Dieffenbachia is a great plant for apartments and offices. It pleases with lush motley greens and rapid growth. For a year you can grow from a tiny seedling a meter and a half giant. But, unfortunately, in the dry air of the premises, it exposes itself very quickly, and instead of a lush bush you have a shaded monster with a curved trunk and a bunch of leaves on the crown. To return Dieffenbachia decorative, you have to regularly trim it.
You will need
- - a hacksaw or knife with teeth;
- - alcohol;
- - ground cinnamon or charcoal;
- - latex gloves;
- - soap solution.
Instruction manual
1
Pruning is recommended for sufficiently mature plants, the trunk of which has reached a thickness of 2-3 cm in diameter.
2
Nothing will grow on the bare trunk, so cut as low as possible. Make sure that there are sleeping kidneys on the stump. They look like holes or half rings. It is better if there are 2-3 of them. A new trunk will grow from each bud, and the plant will become very decorative in the future.
3
When pruned, dieffenbachia produces a lot of milky juice, which is very toxic. Be sure to wear gloves. Remove small children and animals from the room during trimming. Even one drop of Dieffenbachia juice that has fallen on the baby’s mucosa can cause severe burns and anaphylactic shock.
4
To reduce the secretion of juice, stop watering the plant three to four days before the procedure.
5
Prepare the tool for work. The trunk of an adult dieffenbachia is woody, therefore, working with a knife that is not sharp enough, you can grind it. It is best to use a thin hacksaw or a well-sharpened knife with cloves for work.
6
Treat the cutting part with alcohol to prevent bacteria or mold infections from entering the wound. After work, wash the instrument thoroughly with detergent to remove any remaining juice.
7
The slice should be completely horizontal. To prevent infection of the plant or the appearance of rot, treat the cut with ground cinnamon or charcoal.
8
The stump can be closed with a glass jar, which must be regularly lifted for ventilation. Reduce watering until the sleeping buds wake up. After that, carry out watering and top dressing as usual.
9
The top remaining after trimming can be rooted and planted later on to the remaining hemp. In this case, you will receive a large lush bush.
10
If the cut part is a long trunk with a bunch of leaves at the end, cut it into several parts. Dieffenbachia perfectly reproduces in pieces of the stem, even if they do not have leaves. Dry the trim before rooting for one to two days.
eleven
Root the apex in water or directly in a moist mixture of earth and sand. If rooted in water, use opaque dishes. Change the water from time to time.
note
Dieffenbachia is one of the most poisonous plants in the aroid family. It is not recommended to start it in a house with young children. Juice from a randomly broken sheet can be very dangerous. Often victims of dieffenbachia are budgies. Cats and dogs, as a rule, instinctively shun her, but try not to risk it.
Useful advice
If you cut a long trunk into pieces, you get confused where they have bottom and top, just lay them out on moist soil horizontally. Sleeping kidneys on the trunk should face up.
Related article
Dieffenbachia: growing and caring
