How to trim dieffenbachia?
Dieffenbachia belongs to the aroid family and is often used for growing in office and home environments. The plant is a gorgeous bush with large variegated leaves on a powerful stem. A feature of dieffenbachia is a high growth rate - in a year it can reach from 1.5 to 2 meters in height.
With proper care and maintenance, the flower grows quite bushy. However, very often the plant drives a tall, but absolutely naked, trunk, while the leaves themselves remain only at its top. The reason for this phenomenon may be too dry air in the room, but by its very nature, dieffenbachia needs constant growth stimulation, since it itself is reluctant to start new shoots.
Dieffenbachia pruning rules
To return the flower to its former beauty, you need to know how to properly cut Dieffenbachia. First of all, this must be done with a very sharp knife or small file - the cut must be even (horizontal), and in no case torn. Treat the knife with alcohol so as not to infect, and after trimming, be sure to wash and disinfect.
The juice that is released in the place of the cut is poisonous, so you must work with gloves and without the presence of children.
You can only cut off adult plants, the trunk diameter of which is at least 2 cm.The procedure itself is as follows:
- Watering is stopped 4 days before pruning, resulting in less sap at the cut.
- The long trunk of an elongated dieffenbachia must be cut off completely, leaving only a small stump up to 10 cm high. There must be 3 dormant buds on the stump (looking like half rings), so that new shoots will go from them in the future.
- Dip the cut site with a napkin to remove drops of juice, and treat with activated carbon or sprinkle with wood ash.
- Put a glass jar on top of the remaining stump. It is removed when the buds wake up and young shoots appear, and before that they are periodically raised for airing.
What to do with a cut trunk?
The trimmed leftovers are used for breeding dieffenbachia... In this case, not only the top is rooted, but also the long trunk itself:
- Rooting the apex. Put the cut off top in a glass of water and wrap it with a dark cloth so that it does not enlighten. The water is changed every 2-3 days. After the young roots appear, the top is planted in a pot to a cut dieffenbachia or in a separate bowl as an independent plant. You can immediately root it in a mixture of earth and sand.
- Rooting the trunk. Cut the long stem into pieces so that buds remain on each. Leave to dry for 2 days at room temperature.
Good evening. Please tell me what can be done with the leaves of dieffenbachia sagging from below. Cut them off or wait until she drops them herself. Above, the leaves are good young. But the lower ones are difficult for her to hold.
You can, of course, cut off the lower leaves to make it easier for the plant, but won't the dieffenbachia trunk be exposed? If it is high enough, maybe it makes sense to immediately rejuvenate the plant by cutting off the top with young leaves and rooting it?
Tell me, is it time for me to cut or not? Thank you in advance.
Yes, it is already necessary to cut, the trunk began to bare at the bottom. But I would wait until spring.