Dieffenbachia Ruffled Edges
Plant: Dieffenbachia
How long have you had the plant? 6 months to 1 year
Concerns:
The plant is putting out lots of new growth, but the new leaves stay curled for weeks and they also have a bumpy surface and frilly ruffles along the edge. My older leaves don’t have that.
I started noticing this about 3 months ago. It was in my south-facing solarium under the window sill. It gets about one to two hours of direct sun on its tallest leaves:
Since noticing this and reading your book, I have moved it to in front of a north facing balcony door. The leaves are still curled up and bumpy.
How do you determine WHEN to water? I wait for the soil to become about halfway dry before watering.
Describe HOW you water: I pour enough water so excess just starts to come out, but I have not “flushed” the soil
Additional Comments: The humidity in the solarium is between 27 to 35% throughout winter. The dumb cane sits in a group with a money tree, a banana tree, a goldfish plant and a dracaena. The other plants seem all healthy
Fertilizer? Yes, I’ve started recently – using Miracle Gro 24-8-16 all purpose
Soil:
Darryl’s Analysis
Environment:
Your solarium is the space houseplants dream about! I think you should keep the plant in that room if possible.
Effort:
You have the WHEN and the HOW to water generally correct. When your light is so good, you will need to keep up with watering. A good flushing approximately once a month would work well.
Given the good light and watering, your plant would hold onto a few more leaves for longer if given a good liquid 3-1-2 fertilizer (more info here).
Expectations:
The ruffled edges sometimes happen if watering is inconsistent during its development. In your sunroom, the plant was likely growing quickly, which would have meant keeping up with watering was a challenge. Over time, these ruffles might become less prominent but maybe as new leaves grow, you’ll just notice them less. Overall, this is a minor cosmetic issue. Keep up with watering and fertilizing – your light is amazing!
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