Over time the decrease leaves drop off, exposing the stem, which seems to be much like sugar cane.
Because the leaves drop, leaving simply the highest foliage in place, the plant begins to resemble a small palm tree.
Toxicity
In case the warning above didn’t tip you off: be careful! This plant is poisonous to cats and canines, and might trigger drooling, vomiting, issue swallowing, and even loss of life.
People ought to take care, as properly. Hold crops away from younger youngsters who wish to put issues of their mouths.
The sap can irritate the pores and skin and eyes. Put on gloves, lengthy sleeves, and eye safety when working with this plant, to be on the secure aspect, and keep away from touching your face.
Tips on how to Develop
Dieffenbachia excels as a container specimen each indoors and out.
When you dwell in Zones 10 to 12, you may as well develop it outdoor within the backyard in mass plantings, borders, or as an accent.
After you discover a great place for it to develop in, all it is advisable do in any other case is present it with meals and water every now and then.
Gentle
Dumb cane prefers partial shade and an excessive amount of direct mild could cause tip burn, so keep away from brilliant, west-facing home windows.
They will develop in a spot with round six hours of oblique daylight, however it is advisable make a particular effort to maintain them well-watered, in order that they don’t get too dry with the extra mild.
Dumb canes may also regulate to low mild, however they are going to develop extra slowly.
Remember to rotate crops positioned in low mild situations regularly, to stop them from reaching for the sunshine and rising erratically.
Soil
Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Combine is one in every of my favourite choices as a result of it’s each water retentive and drains properly.
It additionally has built-in fertilizer, so that you don’t should feed your plant once more for the primary six months after potting up.
Miracle-Gro Potting Combine
You’ll find six-quart luggage of Miracle-Gro Potting Combine out there at Dwelling Depot.
Temperature and Humidity
A location the place temperatures stay between 60 and 75°F is right, however these crops can tolerate cooler temperatures all the way down to 50°F and warmth as much as 90°F for brief intervals with out struggling.
Dumb cane prefers humidity above round 60 p.c, however they’ll do wonderful in drier air as properly.
Water
Enable the highest inch of soil to dry earlier than watering, however make certain that you by no means let your dumb cane sit in soggy soil.
If the leaves begin to droop, that’s an indication that it is advisable give your plant a drink. Examine the soil and add water if it’s dry.
To water, soak on the soil stage till water runs out of the drainage holes. Take away the saucer and toss the surplus water after it’s performed draining.
Simply notice that dumb cane leaves can begin to flip brown on the ideas if the plant isn’t receiving sufficient water or if the air humidity is simply too low.
Fertilizer
Dumb canes are heavy feeders, however don’t pull out the fertilizer simply but.
You need to discover the correct steadiness between making use of a lot fertilizer that the plant grows too shortly, and giving it so little that it struggles to outlive.
Crops which might be rising in low mild want much less fertilizer than ones positioned in brighter mild, and they’ll want little or no fertilizer in the course of the dormant winter interval.
Lilly Miller All Goal Plant Meals
Select a balanced fertilizer like Lilly Miller’s All Goal Plant Meals, out there on Amazon.
Dilute in water and apply to the soil each six weeks or so in the course of the rising season.
When you discover curled leaves with brown edges and the soil isn’t extraordinarily dry, you’ve doubtless added an excessive amount of fertilizer.
When you use potting combine with added fertilizer, don’t fertilize for the primary six months after planting. In any other case, you can begin your fertilizer routine right away.
Cultivars to Choose
Sellers usually don’t specify which species they’re promoting, although they’ll typically describe the cultivar.
It doesn’t actually matter a lot, since all of them have the identical rising necessities. These cultivars are among the extra in style and fairly choices on the market.
Compacta
If in case you have a small, poorly lit nook to fill, ‘Compacta’ (D. maculata) could be simply the ticket. It stays a lot smaller than most different varieties, hardly ever rising past 18 inches tall.
‘Compacta’
The leaves function a blotchy, cream-colored sample alongside the middle of the leaves, with a large inexperienced margin.
You’ll find crops in six-inch pots out there from California Tropicals by way of Amazon.
Exotica
D. maculata ‘Exotica’ has a extra upright progress behavior than different varieties and grows as much as 24 inches tall.
The leaves are inexperienced with a marbled creamy yellow sample that bears a placing resemblance to the merle sample seen on the coats of sure kinds of canines.
Marianne
Generally known as ‘Tropic Marianne’ or ‘Maryanne,’ D. maculata ‘Marianne’ grows to about three toes tall at maturity. It has outsized leaves with a creamy heart and skinny, darkish inexperienced margins.
In contrast to many others on this listing, the middle of every leaf is a single coloration that regularly fades into the margin quite than having a marbled or speckled sample.
Rudolph Roehrs
D. maculata ‘Rudolph Roehrs’ has pale, speckled yellow and white leaves with darkish inexperienced margins and inexperienced veins. The foliage virtually seems to be as if somebody splattered it with paint.
This one grows anyplace from 4 to 6 toes tall, so it’s higher for bigger areas.
Tropic Snow
‘Tropic Snow’ stretches as much as six toes tall when it’s full grown.
The leaves of this D. seguine cultivar have a dramatic marbled inexperienced heart, with darkish inexperienced midribs and margins.
‘Tropic Snow’
You’ll find crops in three-gallon containers out there from Quick Rising Timber.
Vesuvius
‘Vesuvius’ is a standout D. amoena cultivar due to its explosively mottled leaves.
The margins are darkish inexperienced, whereas the middle of every huge leaf has cream, yellow, and light-weight inexperienced marbling that varies from tiny pinhead-sized spots to bigger patches that almost cowl the complete leaf.
This one grows to a mean of three toes in top, however I’ve seen them attain as much as 5 toes in perfect situations.
Upkeep
There’s no must prune your dumb cane, however when you discover any leaves which might be shriveled and brown, yellow, or in any other case unattractive, you’ll be able to trim them off with a clear pair of clippers.
When my dumb canes begin to appear to be palm timber, I merely reduce the stem with a pair of clippers to about an inch above the soil stage.
Put the plant in a spot with brilliant, oblique mild and maintain the soil moist. Inside a number of weeks, new progress will emerge from the bottom of the stem and you can begin recent.
Mud the foliage each few weeks with a humid fabric. Leaves which might be lined in a layer of mud aren’t in a position to photosynthesize successfully.
Repot yearly or two to maintain your dumb cane completely happy. When you see roots poking up out of the floor of the soil or ringing the perimeter of the container, it’s time to repot.
I wish to poke a finger into the perimeter to really feel for roots, or you’ll be able to pull the plant out and study the state of affairs annually or so.