Features of the content of dieffenbachia at home

Some flowers are literally overgrown with myths and superstitions. Dieffenbachia is one of the striking examples of this. Many sins are attributed to this beautiful plant, considering it the cause of childlessness, male diseases, relationship problems, and divorce. The rumors circulating around him are sometimes so absurd that they contradict the laws of biology known even to schoolchildren. This is the opinion that the flower has no place in the bedroom, as it absorbs oxygen from the air.

Such accusations speak only of a person's inability to admit his own responsibility for what is happening in his life. Dieffenbachia is a common plant, and it cannot have a mystical influence on fate. But its large variegated leaves, which do not lose their decorativeness all year round, will fill the room with bright colors, making it cozy and warm in a family way.

Varieties

Dieffenbachia - this is how the name of an evergreen flower sounds in Latin. He comes from the American tropics. And his name immortalizes the memory of the senior gardener Josef Dieffenbach, whose patrimony was the palace botanical garden in Vienna. Nature has created about 40 varieties of plants, but her business was continued by breeders, who have significantly expanded this list.

Favorite florists - spotted and variegated (painted) dieffenbachia. They are distinguished by large leaves, the length of which reaches 50 cm, and the width is up to 12 cm. Veins are clearly visible on them, and their bright green surface is covered with bizarre patterns of light spots and lines. The height of the variegated dieffenbachia at home reaches 2 m, and the spotted one does not stretch more than 1 m. Its leaves are slightly larger and have an interesting shape, sharpening at the top.

In breeding work, a spotted plant variety was used more often. She became the progenitor of popular varieties and hybrids: Camilla, Compact, Vesuvio.

The following types of dieffenbachia are also grown in a pot culture:

• Leopold;
• Seguin;
• Oersted;
• Bauman;
• Bause;
• Adorable;
• Magnificent;
• Large-leaved.

These species are distinguished from each other by the height, shape and color of leaves, resistance to adverse factors. Some of them are tree-like. They almost do not form shoots, having one powerful central trunk. Bush plant species are no less spectacular.

Lighting

Dieffenbachia is photophilous, but when exposed to direct sunlight, its delicate leaves are covered with burns. It is better to keep the pot with it on the windows facing east or northwest. It will work to grow a flower on the south side if you provide it with shading. Tulle, gauze, tracing paper, floristic film, blinds are useful here. An adult plant can be placed near a well-lit window, leaving 1.5-2 m away from it.

In the dark, the decorativeness of dieffenbachia suffers. Its leaves become small and unfold towards the light with their entire surface. The trunk of the flower bends, and it itself begins to lean to one side. Plants with variegated leaves should be especially protected from the lack of sunlight: the original patterns on them fade. Over time, they can fade completely. If the flower stands in the back of the room, it will have to be artificially illuminated. He will need the same care in winter.

In warm weather, dieffenbachia can be taken out on a balcony or terrace, protecting it from the bright sun. With an abundance of diffused light, the flower grows healthy and strong. Its trunk will be thick and the leaves will be large and brightly colored.

Temperature and humidity

Drafts and sudden temperature fluctuations are harmful to the plant. It reacts to them by dropping leaves.That is why on cold days it is necessary to ventilate the room where dieffenbachia stands. The room should be warm all year round. In summer, the flower feels good at a temperature of 20-30 ° C. In winter, it is kept in cooler conditions (16-18 ° C). If the thermometer drops below 15 ° C, the plant may die. In cold soil, its roots quickly rot.

Advice

If the flower is on the windowsill, in winter, a foam stand is placed under the pot. This will protect the roots of the plant from hypothermia and from overheating caused by a hot battery.

Dieffenbachia's tropical origin explains its sensitivity to air humidity. At home, the leaves of the flower need spraying, otherwise they begin to turn yellow, and their tips dry out. They are carried out daily using settled water. It should not be cold, room temperature is preferred. As dust accumulates on the leaves of dieffenbachia, it is washed off. The plant responds well to bathing under a cold shower, but they should not be abused. Before the procedure, you need to protect the soil in the pot from water ingress by tightening it with a film.

In winter, when the operation of heating devices makes the air very dry, care for dieffenbachia requires care. If the room is cold (at temperatures less than 18 ° C), spraying the plant will only harm. Its leaves are wiped with a sponge dipped in water.

In winter, a suitable dieffenbachia microclimate is provided by:

• special electrical appliances;
• ceramic humidifiers (they are small containers that are fixed on batteries);
• placing a pot of wet expanded clay or moss in the pallet;
• installation next to a flower container with water.

Watering and feeding

Dieffenbachia prefers to grow in slightly moist soil. From spring to autumn, she needs abundant regular watering. You need to approach it wisely: the earth in a pot should not dry out, but it is also impossible to bring it to the state of liquid mud. Swampy soil threatens the flower with root rot. You can proceed to the next moistening if the soil in the pot is dry by ⅓. In winter, watering is reduced to moderate.

The water is used the same as for spraying. You should not postpone the procedure until the evening; it is better to water the flower in the morning or afternoon. Coolness and dampness are not the best combination for a plant. It will tell itself about the excess moisture in the soil. If its leaves become lethargic, brown spots have appeared on them, and the flower itself is rapidly turning yellow - these are symptoms of overflow. It is necessary to take measures to save dieffenbachia from possible decay immediately. The soil in a pot is dried, and then treated with a solution of potassium permanganate or a special preparation with an antifungal effect.

In spring and summer, the flower is fed every 1.5-2 weeks. With regard to the composition of the nutrient, many types of dieffenbachia are not capricious, the main thing is that there is no lime in it. Organic and complex mineral fertilizers are suitable for her. The dosage of the latter is made half as much as recommended by the manufacturer. Dieffenbachia with white leaves require special attention. The formulations used for feeding them should not contain nitrogen. They are fed only with mineral fertilizers, carrying out such a care every 20 days. Due to nitrogen, the leaves of plants acquire a greenish tint.

In September, dieffenbachia begins a dormant period. Daylight hours are getting shorter and growth slows down. Watering the flower at home begins less often and with a smaller volume of water, and feeding is not carried out at all.

Transfer

When the dieffenbachia roots have grown, filling the pot completely, it will need to be transplanted into a larger container. Young flowers may need this procedure 2 times a year. For them, they take a pot, the diameter of which is only 1-2 cm larger than the previous one. In adult plants, the need for a transplant occurs every 3-4 years.It is carried out by the transshipment method.

The flower will take root faster if you transplant it in winter or spring. Optimal terms are February-May. A thick drainage layer is placed on the bottom of the pot. Dieffenbachia is removed from the container along with the soil clod. Having removed the old drainage from it, the flower is placed in a new pot and the voids are filled with a suitable substrate.

Dieffenbachia soil needs loose. It should freely pass air to its roots and dry quickly. You can buy a ready-made potting soil mixture at the store. Baking powder will help to increase its permeability:

• sand;
• vermiculite;
• perlite;
• shredded bark.

Their volume in the substrate should be 30%.

You can prepare soil for dieffenbachia yourself on the basis of four components:

• leafy land;
• peat;
• sphagnum;
• sand.

The components are mixed in a 2: 1: 1: 0.5 ratio.

It is advisable to take care of protecting the plant from decay already at the stage of preparing the soil by adding charcoal to it. You can replace it with activated carbon tablet powder.

Advice

Transplanting an adult plant is not easy. In order not to carry out the procedure annually, in the spring the topsoil is renewed in the pot. It is changed to highly nutritious soil containing a lot of compost.

Reproduction methods

You can grow dieffenbachia in different ways:

• from seeds;
• from a cutting (stem or apical);
• using air layering.

Generative flower reproduction is used only by breeders whose goal is to get new plant species. At home, they often resort to grafting. You can cut and root the top of the Dieffenbachia or split the trunk of an adult flower. Each of them should have a knot in the middle. Stem cuttings are dried for several days, and then laid horizontally on a moist substrate made of peat and sand. Their kidneys should be facing up. The container is covered with a film.

For rooting, cuttings need a temperature of at least 25 ° C. When this happens, they need to be transplanted into separate pots. Cutting the dieffenbachia stem into cuttings, leave a stump with at least one knot. Its height should be at least 10 cm. With moderate watering, a new shoot will develop on it. When he releases 2-3 leaves, he is cut and rooted. The number of young shoots that appear on a stump depends on the number of nodes on it.

For rooting apical cuttings, you can use:

• water;
• moss;
• wet sand (neat or mixed with peat).

Before placing the cutting in them, the place of the cut is blotted, removing the poisonous juice that has come out. Further care includes regular spraying, maintaining the temperature at 21-24 ° C, protection from direct sunlight. Cuttings placed in water are planted when the length of their roots is 2-3 cm.

To obtain air layers, the dieffenbachia stem is incised. The wound is covered with wet moss. From above it is wrapped with an opaque plastic wrap, fixing it above and below the incision. This will help with tape, duct tape or strong thread. After a while, roots form under it. Then this part of the stem is separated and, carefully removing the film, is planted in a pot. You do not need to remove moss.

Advice

Bush types of dieffenbachia can be propagated by dividing the bush.

Why can't you keep at home

It is widely believed that this plant cannot be kept at home. But not all growers can give a reasoned answer to the question why. Dieffenbachia is considered extremely poisonous, and it is true. Getting on the skin and mucous membranes, its juice causes redness and itching, sometimes they are accompanied by swelling and numbness. It can also provoke a strong allergic reaction. If part of the plant ends up in the stomach, the symptoms will be much more severe.

Poisoning will manifest itself in the following symptoms:

• profuse salivation;
• nausea and vomiting;
• paralysis of the vocal cords.

This explains why growing a flower at home is not worth it for those with small children.In other cases, his maintenance in the apartment will not bring harm to health. It is enough to follow the safety rules - to wear rubber gloves when working with dieffenbachia, to protect your eyes from getting its juice into them when pruning and transplanting a flower, be sure to wash your hands after any manipulations with the plant.

If it was not possible to avoid poisoning, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse your mouth, taking a large amount of water into it, and drink activated charcoal. It is advisable to see a doctor. If dieffenbachia juice is on the skin, it is immediately washed off with plain water and a baby cream is applied to the affected area.

In favor of growing a flower at home is its ability to cleanse the air of harmful compounds: benzene, toluene, formaldehyde, xylene, trichloroethane. Its large leaves emit a lot of oxygen and phytoncides, and water is actively evaporated from their surface. Due to this, the air in the room with the plant becomes more humid. The number of pathogens in it decreases. Dieffenbachia is also a living air ionizer and dust absorber. At home, a pot with it is best placed in the kitchen.

Until Dieffenbachia took pride of place among indoor plants, many trials fell to its lot, which pretty much spoiled the flower's reputation. Its uncultivated varieties were considered weeds, destroying them. The plant has long been used in the fight against insects and rodents, making it a poison. The slaves were flogged from it. The poisonous juice eaten away at their wounds, prolonging the torment for a week.

Today dieffenbachia is perceived as a spectacular and ornamental plant with a lot of advantages. It is rather unpretentious, has a fast growth, and reproduces easily. But they are still wary of her. Keeping a flower at home will require caution, but with the right approach, nothing will prevent you from admiring the beauty of its patterned leaves in an apartment.