With its large, elliptically shaped and beautifully colored leaves, the Dieffenbachia is one of the most attractive indoor plants. At the same time, this arum plant is extremely robust. The plant is rarely attacked by diseases, but these can usually be fought well.
The Dieffenbachia is rarely attacked by diseases
Watered too much - then there is a risk of root rot
The Dieffenbachia reacts quite sensitively to permanently wet feet. Due to the waterlogging of the root ball, the life veins begin to rot. The roots destroyed by a lack of oxygen and fungi can no longer absorb water and the ornamental plant dries up, even though you have watered it regularly.
remedy
- Pot Dieffenbachia. An unpleasant putrid odor of the roots is typical.
- These are no longer crunchy and brightly colored, but squishy, soft and brownish.
- Remove all damaged root parts and the old substrate.
- Repot the plant in fresh soil.
- In the future, only water when the top centimeters of soil feel dry.
In contrast to more sensitive houseplants, the Dieffenbachia usually recovers quite well from these measures and sprout again after a while.
leaf spot disease
You can recognize this fungal disease by the brown spots on the foliage with black edges. In this area, the sheet feels paper-thin, sometimes the damaged tissue breaks right out when touched.
- Stand the plant individually to prevent the disease from spreading.
- Treat Dieffenbachia with a suitable fungicide.
- Dispose of infested leaves that fall off with household waste.
wet rot
You can recognize this bacterial plant disease by the fact that the lower parts of the stem and the central, newly formed leaves become soft and vitrified. At a later stage, the bacteria also colonize the root system, which also begins to rot. Typically, the Dieffenbachia exudes an unpleasant smell of rot.
Unfortunately, there are no chemical agents against bacterial diseases in plants. You can try to cut out all affected parts of the plant. Older Dieffenbachia sometimes recover, while young plants usually die. The same applies here: dispose of parts of the plant in the household waste.
tips
Plant diseases can usually be treated quite well in the early stages, so always take a close look at the Dieffenbachia when watering. Wear gloves for all care measures, as the poisonous arum plant can cause unpleasant skin irritation when touched.