The overwatered dieffenbachia can be diagnosed through symptoms such as yellowing leaves that may also turn brown, drooping leaves, and in the worst-case scenario, root rot. These changes negatively affect the appearance of the dieffenbachia plant, which is also known as the dumb cane.
To increase the chances of successfully saving your overwatered dieffenbachia plants, do the best that you can to detect the situation much earlier.
This article will take you through some pointers that help you to detect overwatering on your plants and to save them if possible.
Contents
Why Am I Dealing With an Overwatered Dieffenbachia?
You are dealing with an overwatered dieffenbachia because of factors such as incorrect watering frequency, inappropriate potting soil, wrong size of pot, harsh environmental conditions, pests in the plant, low humidity levels, and not enough sunlight provisions. It is essential to rectify these issues as soon as you spot them.
– Watering Frequency
Overwatering explains a situation where there is too much water in the potting soil for your plant. Therefore, it could be due to adding too much water without giving the soil enough time to breathe. If you water your dieffenbachia before its soil dries up, then the water that you will add will be in excess and might contribute to waterlogged conditions.
One of the factors that cause mistakes in watering frequency is the failure to check the moisture levels of the soil before administering a watering session. It could be that you don’t check the moisture at all or you might use methods like finger-dipping, which are more susceptible to human error when interpreting the results.
– Potting Soil
Although your dieffenbachia needs moisture, the potting soil should also be well-draining. This means that the structure of the soil should allow water and air to freely move without much hindrance. A well-draining potting soil will let excess water go down to the bottom of the pot before it escapes through the drainage holes.
Potting mixes that contain larger amounts of clay are more likely to have poor drainage properties. This is because clay has a compacted structure that is closely packed so it holds water for extended periods of time.
Sometimes, soils that were once well-draining may become compacted over time as they get constantly watered. The watering tends to push the soil particles together, thereby reducing the air spaces between them.
Compacted soils reduce the ability of the plant’s roots to access oxygen, water, and nutrients. This partly explains why dieffenbachia leaves may begin turning yellow.
If you see the foliage of the dieffenbachia turning brown, it’s also a sign that it might be failing to access the resources that it needs for proper growth.
– Environmental Conditions
Environmental conditions determine how much more water your dumb cane plant requires at a given time. They even determine the watering frequency. Failure to get to terms with this fact may see you having to deal with overwatered dieffenbachia.
Temperature, humidity, and light conditions affect the rates of transpiration and evaporation, both of which are the main methods of water loss for your cane plant. When your plant is exposed to high temperatures and lighting environments, water loss is quicker so it takes a shorter time for your soil to dry up.
This then means that you would need to water your beauty more frequently under such conditions. In lower light and temperature conditions, you will spend more time before watering your plant again.
When the humidity levels around your plant are lower, evaporation and transpiration are more likely to occur at faster rates. This is because there will be space for more water molecules in the air surrounding your plant.
In higher humidity conditions, your plant’s vicinity is relatively saturated and so water loss slows down. If you don’t consider environmental conditions when creating your watering schedules, common dieffenbachia problems like browning leaf tips might be yours to deal with.
– Pest Control Strategies
The most common dieffenbachia pest attacks are from spider mites, mealybugs, and aphids, all of which are sap suckers that can destroy your plant. If your plant is attacked by these pests, you should administer pest control strategies. However, it is crucial to note that some pest control interventions may contribute to overwatering.
Many plant enthusiasts use the housing method as the first line control method for pests before they consider others like spraying isopropyl alcohol or Neem oil. The hosing method is quite effective, especially when the onset of infestations are still low.
However, if it’s done on a separate day from the one scheduled for watering, the hosing may wet the soil as if it has been watered. Therefore, hosing pests off with a strong stream of water literally contributes to too frequent watering.
– Humidity-enhancing Interventions
The dieffenbachia is happier in conditions where the humidity is higher. Ideally, the humidity levels should be around 60 percent.
Let’s suppose that humidity levels around your dumb cane fall, which method will you use to improve the situation? No matter your choice, care has to be taken because they might promote overwatering.
If you decide to use the pebble tray method, contact between the bottom of the pot and the water in the pebble tray is supportive of water logging conditions .
The water from the pebble tray may find its way back into the pot through the drainage holes, aided by the capillary action of the roots.
– Sunlight Provisions
Discrepancies in simple plant care can cost you when your dieffenbachia becomes overwatered. Your plant thrives better in spaces that have disrupted sunlight exposure, which explains why they are better grown as indoor plants.
If you breach the plant’s light requirements by exposing it to direct sunlight for a long time, the leaves will be burned.
Without healthy leaves, the dumb cane’s efficiency in using water is also compromised. Under such circumstances, the potting soil may stay wet for longer, thereby exposing your plant to prolonged wetness. If this happens more often and the roots of your plant are affected, you will notice the leaves turning yellow or they may develop brown spots.
Completely keeping your dieffenbachia plant from light is also not a good idea. You may end up with a leggy dieffenbachia as the plant tries to reach out for light.
The plant will also appear leggy if you don’t give equal access to sunlight to all parts. Be sure to also protect your plant from cold drafts.
– Fertilizing
Fertilizing may become a causative factor for overwatering if you use the liquid to revamp the growth of your dieffenbachia. Liquid fertilizers are mixed with water, so adding them to the potting soil for your plant is likely to pose a risk of overwatering.
This is especially true if you separate the fertilizing session from the watering one. In this case, the fertilizing session will have similar effects to an extra session of watering, which could promote waterlogged conditions.
How Can I Save My Overwatered Dieffenbachia?
You can save your overwatered dieffenbachia by using a well-draining potting soil, changing the frequency of watering, being strategic with pest control methods, increasing humidity levels around the plant, propagating your plant, and removing damaged plant parts. You can save your dieffenbachia beauty if you implement the correct interventions.
Applying the right strategies begins with precisely diagnosing the cause of overwatering on your plant. You will notice that most of the revival methods that you will use are the normal dieffenbachia care procedures that you would have probably applied to prevent the current situation.
– Use a Well-Draining Potting Soil
If the dieffenbachia problems that you are facing are due to a compacted soil mix, consider transferring your plant into a pot with a more well-draining one .
You can buy such a mix from most plant stores. Alternatively, you can prepare your own potting mix that matches the qualities that you are looking for. If you are purchasing a mix, the African violet soil mix is a great option.
If you decide to make the potting soil on your own, mix equal portions of garden soil, peat, lime, and perlite.
You can use humus in place of peat as both components will provide the overall potting mix with water-retention characteristics. Also, you can replace perlite with sand because both of them create a soil structure that allows for good drainage.
– Change Watering Frequency Based on Environmental Conditions
The dieffenbachia loves soils that are wet, but soggy ones will see you witnessing the leaves drooping, or sometimes turning brown or yellow. To maintain the moisture levels that are best for the dieffenbachia, implement an average watering frequency of once or even twice a week.
To better customize proper watering needs for your plant, factor in changes in environmental conditions. This means that when the atmospheric temperatures are relatively higher, you might need to water your beauty more frequently because the rate at which water is lost by the leaves and potting soil is also on the up-side.
The same applies to windy days, which increase evaporation and transpiration rates.
Also, the potting soil for your plant dries faster when humidity levels are lower. As a result, your plant will need a drink more often.
Be sure to reduce the timeframe between waterings when temperatures are lower, relative humidity is higher, and on days that are not windy. Remember to factor in changes in seasons as well, considering that your dieffenbachia goes dormant during the winter season.
– Be Strategic With Pest Control Methods
Spraying your dieffenbachia with organic pesticides such as Neem oil is less likely to wet the potting soil to the extent of being counted as a watering session. Therefore, using such methods for controlling pests could be a great way to do away with overwatering.
If the hosing method still remains your first choice, you can place a plastic to cover the top of the potting mix. This way, water will not go into the soil of your dumb cane.
This strategy hits two birds with one stone because you avoid overwatering while also preventing possibly affecting the soil with pests that you are dealing with.
– Properly Handle Humidity-enhancing Strategies
When you are using the pebble tray to control humidity, make sure the pot is sitting on the stones. There should never be direct contact between the water in the tray and the bottom of the pot.
If you fear that you might make mistakes that aid direct contact between the pot and tray water, try other alternatives for increasing humidity. Misting is one of the effective interventions that we recommend.
If you are growing your dieffenbachia as an indoor plant, you can place it in rooms that naturally have high-humidity atmospheres, such as the bathroom. Using a humidifier will even give you better results, even though it is the most expensive strategy among the options that we gave you.
– Plan Your Fertilizing Sessions
When you use liquid fertilizers, add them during one of your watering sessions. You can even mix the fertilizer with the water that you already intend to give to your dieffenbachia beauty. This way, the watering frequency for your plant is well-maintained so overwatering is avoided.
– Remove Damaged Parts
Keeping the yellow and brown leaves can waste the resources that are supposed to be directed to the recovery, growth, and development of your plant. The roots will continue to supply these damaged leaves with nutrients that they will not use.
Therefore, we recommend that you remove these parts, even the ones that are still changing color because they cannot reassume their original appearance after all.
Also, check your dumb cane for root rot. Simply uproot the plant in a gentle manner, remove any soil attached to it, and then check if there are any roots that appear mushy and black or brown.
If present, such roots need to be removed before they spread the infection to the ones that are still healthy. After removing the roots that have been affected by root rot, consider spraying the rooting system with a fungicide before repoting the plant.
Follow a precautionary care guide to protect your plant from further damage and possible infections.
You can do this by making sure that the tools that you use for removing damaged plants are well sterilized. Isopropyl alcohol (70 percent) is an effective disinfecting agent. Also, wear gloves as you handle your dieffenbachia beauty.
– Propagate Your Plant
If root rot completely damages all the roots of your plant, the dieffenbachia won’t survive, despite efforts to make it live. However, you will still not lose your plant if you use healthy parts for propagation.
You can propagate your plant using stem cuttings. Air-layering could have been another option but it won’t work if the rooting system for your plant is completely damaged.
To propagate your dieffenbachia using stem cuttings, use shears to get the cuttings. Be sure to sterilize the shears using pine oil cleaner and water mixed at a ratio of 1:3.
Prune off the leaves from the stem cutting and place it on a flat surface overnight so that it dries. You can consider dipping the stem cutting in a rooting hormone to expedite root development.
You can then place the stem cutting in a glass jar that contains water or into a pot that is loaded with a well-draining and nutrient-rich medium. The simplest potting mix that you can create is made by combining equal parts of peat moss and sand.
Place the cuttings in the potting mix so that they assume a horizontal orientation. Water the plant when its soil is dry and wait for an average of six weeks for roots to begin sprouting.
Conclusion
You have acquired all it takes you to handle overwatering scenarios on your dumb cane plant, so let’s quickly run through the main points once again.
- You can easily identify an overwatered dieffenbachia plant by yellowing or brown leaves, in addition to root rot.
- Factors such as temperatures, watering frequency, pest-control methods, and drainage systems can trigger overwatering.
- You can save your overwatered dieffenbachia by correcting drainage issues and watering your plant when its soil is completely dry.
- If all the roots are destroyed by root rot, using the plant’s healthy parts for propagation is the way to go.
You have attained all the theoretical knowledge that you need for you not to panic when you are faced with an overwatering scenario.
You can even prevent your dieffenbachia from being overwatered by using the nuggets in this guide. Enjoy the peace as you take care of your dieffenbachia beauty!
- Grow Mango Tree Indoors: Best Tips and Tricks For You - September 21, 2023
- Are Lilacs Deer Resistant? 10 Other Deer Resistant Plants - September 19, 2023
- 7 Plants With Red Stems To Add Color to Your Garden - September 18, 2023
