Soil:
The best type of soil for Dieffenbachia is one that can be well drained. Roots should never sit in soaked soil. It is recommended to pot these plants in a mix of potting soil, peat moss, and perlite. The peat moss helps with nutrients and water retention while the perlite helps with drainage.
Water:
This one is a little more tricky. They like to be right in the middle of dried out and fully saturated. The roots are thin so too much water can cause root rot easily. However, the leaves are thin as well and store little water thus meaning the roots need to be moist for absorption. It is recommended to water when the top two inches of soil is dried out. This could mean twice a week for a large Dieffenbachia or possibly once every week or two for a smaller plant.
Light:
This is a great indoor plant because it doesn't need much light. Too much light will cause the thin leaves to burn. Make sure the light your Dieffenbachia is getting is indirect. Some even recommend putting your plant in front of a north or east facing window as the light is less strong.
Temperature:
65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal for Dieffenbachia. Under the 60 degree mark, lower leaves may begin to die and fall off. It is best to keep your plant at warmer temperatures with high humidity. Low humidity will cause the leaves to dry up and die.
Fertilizer:
Spring and Summer are considered the growing seasons so it is important to fertilize once a month to promote optimal growth. Dieffenbachia grow fast and use a lot of energy to do so, thus needing to be fertilized about every 6 weeks.
Propagation:
You can cut older and healthy Dieffenbachias at the top and then dip them in a rooting hormone. Then plant in a pot with fast draining soil. New leaves should sprout from this and once they do, you can remove the older leaves.
Another option is cutting pieces of the plant and laying them horizontal on damp soil. The pieces, if healthy enough, will eventually take root and leaves may gradually start to sprout. Once you see roots forming, you can repot the propagate in fresh soil.
The third way to propagate is by air layering. Find a mature branch that has plenty of nodes, the spot where new leaves form, and make an incision around one of those nodes. Place some dampened sphagnum moss into that incision. After that, wrap plastic wrap firmly around it so nothing gets out or dries up. Wait for roots to develop over several weeks before replanting it in a pot with new potting mix.
Toxicity:
Toxicity level of Dieffenbachia is pretty mild for pets and children. Irritation and a sense of burning is a common side effect of chewing both the leaves and stems. The symptoms are only temporary and typically not life threatening.
Disclaimer: Please note that I am not a professional botanist. Plants are a hobby of mine and what I post is for fun. Most information is from my own experiences or my own opinion. I also read other peoples articles to help support my opinions. The articles I used for this page are listed below.
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