The best way to determine when it’s time to water your Dieffenbachia again is to simply monitor your plant and test the soil by sticking your finger into it a couple of inches. Fertilize your Dieffenbachia every 2-3 weeks during the growing season with a balanced, water soluble fertilizer, made up at half strength. Natural causes. She pop out a new leaf every 2 weeks so I guess she is doing happily well. The smaller leaves are beginning to turn yellow! ... watering them again. If it is cold, it can shock the plant and make the tips of the leaves turn brown. Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane) leaves most commonly turn yellow due to overwatering, but other causes include lighting problems, temperature extremes, low humidity, pests or nutrient deficiency. It receommends medium light (what defines medium light? If the infection has spread throughout the plant, it is best to move the plant container away from other plants or change the pot entirely. The main take-away is to consider each cause in turn, assess your plant carefully and make changes to improve the healthy of your plant. Left too long, the roots will succumb to opportunistic fungal and bacterial disease and the plant will be doomed. We're always looking to improve our articles to help you become an even better gardener. Some of these may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if items are purchased. Since it's recently moved indoors after a summer outdoors, it's definitely possible that it doesn't drink as much as it used to, so giving it the same amount of water can be too much. There are other times when the problem is more of a mystery. When you feel little to no moisture, go ahead and give it some water. Dieffenbachias come in a number of cultivars with different sizes, colors, and variegation patterns. - Gardening Know How Questions & Answers. If the temperature gets too cold or the dieffenbachia is near an air conditioner, leaves turn yellow. When all the leaves fall off, it is a good idea to trim the stems and cut back foliage to spur new growth. A healthy dieffenbachia plant boasts green and cream leaves. When a plant is grown in high-humidity and then moved to a person’s home or office where there is less humidity, the change can affect the plant and make its leaves turn yellow. Although more tolerant than some indoor plants, your dieffenbachia can show considerable signs of stress, so move your plant to an alternate location to fix this problem. A range of nutrient deficiency problems can result in your Dieffenbachia leaves turning yellow, most commonly nitrogen and phosphorus deficiency. My plant is all leaves the biggest being about 6 inches long. Your plant is called a dieffenbachia. Symptoms: Lower leaves of Dieffenbachiaturn yellow and spots appear. Dieffenbachia can be affected by most of the common houseplant bugs, including mealy bugs, scale and spider mites. However, if several leaves are yellowing at the same time, or they aren’t the bottom leaves, then something may be wrong. There are many compact forms that rarely need to be cut back, growing to only 12 inches tall; they make wonderful accent plants and some are low-growing enough to be used as tall groundcovers. However it's not normal if multiple leaves are effected at once, this instead would be a sign that the temperature is too low, or the plant is in a draughty area. While fairly adaptable and easy to care for, dieffenbachia leaves turning yellow is a pretty common complaint. It’s hard to say exactly how long this will take because it depends on so many things, including changes in temperature, light, and humidity. If you water the plant too much, your plant can suffer. The right amount of light is crucial in these plants, not only because it directly impacts the health of the plant but also because too much or too little light complicates how much and how often you need to water the plant as well. Dieffenbachia (dumb cane) leaves most commonly turn yellow due to overwatering, but other if you think root rot may be setting in, you can ease the plant out of its pot and check the roots. Once your dieffenbachia plant is dry and the leaves change color, they will not turn to their original color again. It needs plenty of water to thrive. These plants can up the style quotient of any room they are … Yellowing leaves can signal inadequate nutrition. It might be a bit of a challenge to know when to water this plant. The leaves may change color because of underwatering or overwatering your plant. These little baby leaves at the bottom of the smaller stalks are turning yellow, some look faded and pale also, all the larger ones are health and green. They appear as small flecks and are often not noticeable until leaves yellow and are heavily speckled with the mites. A little more about me. So long as it's just the older leaves yellowing and dying off I don't think it's a major problem. These usually record the current temperature as well as the maximum and minimum temperature recorded, making it easy to detect whether conditions are suitable. To avoid the yellowing of leaves, it’s best to water your Dieffenbachia by thoroughly soaking the soil to the point until it begins to come out of the holes in the bottom of the pot and into the drip pan. This will often lead to yellow or brown leaves, typically of new growth and older, lower leaves too, but not generally in a generalized pattern, as with overwatering. If your plant has is healthy and one or two dieffenbachia yellow leaves show up throughout the course of the year it is most likely an old leaf. Hi, I’m Andrew, and Smart Garden Guide is my website all about indoor gardening and houseplants. If the temperature gets too cold or the dieffenbachia is near an air conditioner, leaves turn yellow. If the soil of a dieffenbachia gets too dry and the plant wilts, a dieffenbachia gets yellow leaves. This one may be a little hard to crack since you might not even realize this is happening. dieffenbachia leaves yellowing after repot. Provide your plant a dose of liquid plant food for non-flowering houseplants every month. As mentioned earlier, the Dieffenbachia plant is a fan of a room with fairly high humidity. I need help to save my dieffenbachia. This will vary depending My dieffenbachia was on the balcony from July to September and has been growing new leaves. Without well functioning roots, normal plant processes are hampered, leading to progressive, generalized yellowing of the leaves. While you're here, why not follow us on Facebook and YouTube? It produces large, thick leaves that are often variegated with stripes or spots. smartgardenguide.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and other Amazon stores worldwide. Unlike plants in your garden, a houseplant does not get the same amount of sun during the day, even if exposed to bright indirect light. However, often gardeners are faced with the fact that the leaves of the plant begin to dry, turn yellow and deform. For pest and disease problems, it’s best to prune off affected foliage immediately as this may the only way to save the plant. Dieffenbachia Care Guide Light. D. seguine is the most popular Dieffenbachia species, a native of Brazil with clusters of large ovate leaves with green margins splotched with yellow or cream color. To fix curling leaves from too much light, move your houseplant to a location that receives more appropriate light for the type of plant that you have. During the winter season, you can give addtional artificial light to make sure your plant leaves don’t change color. With the best will in the world, sometimes we just forget to water a plant for a little too long. This change is usually short-lived and goes away after the plant has properly adapted to its new environment. directly affect the amount of sunlight that gets in. You can change the water every few days or so. Dieffenbachia is an incredible tropical houseplant which is commonly known as the “Dumb Cane”. My dieffenbachia leaves appear to get brown tips at the end. But the small leaves stay small for ever. Hopefully, this article will help you fix why your dieffenbachia leaves are turning yellow and prevent any problems in the future. But … Fungal and bacterial diseases can also turn your leaves yellow. The lower leaves turn yellow when the soil is too moist and there is insufficient drainage. Identifying the problem is easy if you take a few minutes to look at the growing conditions your plant is in. Rotten spots feel mushy, soft, or watery. Dieffenbachia can withstand quite a range of growing conditions, including temperatures from 50-80°F and a range of lighting, water and humidity. Infected areas have a rotten, fishy smell. The best way to water Dieffenbachia is to drench the soil with water that is at room temperature. Using fertilizer can be an amazing facilitator for your plant’s fast and quality growth, however, it can also be the cause of many problems, such as its leaves turning yellow. Hi, I'm Kevin. Dieffenbachia leaves do normally arch downward as yours do in the photo. 6 hours ago. Many different problems can cause dieffenbachia leaves to turn yellow, including disease, insect infestations and cultural problems. The pot will feel much lighter than normal and the plant leaves will look very dry indeed. Dieffenbachia Hilo - Hilo plants have large, pointed, coarse, dark green leaves that have a light green variegation and prominent white veins. The bottom leaves on a dieffenbachia plant can turn yellow for a number of reasons. In these cases, you'll need to try changing one thing at a time until you see improvement in your plant. It’s in a west window with filtered light and seems to get plenty. If the soil is dry, start watering it more regularly or your plant will die, leaves turning yellow and then brown. If you think root rot may be setting in, you can ease the plant out of its pot and check the roots. I wait for it to dry before watering. Spider mites can be particularly dangerous, as they are so small it can be hard to detect a problem before it’s almost too late. Allowing the top 1” to 2” (2.5 – 5 cm) of soil to dry prevents overwatering the plant. Home » Troubleshoot and Fix Dieffenbachia Yellow Leaves. It may become hard for the roots to absorb all of the water, which can lead to the death of your plant via root rot. I have one in pot which I neglected for too long through winter. Overwatering is by far the most common reason why a dieffenbachia plant will develop disease problems, so err on the side of caution and you can prevent most of these from causing a problem. Yellowing of the leaves is generally a sign of problematic conditions, such as a nutrient deficiency in the soil. Signs of overwatering include dumb cane leaves that turn yellow. When planted indoors be it at home or in an office these plants are known to be the perfect décor companion. There are some reasons for yellowing leaves such as: If the entire plant is healthy and has a few yellow leaves showing up throughout the years, those are most possibly old leaves. It's taken about 3-4 weeks of warming spring season and a bit of extra care to bring this plant back. Humidity. Why Is My Dieffenbachia Leaves Turning Yellow? 1. The older lower leaves on a dumb cane plant naturally die once they reach about one year old. They are sturdy, thick-stemmed plants with colorful, oblong, pointed, glabrous leaves which are generally green and cream colored. I’m here to share my experience and help you have more success and enjoyment growing plants. Why are the leaves on my dieffenbachia turning yellow? Dieffenbachia houseplants may get yellow leaves for a couple of reasons. Inspected for bugs and can’t find any at all. When the leaves of your Dieffenbachia turn yellow and the stems are soft or mushy, you've given it too much water. Another common reason why your dumb cane houseplant might be turning yellow is the weather. Most indoor spaces should be well within this temperture range, so this has most relevance for plants that are grown in hot rooms in summer, or kept next to a drafty window in winter. Dieffenbachia is one of the most popular houseplants because it lives for a long time. Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane) leaves most commonly turn yellow due to overwatering, but other causes include lighting problems, temperature extremes, low humidity, pests or nutrient deficiency. to make things simple keep an eye on the top layer of soil when it seems dry, pinch it and check if the soil sticks to your finger. If the droopiness is more severe than that, then that is a sign that the plant is not getting enough water. Natural causes can lead to yellowing of the leaves in dieffenbachia. Why are your dieffenbachia leaves turning yellow? Another false belief about Dieffenbachia's is that they need very little light. Since dieffenbachia is a potted plant, it is vital to give your plant the amount of water it needs because it’s not getting it from rain, in-ground soil, etc. Nutrient deficient soil is commonly used for growing a range of houseplants, with a mix of peat moss and perlite being one of my favorite mixes for plants including dumb canes. Most of the time, you can easily tell what’s wrong and fix it before things get worse but sometimes, it is harder to tell where the problem lies. It should be watered before it reaches the point of unusual droopiness. By the time the leaves turn yellow/brown and a little crispy, the soil will be completely dry. Dieffenbachia Propagation: 2 Methods for Success, Callirhoe Involucrata Care: Grow Purple Poppy Mallow. Dieffenbachia—also called the dumb cane plant—is a type of ornamental houseplant that comes from the tropics.Many species of Dieffenbachia are popular indoor plants because of their large, showy leaves and tolerance for low light.Types of dumb cane plants such as Dieffenbachia seguine, Dieffenbachia amoena, and Dieffenbachia Camille have attractive variegated creamy-white and green leaves. If the soil of a dieffenbachia gets too dry and the plant wilts, a dieffenbachia gets yellow leaves. I've received hundreds of pictures and questions through my "help @ houseplantjournal.com" email. If your plant is placed in the middle of the room away from a light source, it’s best to move it to the window sill, where it can get direct sunlight during the day. Especially when older leaves are curling at the very tips of the leaves. Yellowing leaves on your houseplants can be caused by a number of conditions. It’s normal for the bottom leaves to turn yellow, and eventually die and drop off. The last 1 week her leaves start getting droopy. Indirect bright light is best for the Dieffenbachia. Temperature stress can also occur if you put your Dieffenbachia outside in summer and leave it out a little too long as the colder autumn night arrive. Water your dieffenbachia regularly. The leaves of the Dieffenbachia plant generally turn droopy when they are water-deprived. Dieffenbachia plants do best in temperatures of between 50-80°F, and will begin to show signs of stress outside this temperature range. Water it regularly To maintain a healthy plant you should be giving indirect bright light.. Keep it away from direct sunlight during the middle of the day and early afternoon when the suns is at its hottest. If it is already on the sill, check if something is blocking the light. The older lower leaves on a dumb cane plant naturally die once they reach about one year old. I have no experience with this type of plant, but in general yellowing leaves can be a sign of overwatering. The plant is over watered; the roots have rotted, and the plant is dying. This article contains incorrect information, This article is missing information that I need. Its leaves turn … Typically, Dieffenbachia needs more water during the spring and summer and considerably less during the fall and winter. Don’t water again until the top few inches of soil are almost completely dry. Most require water about twice a week. Checking your plant regularly for bugs, by inspecting both sides of the leaves can go a long way to preventing or dealing with a problem at an early stage. D. seguine is the most popular Dieffenbachia species, a native of Brazil with clusters of large ovate leaves with green margins splotched with yellow or cream color. Read how to increase humidity for your houseplants easily and with minimal effort. Just be careful not to overdo it though, as nutrient toxicity can arguably cause more problems. DIEFFENBACHIA. Welcome to The Garden Helper! 7 years ago. Dieffenbachia leaves turning yellow can also be due to insect infestations and infections from fungi or bacteria. Help answer a question about my dieffenbachia leaves are turning yellow and limp. The dieffenbachia is beloved for its large, tropical leaves and easy adaptation to indoor environments. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The Dieffenbachia leaves are turning yellow because of one of these two reasons: it's getting too much water or it's getting too much sunlight. When you water, are you using tap water? I watered it about once a week. Your dumb cane plant may be changing color because it is not getting enough nutrients, especially nitrogen. Alternatively, you could use an organic fertilizer, but there are pros and cons of this. This is an issue that is common to many houseplants, as many of us have a tendency to water too often. Depending on the cultivar, the thick, large leaves are usually some mixture of green, white, and yellow. I have a new medium-sized Dieffenbachia plant whose leaves at the base of the plant are turning yellow and some have crispy edges. This should be an easy cause to identify as Dieffenbachia plants are reasonably drought tolerant. read my guide to how to fix an overwatered plant. Am I watering it too much? If you don’t give your plant immediate attention when the leaves start changing color, you will stunt the growth and health of your dumbcane plant, so keep an eye on it! If your dieffenbachia plant has yellowing leaves, no need to panic. Sap-sucking buys will cause marked leaf yellowing as they harvest the precious juices within your plant. This issue is particularly common if you buy a dieffenbachia plant that has been grown in perfect, high humidity conditions at the nursery and you then bring it home to the more arid conditions that many of us have in our homes. Warm conditions are needed and you must avoid draughts, especially in Winter. DEAR DAVID: Overwatering often is to blame when leaves of pothos, also known as Devil’s Ivy, turn yellow and brown. Dieffenbachia Compacta - This variety has medium-green, heavily-speckled leaves with a creamy yellow color in the center. Some yellowing of the leaves is common during the changing seasons, particularly in autumn and winter, when old foliage is more likely to die back as part of the natural growth habit of this plant. For a long time (5-6 months) her new leaves are not getting bigger. Before you know it, all the leaves will turn yellow. Consistently low temperatures or sudden changes in temperature will cause dieffenbachia leaves to droop and turn yellow. You can spot overwatering easily by feeling the soil, or poking your finger down a few inches. Dieffenbachias come in a number of cultivars with different sizes, colors, and variegation patterns. The taller varieties should be … I'm not sure where to put this plant, maybe that's why. 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