i'm sure this is a wicked common plant, but i can't figure out what it is. it's the longest surviving plant i've ever had, so i'm rather fond of it... but lately it's gotten... floppy. It used to stand up tall. So i want to know what it is so i can find out if it's supposed to flop over or what i'm supposed to do to get it to not flop over. thank you in advance!
Thank you for responding. I looked up pictures of the Dieffenbachia online and they appear to have all marbled leaves. My plant actually has mostly solid leaves. (sorry for the misleading picture above) Is it still a Dieffenbachia?
some dief's will become less variegated when the lighting conditions aren't optimum for what they prefer; some don't have any variegation at all. looks like a dief. to me. a better look at the stems/trunks might be helpful - from what i can see in the last pic, looks right for dieffenbachia.
Looks OK to me, but check that the soil is just moist, not soggy nor very dry. The flopping stems is I think just because they are getting long and heavy enough to bend over with gravity; either let it flop, or tie the stems to cane(s) if you want them to stay upright.
thanks everyone. i didn't realize that the variegation changed if they don't like the light. I looked up dief. and it says they like more diffused light, so mine may be getting too much as it's directly under one of the ceiling fixtures now. it used to be on the other side of my cubicle, and it did appear happier over there. thanks again. y'all are really nice to help people identify their plants!
Pinch prune your Dieffenbachia for a more bushy effect... indoor/office lighting lends to leggy growth habit.
joclyn - you asked for a better shot of the stems. i've attached it. K Baron - i'm not entirely sure what pinch pruning is, but i would imagine i can find it online. thanks for the tip!
thx for the additional pic - definitely dieffenbachia. pinch pruning means you pinch off new growth tips and that causes the plant to 'bush out' below. not really what you'd do with a dief, though, i don't think...they don't really branch out. i don't think, anyway. i don't grow that one, so can't say for sure! i do know you can top it off and plant the top piece so it'll root and the original piece will sprout new growth. 'top it off' means cutting off a portion of the top part of the stalk/trunk. if you're going to do that, the best time is in spring - most plants go into a bit of dormancy during the winter months and then go into a growth spurt once the sunlight levels (and temps) increase in the spring. so, best to wait until then to do anything drastic!
thanks joclyn. i actually did do a top off cutting earlier in the year and have a small one growing at home now. it's just starting to get a new shoot, so i was happy that it worked! i'm ok with it being floppy for the time being. I was just really worried that I was doing something wrong because it just seemed like it wasn't strong anymore and was thinking maybe it needed a bigger pot or something. i've moved it back to the other side of my cubicle, so hopefully the lighting change will make it happier again too. thanks again to everyone who responded. i really appreciate all the help and tips.
There are many factors involved. First, there are many species in the genus Dieffenbachia. Second, to make it worse most of the plants sold today are hybrids and not species so being certain of a species name without knowing the plant's heritage is very complicated. Third, aroids are extremely variable and often produce blades that appear very different within a single species and or specimen. As a plant grows from juvenile to adult it morphs and will change all the time just as a baby changes as it grows from birth to an adult. This may help: http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Natural variation within aroid and plant species.html It is a Dieffenbachia, I just have no idea which one.
I have 3 Dieffenbachia, all from the same original plant. 2 have maintained their original variegation---but, since being cut back/regrown, the 3d is solid green. All live next to one another. So, go figure!
that's the 'hybrid' issue coming to the fore, togata!! when things are crossed, they can/will revert back to the original at some point and no rhyme or reason to it if/when it happens. hybridizing makes plants VERY variable...as if aroids needed any help on that score!
True, but the same thing happens in species as well. I've seen 7 or 8 different leaf blade forms on a single specimen as in the photo attached. This is not uncommon at all in aroids. I took this photo one day in the summer of 2008. All these leaves are on one single plant.
Here's another of a wild specimen of the same species. Few of us would even recognize it if the botanists didn't go out and figure out what it really is.
Pinch? I mean cut to the lowest part of the stalk to restart a new plant.... it should set at least two or more segments or protruding nodes of new growth and result in a bushier habit....I would also repot it in a suitable size ...
