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Hello. I have a dieffenbachia, all of the leaves have shed and it’s… | Pests, diseases and problems | Planta community

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Hello. I have a dieffenbachia, all of the leaves have shed and it’s just a stalk. I repotted it and the roots look fine. How can I encourage leaf growth?

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6 comments

  1. iambijoux

    I’d chop it somewhere. If I’m not mistaken, growth will come from those bumps/eyes. I’d cut it twice, actually. I’d stick one cutting directly in the soil and put the other in water. If they all take, you’ll have three stalks instead of one in the pot.

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    • Jneyman

      Agree! I have done chops with my Dracaena Janet Craig and had good success with new growth. You can also try and propagate what you chopped off! This one had stalks 4-5ft tall so I did a massive chop. I’ve been able to get 8 new stalks from propagating! And this pic is a few months old at this point. There’s some new growth sprouting on the two back stalks

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  2. Lentil

    I had this same problem and I cut the stem in half. It now is growing two new shoots with leaves from the original stem! I would stick the other half in water and let it root as well so you get two plants!

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  3. Nunyabzwx

    Agree with the others. Give it some good light to get it growing again..

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  4. Heather

    Your soil looks way too peaty and compact for a dieffenbachia. They prefer lighter airier soil that can still hold moisture. The yellowing stem towards the soil line is what is concerning me. If you press it and it gives at all get it out of that soil immediately. Even though you just repotted, I would recommend doing it again into something that isn’t going to suffocate the root system which is probably what caused the leaf drop to begin with. Go with a 1-1-1 mix 1 part potting soil 1 part perlite 1 part orchid bark (or pine bark mulch…just sift out the finer particulates)

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    • plantgeek

      agree! nobody else mentioned this. that soil is too dense. while peat can be good in the mix for retention, theres way too much of it.

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