Hello, First time plant parents here. We recently went to a plant store and just picked out what we liked and figured we’d learn from there. Upon learning we bought a Dieffenbachia 'Tropic Snow' plant and have just discovered it’s not only toxic to cats but people as well. It’s in our living room now but any tips? Should we keep or not?
Keep it…just keep it away from animals and don’t snack on it lol
3 Me gusta Okay so only toxic if consumed? Same for pets? If they rub up all over it, is it still toxic?
1 me gustaFor the most part…it’s really the sap that is toxic so if you are cutting it for any reason (like propagation) just be careful with your skin coming in contact with that
1 me gustaAs long as your pet (and any people in the house) don't eat it it's fine. Toxicity in plants is the same as allergies in humans. Some people can have deadly anaphylactic reaction if they even smell a peanut while other people thrive on peanut butter sandwiches. Animals have different immune systems and respond differently. Most plants that are toxic cause gastric upset. Things like vomiting and diarrhea but it goes away. There are a few things that have respiratory effects. I'd be especially careful of those. You can Google the name of any plant and find out if it's toxic and what the effects are. I love dumb cane it's usually got great variegation. Dieffenbachia is one of the plants I would be especially careful of because it can cause mouth and throat irritation and swelling. Maybe keep it up somewhere and try a less toxic plant to see what interest your pets have in your plants.
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I agree. I think your best option to keep your cat safe would be to place it in a room with a door you can close to keep any curious pets out of being left alone with it. The sap from this plant can be toxic and irritating to the skin, so to be extra careful, you can trim flower buds off at the base before they bloom to reduce the amount of sap your plant produces. Lots of folks have asked how to best protect their plants and pets from each other on this app and I’m found the best option with cats is to try to find a space you can close off from them. Hope this helps.
1 me gusta I can recommend a few nice non-toxic options if you’re looking for any other plants to add to your collection that won’t come with the extra stress. One of my favorites are peperomias. They come in a lot of beautiful varieties and they’re great for those new to houseplants. Quite a few succulents are often non-toxic plants as well. Nemathantus gregarius, sedum morganianum, echeverias, African violets, and holiday cacti (schlumbergera truncata or schlunbergera x buckleyi, rhipsalidopsis gaertneri/rhipsalidopsis x graeseri) are a few others in my collection that are great non-toxic plants. I’ve found the more tropical varieties of houseplants tends to be the ones more likely of being toxic.
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I have a diffenbachia and I love this plant, it is so easy and is constantly giving me new growth! It does love water and bright light to keep the white spots growing. I have 3 dogs but they don’t seem to care about my plants..
1 me gustaI agree with the other suggestions on here. If you can’t separate your pets from the plants then perhaps regift this one & grab yourself one of the plants suggested by Adrian. 😉
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