I just received this house plant from a very special person, but I have no idea what it is nor how to care for it. Can someone please identify it for me, and give me care tips? unknown house plant ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) It is about 14" tall, the lower leaves are darker green and smaller, the leaves' stems are green, but the main veins of the leaves are white. The leaves are slightly crinkled. house plant leaf ( photo / image / picture from marlingardener's Garden ) I'd love to know the water requirements, sunlight exposure, optimum temperature, and any other information you might be able to share. Thank you, and the :?: plant thanks you, also!
Pretty sure that's a Dieffenbachia. What a great pattern on the leaves! Don't think I've seen that same one before, but looks too big for Aglaonema. There's been too much written about Dieffenbachia for me to attempt a tutorial of my own.
I agree with purpleinopp, it looks like a Dieffenbachia to me too. Purple knows more about them than me because I did not know there were different kinds! I seem to remember that they are not good for cats to chew on...or children. ?maybe poisonous? Yours is a beaut tho!
Yes it is a Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane), a common houseplant often given as a gift. It needs high humidity and keep it away from anything that would eat it. As the common name implies if ingested will cause loss of voice. It is on my poisonous plants of North America list. Jerry Ref:www.bio.net/bionet/mm/plantbio/1993-November/001999.html? To find this thread you have to know how to directory dive.
Good morning, yes all of the above is correct, I grow this plant because I just love foliage,they will also flower, a sort of lily type flower,grown in different locations regarding light, will produce different coloured leaves, here is one of mine growing and flowering under a verandah with little light. Dumb Cane ( photo / image / picture from chocolate's Garden ) Flowering Dumb Cane ( photo / image / picture from chocolate's Garden )
Oh, thank y'all! I'll definitely keep it where Feliz our can can't get to it, and believe me, humidity in Texas is not a problem . Can you give me an idea about how much light it needs? I have two places it will be out of the cat's reach--one in very low light, and the other in early to mid-morning light. Chocolate, how much is "little light"? I hate to be obsessive about this, but it is a gift, and I sure want to keep it well and happy!
Hi M. this plant is only getting light through the floor boards of the verandah above, no real direct light, certainly no exposure to the sun.It was a surprise to see flowers when it is in complete shade. If I place it out in the shadehouse, which gets sunlight through filtered sun protection mesh, the leaves would be much darker.On a warm verandah would be perfect but it would not like to stay out in the cold at nights during winter.Mine stays in the same place all year...but it is a tropical plant. Inside by a window would be good too, I water with the garden hose about once a week when I am passing. But it is warm here and it dries out quite quickly...I am pretty sure the plant will tell you about the watering regime, it is very leafy and 'leafy' plants need water to support the leaf growth. It is quite a hardy plant so don't be too nervous, it will not just die overnight...you will see if it needs water etc.
Dieffenbachia like moist soil and humidity. A tray or container under the pot with water will go a long way to keeping it happy. The plant does not like drafty areas so watch out for the air vents and windows. Dieffenbachias also like to be kept warm, anything under 60°F calls for another log on the fire. They don't mind low light so somewhere near a window is O.K. a couple of yard sticks away is fine. Calcium oxylate is contained in the sap of dieffenbachia, it causes the tongue and throat to swell up. Jerry
Thanks to all y'alls good advice, this plant may live! I garden a lot, but not houseplants, so this is new territory for me. I have a spot where it will get indirect light, a cache pot holding a tray with pebbles so I can keep the humidity around Diffy (yes, I named her) higher, and the cat can't get to her unless Feliz learns to levitate. What would I do without the Stew experts?
I'll just throw in a couple more things. Dieff's are known as "low light" plants. In the wild they would probably be found in the understory. Indoors, a good method for estimating light is a book - if you can't read a book in the spot, there's not enough light for a plant. If you can read, but not very comfortably, we would call that low light, and you can keep some plants there, but probably not the dieff, it likes medium-low to medium light. That would be light where you are comfortable reading and working. It's easy to overwater dieffenbachia. If the leaves start to get brown tips, let it go a few more days between watering. You can also test the soil for moisture all the way to the bottom of the pot. Here are a couple of videos that will tell you something about that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBBh0RPPqu0 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf-8InSamYQ Some people are sensitive to just the touch of those leaves. Trimming, removing brown leaves, etc, produces a burning sensation on the hands. It passes quickly, leaves no rash (at least on me), but I prefer not to use these. As yours is a gift, I hope you're not so sensitive to it.
My mom has a Dieff and for a while it was doing poorly, parts were dying off. I took over its care and in summer, I leave it (and the rest of my houseplants) on the patio in a shady spot. It does very well out there, through storms and high temps (though probably not as high as Texas ). Hmm, I might have to make a new post, showing before and after pics of my houseplants
