months it especially needs regular top dressing and fertilizers. The plant responds to a lack of nutrients with diseases, falling leaves. A soluble form of fertilizer is recommended.

In autumn, top dressing is carried out quite rarely (1 time per month), and in winter it stops altogether.

The type of soil determines the intensity of top dressing. Special soil containing minerals is able to independently feed the plant without additional fertilizers for six months.

Transplant dieffenbachia

The first transplant of Dieffenbachia is carried out a few weeks after purchase. Then this action is performed every year until the plant is young and rapidly developing. A few years later, when this representative of the flora has matured enough, the transplant is carried out every 3-4 years.

To find out if the time has come for a transplant, you need to pull the plant out of the pot along with a lump of earth. If the roots tightly braided the entire soil, then Dieffenbachia needs a transplant.

Since this is a rather traumatic experience for a plant, it should feel good. Therefore, you should carefully examine its stem and leaves: whether there are spots, pests and other problems.

The transplant is performed as follows:

The plant is taken out of the pot.
The old soil is shaking off.
Rotten and damaged roots are removed.
The plant is placed in a new pot with prepared soil.
The resulting voids are filled with soil.
A slight deepening of the stem is allowed.

Immediately after transplanting, dieffenbachia should be abundantly watered, but not fertilized.

Pruning

Dieffenbachia at home is characterized by rapid growth, which not every plant lover can cope with. Sometimes they resort to pruning, but many owners are against it. But even opponents of such a barbaric attitude should trim the dried brown edges of the leaves.

This is a manifestation of insufficient watering when the soil is too dry, so pruning is not a solution to the problem, but only the elimination of imperfections.

If on vacation

Home Dieffenbachia requires constant care and regular watering, therefore, she will not stand alone for a long time. Going on vacation, you can provide the plant with proper conditions by placing it in a tray with wet expanded clay. Partitions around the tank filled with water will saturate the air with moisture. The whole structure should be away from the window, but not in complete darkness.

Under conditions of moderate heat, Dieffenbachia will be able to withstand parting with its master for one week.

Propagation of dieffenbachia by cuttings

This plant has a high ability to propagate by cuttings. It is enough to place the apical stem in water, as after a while it will give roots. However, this rule does not apply to all species of this plant. There are those that are quite difficult to create measles systems from cuttings, which may not germinate after planting.

For best results, it is recommended to dry the stalk after pruning, and then place it in an opaque container with water, where 2 tablets of activated carbon are dissolved. The container should be in the shade, and the water in it should be changed regularly: every day or every 2 days.

Further reproduction by parts of the stem is carried out already in the soil, where the slice is placed. Do not cover it with a bag on top, as many flower growers do. It is enough to spray it to provide sufficient moisture.

Rooting of a seedling usually occurs after 3 or 4 weeks.

Diseases and Pests

When caring for a plant, the flower grower may encounter the following problems:

The lower leaves of dieffenbachia turn yellow - This is a sign of excess moisture in the soil and insufficient drainage.
Lower leaves fall - evidence of insufficient soil moisture or too low air temperature.
Dieffenbachia leaves turn yellow and curl - this suggests that the plant is cold, it suffers from a draft.
The stalk rots - This means that excess watering is carried out in the cold.
Brown leaf edges dieffenbachia- the water watered by the plant is too hard.
Small leaves on top - the plant does not have enough sunlight, it needs to be rearranged in another place.
Dieffenbachia leaves fade - This is another sign of excessive humidity in combination with a low temperature.
Wet spots on the leaves - This indicates many problems, including late blight, anthracnose or fusairum.
Yellow spots on the leaves dieffenbachia- a sign of bacterial spotting.
Leaves look burnt, turn brown - a signal that the owner is too generously adding fertilizer to the soil.

In addition to diseases, pests can annoy the plant:

aphid;
scale shield;
false shield;
red spider mite;
thrips.

Types of Dieffenbachia home with photos and names

There are more than 40 types of dieffenbachia. The most popular types are as follows:

Leopold: This plant is characterized by low growth and beautiful leaves, the shape of which resembles an ellipse. This species is especially afraid of drafts and direct sunlight.

Spotted: a plant with a powerful stem, the base of which becomes stiff as it grows. A huge hat of leaves is heterogeneous in size and color. The leaves are oval, their outer edge is pointed. Their main color is green, and the spots are white.

Camilla: in the wild, this species is able to reach up to 2 meters. It has a powerful trunk, elongated leaves with a green border and a white middle. At home it does not tolerate bright sunlight and draft, it requires high air temperature.