A general description of the differences between the plant, the cultivation of dieffenbachia, advice on reproduction and transplantation, methods of combating diseases and pests, interesting facts, species. Dieffenbachia (Dieffenbachia) belongs to the genus of plants that never shed their foliage and are included in the Aroid family (Araceae). Its native lands are considered to be the territories of both American continents, where a tropical climate prevails.
This representative of the green world got its name thanks to the Austrian botanist Heinrich Schott, who decided to immortalize the name of his compatriot from Austria Josef Dieffenbach (1796-1863), who served as a senior gardener at the Imperial Botanical Garden of Schönbrunn Palace, located in Vienna. This bright example of the green world was so fond of the florist that for over 150 years it has been cultivated as a houseplant. Today, up to 150 varieties of dieffenbachia are known.
The height of a plant depends on its variety and for a five-year period of growth, the parameters can approach 1–2 meters. The stems are thick and juicy; at their top there is a beautiful head of deciduous mass. The growth point of the leaf plates is at the top of each of the shoots, since there are varieties that have the ability to bush. Dormant buds, which are located both in the lower part of the stem (at its base) and slightly higher, give rise to new shoots. Over time, the trunk in its lower part becomes bare, as the leaf plates die off and dieffenbachia loses its decorative effect.
Most of all, the plant is attracted by the beautifully colored variegated leaves with elongated-oval outlines, and some varieties have a very beautiful pattern of paler tones, which mark veins or just densely scattered spots on the surface of the leaf. The stripes along the leaves run longitudinally against the dark green general background of the leaf.
This variegated plant can also bloom, collecting its flowers in a cob-shaped inflorescence. Flowers at the top are male, and at the bottom are female. The inflorescence is covered with a large leaf-cover of a greenish-white hue. But waiting for flowering in indoor conditions is almost unrealistic.
In nature, after flowering, the fruit ripens in the form of a berry, which is usually shaded with an orange-red color scheme.
Dieffenbachia maintenance tips, care
- Lighting. Windows facing east or west are suitable, green-leaved varieties can be grown in the depths of the rooms.
- Content temperature. The plant feels good at a temperature of 21-25 degrees in the spring-summer period, and in winter not lower than 15.
- Air humidity must be kept high. It is recommended to carry out daily spraying and wiping of foliage. You can also arrange a warm shower dieffenbachia, after covering the soil with a film.
- Watering. Moisten the soil every 2-3 days, it is important that there is no drying out of the substrate, and even more so its gulf. Watering should be regular and abundant. The water is necessarily soft.
- Fertilizers for diferbachia, they are introduced in the spring-summer period 3 times a month, a full mineral complex is used. The dosage is reduced by half of that indicated by the manufacturer. It is important to choose a top dressing in which there is no lime. If you use organic matter, then in varieties with a pattern on the foliage, it will disappear over time (this will affect the color of nitrogen), especially if there is not enough light. Variegated varieties should be fertilized only once every three weeks with mineral dressings.
- Transplanting and soil selection. The pot and the substrate are changed in the case when the root system has completely mastered the substrate proposed to it. It is best to transplant in February or March. They are transplanted by the transshipment method when the earthen lump is not destroyed. The pot is selected a little larger, a drainage layer is placed on the bottom of it. The soil should be of good air and water permeability. The soil is taken with a slightly acidic reaction: leafy soil, high moor peat, chopped sphagnum moss and river sand in a ratio of 4: 2: 2: 1. It is also recommended to mix crumbled charcoal into the mixture.
Recommendations for breeding dieffenbachia at home
You can get a new dieffenbachia by various methods: cuttings or sowing seeds.
Over time, when the trunk of a houseplant begins to bare (the leaves fall from the bottom), it is recommended to carry out rejuvenation by planting apical cuttings. In this case, the top of the stem with a deciduous cap must be cut to the place where the stem is already bare (about a couple of centimeters below the top node) and planted for rooting in a substrate made up of peat and sand (you can simply in moistened sand, chopped sphagnum moss) … Often, the cut off top is placed in a vessel with water and the roots are awaited. In any case, the cuttings are transferred to a warm place with a temperature of 22-24 degrees and in good lighting, without direct sunlight. It is required to carry out regular spraying and wiping of the leaf plates with a damp soft sponge or cloth. When the roots have reached a length of 2-3 cm, you can transplant into a new pot. If the cutting is in a pot with soil, then signs of rooting are waiting (the appearance of new leaves).
The stem that remains after cutting the tops can be cut into separate pieces. Each such part must have one node. The stump of the trunk is left in the ground. Parts of the trunk must be dried for 2 days and then planted in a sand-peat mixture. The container is covered with plastic wrap and the temperature is maintained at 25 degrees. It is recommended to use bottom soil heating. When root shoots form on the cuttings, they should be transplanted into small pots filled with a suitable substrate. A sign of rooting is a swollen bud, from which a leaf will subsequently appear. This can be: a mixture of peat-leaf soil (4 parts each) or humus-sandy soil (in a ratio of 2: 1) or the soil that is used when transplanting dieffenbachia.
If there is a desire to carry out reproduction using seeds, then you need to self-pollinate the plant. On an inflorescence-cob, female flowers are placed below (they are usually covered with a sheet blanket in the form of a sail), and male ones - at the top. During this operation, the sheet-cover is carefully cut along (but not removed completely) and the pollen is transferred from the male flowers to the female with a brush. Then the incision will need to be glued with tape.
If everything went well, then after the inflorescence withers, then berries of a red or red hue will ripen on the cob. Ripening can take up to six months. If the shell of the fruit is wrinkled, then this is a sign that they are ripe. It is required to quickly collect the berries and plant them in peat-sandy soil. Then the container is covered with a piece of glass or wrapped in foil. It is important to regularly ventilate crops and moisten the soil. When a pair of leaves appears in the sprouts, they are transplanted in separate containers.
Difficulties in cultivating dieffenbachia
Among the problems that are encountered when growing a variegated beauty are the following:
- If the conditions of detention are violated, then the plant can be affected by fungal diseases when the humidity of the air and soil is too high.
- Dieffenbachia's leaf plates can fall off too quickly if the watering of the plant is irregular or the pot for the root system becomes small.
- In case of sudden temperature changes, low humidity in the room or acidification of the substrate in the pot (possibly poor-quality or insufficient drainage), as well as when spraying in the evening without sufficient lighting, the tips of the leaf plates may dry out.
- If the level of illumination is insufficient or with a lack of trace elements (potassium or phosphorus), and possibly with an excess of nitrogen in the soil, the color of dieffenbachia leaves fades.
- In the case when the color of the foliage does not change, but it begins to shrink in size and the leaf plate becomes deformed, then this is a sign of too alkaline soil.
- When the stem begins to lose its color and becomes soft to the touch, this is a consequence of its decay, which was provoked by reduced heat indicators with concomitant acidification of the substrate. It is necessary to cut out the affected part, dust the place of the cut with crushed activated or charcoal. If this does not bring the desired result, then you will need to cut off the top of the stem and try to root it. The rest of the plant is destroyed.
- When the leaves begin to turn yellow, placed from the lower part of the trunk and then they roll up, this indicates the effect of a draft or too low temperature during the winter.
- If the plant is in direct sunlight for a long time, the color of the foliage will turn very pale.
- At low room temperatures or insufficient moisture in the substrate, the edge of the leaves takes on a brown tint.
Dieffenbachia is often affected by harmful insects such as aphids, spider mites, whiteflies, as well as mealybugs or scale insects. When these pests are identified, treatment with insecticidal preparations is carried out.
Interesting facts about Dieffenbachia
Many plants that are grown in indoor conditions have a rather poisonous sap, one of such flora specimens is Dieffenbachia. If this liquid gets on the skin, dermatitis may occur. This is due to the presence of calcium oxalate crystals in the juice, which have a needle-sharp structure, or enzymes can be the cause. It is necessary to place the plant in such places so that small children and pets do not have access to it. Due to the strong poison, the mucous membrane of the mouth and throat burns. The reaction manifests itself in 10 seconds and the poisoning is usually not immediately noticed, since children and animals immediately stop chewing dieffenbachia leaves due to pain.
When caring for a plant, it is recommended even for an adult to use gloves and then wash their hands with soap and water.
But with all this, the plant is a good air purifier, as it will help get rid of benzene, formaldehyde, xylene and other harmful substances and toxins. This beautifully colored bush, absorbing harmful compounds, releases life-giving oxygen. It is recommended to grow the plant where harmful fumes are released or when working with household chemicals. Often in houses located near large industrial facilities, highways or in large cities, owners grow this "green filter" to improve the air and microclimate in the rooms. The plant reduces the number of pathogenic microbes, the level of humidity increases, and the amount of dust decreases, since dieffenbachia has to be frequently sprayed.
If we talk about the energy that this plant carries, then it will help people who are engaged in business or who are in constant negotiation processes. The waves emitted by Dieffenbachia are conducive to obtaining an excellent result in the robot and help to activate mental activity. Everyone who is near the plant tries to act more rationally, use their connections and interpersonal relationships, as well as money. The variegated beauty to its owner, who lovingly cares for her, gives very strong energy, through which the state of health and appearance is significantly improved, especially for women.
There is a sign among the people that the plant is a muzhegon, as it negatively affects all representatives of the stronger sex in the house, depriving them of male strength and the ability to procreate. However, during negotiations, it helps businessmen, which means that it can be placed in rooms where the owner is in the habit of working on his projects. There is evidence that in ancient times this plant was used as a weapon of torture and was applied to disobedient slaves, forcing them to chew dieffenbachia leaves. A person had pulmonary and laryngeal edema. Naturally, after that the slave could not speak, although he did not have significant physical injuries, but he became much more obedient.
Types of dieffenbachia
- Dieffenbachia leopoldii differs in small size. The stem reaches a height of only 5 cm with a thickness of up to 2 cm. The leaf plates have short petioles, the surface of which is covered with lilac spot, the leaf contours are oval, wide. In length, it can reach 35 cm with a width of up to 15 cm. The color is a rich dark green tone, the central vein is pronounced whitish. When flowering, an inflorescence appears in the form of an ear, which has a white sheeting sheet.
- Dieffenbachia Oerstedii differs in sheet plates of a monochromatic green color scheme. Their outlines are elongated-cordate or oval with a sharpness at the apex. Rare light specks of small sizes are sometimes scattered over the surface. The length of the leaf can reach 30–35 cm. The central vein is clearly visible on the surface.
- Dieffenbachia adorable (Dieffenbachia amoema) sometimes called Dieffenbachia pleasant. This variety is distinguished by excellent shade tolerance and unpretentious care, copes well with low humidity in residential premises. Can be successfully cultivated in rooms with central heating. The trunk often grows to a maximum height of one and a half meters. The color of the foliage is intense dark emerald, with a pattern of longitudinal light stripes along the veins. The length of the sheet can reach one and a half meters in length.
- Dieffenbachia maculata a small compact plant, the maximum height of which is equal to 1 m. The leaf plates are large in size, there is a pattern on the surface of a large number of light spots, and all the veins are shaded with whitish and yellow colors. The background of the leaf plates themselves is saturated dark or light emerald, the contours of the leaf are elongated, lanceolate, there is a sharp point at the top. Leaves are attached to the stem with petioles, the length of which is equal to the size of the leaf. The length of the leaf plate reaches 40 cm with a width of up to 12 cm.
- Dieffenbachia seguine very similar to the leaves of the previous variety, but they are wider and they are not so densely covered with spotting. The leaf width approaches 15–16 cm with a total length of 40–50 cm. Veins are clearly visible on the surface, the number of which varies from 9–12 units.
- Dieffenbachia brausei possesses leaves measuring 35 cm in length. Their outlines are oval, color is yellowish-green. On the surface there is a pattern similar to marble stripes with whitish dots.
- Dieffenbachia braguina (Dieffenbachia braguina). This variety has leaf plates with a dark emerald background, along which spots of white color are located, and the central vein is also well shaded with a whitish tone. Interestingly, the petioles are also snow-white.
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