Dieffenbachia, pronounced dee·fuhn·ba·kee·uh, is another one of my all time favourite house plants.
I think I'm a foliage girl more than a flowery girl.
Dieffenbachias can have attractive variegated white and green, cream and green, or all-green leaves that can be speckled, splotched, or loosely striped. There are so many variations it’s easy to start a collection.
I grow them just for the foliage but they do flower and it looks similar to a a peace lily flower.
I feel they bring a lovely tropical feel to your indoor space.
They don't like having wet feet or being overpotted. I find it's better to treat them mean to keep them looking good. I have killed a few over the years simply by never letting them dry out. I now still use an excellent quality potting mix, like Searles Platinum Mix but I just don't water as often and I never let them sit in a saucer of water.
I find Dieffenbachias don't mind a slighter darker spot in the home but the more light they get the shower the variegation in the leaves becomes. The darker the spot the slower the growth and less vibrant foliage colour.
Dieffenbachias can have long and skinny leaves or short and fat leaves. I find if the leaves are long and skinny the plant tends to grow more upright. The fatter the leaves the shorter and squatter the plant.
The best thing about Dieffenbachias is that they look good on a table looking down onto their foliage but they also look great up high looking up into their foliage. They are so versatile and I love using them around the home.
I can group them with other variegated plants like Aglaonemas, with other Dieffenbachias, with lush green plants like Philodendrons or just on their own.
I just love using them around the home. They are one of my first choices with house plants.
To keep them continually looking good and putting on a great display, fertilise with Plant of Health Eco Friendly Fertilisers Organic Link about every three months and a fertilise of granular sulphate of potash, usually once weather has warmed up, around late August to help to help the foliage remain vibrant. I also like to keep their leaves free from dust so every few weeks I take them outside and give it a liquid feed (and shower) with Triple Boost Liquid Fertiliser.
On a side note Dieffenbachias common name is “dumbcane,”! The sap of the plant can cause numbness when touched and interfere with the ability to speak if it gets near your mouth, causing you to temporarily become mute, or “dumb.” So as with all plants unless you know its edible ... Don't eat it!