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Over time the lower leaves drop off, exposing the stem, which looks similar to sugar cane.
As the leaves drop, leaving just the top foliage in place, the plant starts to resemble a small palm tree.
Toxicity
In case the warning above didn’t tip you off: watch out! This plant is toxic to cats and dogs, and can cause drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing, or even death.
Humans should take care, as well. Keep plants away from young children who like to put things in their mouths.
The sap can irritate the skin and eyes. Wear gloves, long sleeves, and eye protection when working with this plant, to be on the safe side, and avoid touching your face.
How to Grow
Dieffenbachia excels as a container specimen both indoors and out.
If you live in Zones 10 to 12, you can also grow it outdoors in the garden in mass plantings, borders, or as an accent.
After you find a good spot for it to grow in, all you need to do otherwise is provide it with food and water now and then.
Light
Dumb cane prefers partial shade and too much direct light can cause tip burn, so avoid bright, west-facing windows.
They can grow in a spot with around six hours of indirect sunlight, but you need to make a special effort to keep them well-watered, so they don’t get too dry with the additional light.
Dumb canes can also adjust to low light, but they will grow more slowly.
Be sure to rotate plants positioned in low light conditions frequently, to prevent them from reaching for the light and growing unevenly.
Soil
Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix is one of my favorite options because it’s both water retentive and drains well.
It also has built-in fertilizer, so you don’t have to feed your plant again for the first six months after potting up.
You can find six-quart bags of Miracle-Gro Potting Mix available at Home Depot.
Temperature and Humidity
A location where temperatures remain between 60 and 75°F is ideal, but these plants can tolerate cooler temperatures down to 50°F and heat up to 90°F for short periods without suffering.
Dumb cane prefers humidity above around 60 percent, but they’ll do fine in drier air as well.
Water
Allow the top inch of soil to dry before watering, but be sure that you never let your dumb cane sit in soggy soil.
If the leaves start to droop, that’s a sign that you need to give your plant a drink. Check the soil and add water if it’s dry.
To water, soak at the soil level until water runs out of the drainage holes. Remove the saucer and toss the excess water after it is done draining.
Just note that dumb cane leaves can start to turn brown at the tips if the plant isn’t receiving enough water or if the air humidity is too low.
Fertilizer
Dumb canes are heavy feeders, but don’t pull out the fertilizer just yet.
You want to find the right balance between applying so much fertilizer that the plant grows too quickly, and giving it so little that it struggles to survive.
Plants that are growing in low light need less fertilizer than ones placed in brighter light, and they will need little or no fertilizer during the dormant winter period.
Lilly Miller All Purpose Plant Food
Choose a balanced fertilizer like Lilly Miller’s All Purpose Plant Food, available on Amazon.
Dilute in water and apply to the soil every six weeks or so during the growing season.
If you notice curled leaves with brown edges and the soil isn’t extremely dry, you’ve likely added too much fertilizer.
If you use potting mix with added fertilizer, don’t fertilize for the first six months after planting. Otherwise, you can start your fertilizer routine straight away.
Cultivars to Select
Sellers often don’t specify which species they’re selling, though they’ll sometimes describe the cultivar.
It doesn’t really matter much, since they all have the same growing requirements. These cultivars are some of the more popular and pretty options out there.
Compacta
If you have a small, poorly lit corner to fill, ‘Compacta’ (D. maculata) might be just the ticket. It stays much smaller than most other varieties, rarely growing beyond 18 inches tall.
The leaves feature a blotchy, cream-colored pattern along the center of the leaves, with a wide green margin.
You can find plants in six-inch pots available from California Tropicals via Amazon.
Exotica
D. maculata ‘Exotica’ has a more upright growth habit than other varieties and grows up to 24 inches tall.
The leaves are green with a marbled creamy yellow pattern that bears a striking resemblance to the merle pattern seen on the coats of certain types of dogs.
Marianne
Sometimes called ‘Tropic Marianne’ or ‘Maryanne,’ D. maculata ‘Marianne’ grows to about three feet tall at maturity. It has oversized leaves with a creamy center and thin, dark green margins.
Unlike many others on this list, the center of each leaf is a single color that gradually fades into the margin rather than having a marbled or speckled pattern.
Rudolph Roehrs
D. maculata ‘Rudolph Roehrs’ has pale, speckled yellow and white leaves with dark green margins and green veins. The foliage almost looks as though someone splattered it with paint.
This one grows anywhere from four to six feet tall, so it’s better for larger spaces.
Tropic Snow
‘Tropic Snow’ stretches up to six feet tall when it’s full grown.
The leaves of this D. seguine cultivar have a dramatic marbled green center, with dark green midribs and margins.
You can find plants in three-gallon containers available from Fast Growing Trees.
Vesuvius
‘Vesuvius’ is a standout D. amoena cultivar because of its explosively mottled leaves.
The margins are dark green, while the center of each massive leaf has cream, yellow, and light green marbling that varies from tiny pinhead-sized spots to larger patches that nearly cover the entire leaf.
This one grows to an average of three feet in height, but I’ve seen them reach up to five feet in ideal conditions.
Maintenance
There’s no need to prune your dumb cane, but if you find any leaves that are shriveled and brown, yellow, or otherwise unattractive, you can trim them off with a clean pair of clippers.
When my dumb canes start to look like palm trees, I simply cut the stem with a pair of clippers to about an inch above the soil level.
Put the plant in a spot with bright, indirect light and keep the soil moist. Within a few weeks, new growth will emerge from the base of the stem and you can start fresh.
Dust the foliage every few weeks with a damp cloth. Leaves that are covered in a layer of dust aren’t able to photosynthesize effectively.
Repot every year or two to keep your dumb cane happy. If you see roots poking up out of the surface of the soil or ringing the perimeter of the container, it’s time to repot.
I like to poke a finger into the perimeter to feel for roots, or you can pull the plant out and examine the situation once a year or so.
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Kristine Lofgren
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