just saved a Dieffenbachia Hybrid
whatever that is. it was looking rather sad, so I said to her what can you do for me.....I want to save it. I told her that it was dieing, and it would not make it without my care.( way overwatered, and lots of yellow leaves). she said for that one (in the worst shape of all the plants) she would give me 50% off. so I got it for $4.00. not bad. it's out of the pot right now to dry out a bit. the roots look good, so I'm pretty sure I'll be able to save it. any pointers for this plant? wish I had a camera. cheers!
Last edited by baileysup on Wed Nov 17, 2010 3:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Dieffenbachia? ([url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieffenbachia]Wiki article here[/url]). I laughingly call them the weeds of the houseplant world. I like them a lot, though, and there are some very nice cultivars these days. One of my favorites is 'Rudolph Rhors'. Well cared for, a Dieffenbachia can be a very pretty, large floor plant. I started with one that came to me as a housewarming gift years and years ago. Eventually, I had so many that I ran out of space for them. 
When mine would get lanky looking, with lots of bare cane and leaves only at the top few feet, I would cut them up and propagate them. Cut off the leafy top, leaving about 5 inches of the bare cane attached. Lay it somewhere in a dry place, out of direct sunlight, until the cut end calluses over ... about 24 to 48 hours. Then plant it in a new container. Make sure at least 2 nodes are buried in the potting mix.
Cut the rest of the cane off about 5 or 6 inches (approximately 2 nodes) above the level of the soil. Don't remove it from the old container, just leave alone. Place it in bright, indirect light, and it will sprout a new leafy top.
Take the section of bare cane that you cut from between the old container and the leafy top that you're rerooting, and cut it into sections, each with at least one node. Allow the cut ends to callus off, then lay the sections horizontally in a shallow container of damp sand or perlite ... I recall buying a cat box for this purpose, and you don't really need to worry about drainage holes, because you'll keep the rooting medium damp by spraying it with water from a spray bottle. Don't cover the cane sections completely, only bury them about 3/4 of the way into the rooting medium. Place the container(s) in bright indirect light and wait. Within a few weeks, each section will root and sprout a new plant for you. Before you know it, you'll be giving Dieffenbachias away to all your friends and relatives, and even total strangers. (Diefs are kinda like zucchini in that way. )
I have a dwarf variety now, but I don't know the name of the cultivar. I'd love to get one of the big, broad-leaved varieties again. I really do think they're attractive plants.
When mine would get lanky looking, with lots of bare cane and leaves only at the top few feet, I would cut them up and propagate them. Cut off the leafy top, leaving about 5 inches of the bare cane attached. Lay it somewhere in a dry place, out of direct sunlight, until the cut end calluses over ... about 24 to 48 hours. Then plant it in a new container. Make sure at least 2 nodes are buried in the potting mix.
Cut the rest of the cane off about 5 or 6 inches (approximately 2 nodes) above the level of the soil. Don't remove it from the old container, just leave alone. Place it in bright, indirect light, and it will sprout a new leafy top.
Take the section of bare cane that you cut from between the old container and the leafy top that you're rerooting, and cut it into sections, each with at least one node. Allow the cut ends to callus off, then lay the sections horizontally in a shallow container of damp sand or perlite ... I recall buying a cat box for this purpose, and you don't really need to worry about drainage holes, because you'll keep the rooting medium damp by spraying it with water from a spray bottle. Don't cover the cane sections completely, only bury them about 3/4 of the way into the rooting medium. Place the container(s) in bright indirect light and wait. Within a few weeks, each section will root and sprout a new plant for you. Before you know it, you'll be giving Dieffenbachias away to all your friends and relatives, and even total strangers. (Diefs are kinda like zucchini in that way.
)I have a dwarf variety now, but I don't know the name of the cultivar. I'd love to get one of the big, broad-leaved varieties again. I really do think they're attractive plants.