Rank: Newbie
Joined: 4/13/2008
Posts: 1
Location: WELLAND
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I PURCHASED A DIEFFENBACHIA ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO. IT STOOD AT ROUGHLY 8 FEET STRAIGHT UP AND SINCE HAS GROWN OVER 13 FEET. I'M TRYING TO DECIDE IF I SHOULD LOP THE PLANT OFF AT THE BASE AND REROOT FROM A PAIL, CUTTING AT THE 8 FOOT MARK AND HOPE FOR A STRAIGHT OFF-SHOOT, OR SIMPLY GRAFTING THE PLANT. ANY GREEN THUMBS OR PRO'S ADVICE WOULD BE APPRECIATED - I'VE RAN OUT OF HEADROOM AND THE PLANT IS STARTING TO BEND. HELP!
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Rank: Newbie
Joined: 4/28/2008
Posts: 6
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I'm impressed that your plant has reached 13 feet and stayed straight. I'm not familiar with the term grafting, but you can either go with cane cuttings or air layering.
cane cutting: The recommended length of a cane cutting is 3-6 inches and the sections need to be free of any leaves. You then lay the sections horizontal with the soil and they will simply grow roots down into the dirt, with new growth sprouting vertically. The top of the plant (with the leaves) can be placed in a bucket of water.
air layering: If the stalk of your dieffenbachia has grown too thick or too tough to cut through, this method is a good alternative. First, take a sharp knife or blade and cut a groove on either side of the stalk and cut where you want the new growth to form. (Usually just below the leaves.) Put a small amount of rooting hormone onto some sphagnum moss (both can be obtained at nurseries and gardening centers). Place the moss around the area with the grooves and hold it in place with some clear plastic wrap. Secure the plastic wrap with a twist tie both above and below the moss. (Try to make sure that the inside is as airtight as possible.) Keep the moss moist and watch for roots inside the plastic. Once you have roots, cut off the top of the plant just below the roots and plant this as a new plant (after removing the plastic and twist ties, of course). New growth may or may not form on the "old" plant (the bottom part with the original roots), so you can keep it, just in case.
I hope this helps you out.
F.Y.I----> Watch out for the liquid that Dieffenbachia excretes, cuz it's kind of gross. ;)
Guzmania_girl
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