Question
floppy Dieffenbachia
Hi,
We have had what I believe to be a Dieffenbachia for several years now. It has grown up from a very small plant from a gift basket. It has about 6 stalks growing together and about a month or so ago, all the outer stalks just flopped over, leaving the center stalk standing all alone. And it happened all at once, not gradually over time. We thought it might have been overwatered, since there was also some white and yellow mold (or what we thought was mold anyhow) on the soil. So we scraped off the mold, put in some new potting mix, and didn't water it for a while. The stalks became healthier in that they weren't limp anymore, but they still remained in the flopped position. After a few weeks of not watering it, I gave it some fertilizer, and the leaves became greener and look healthier. But again, no straightening up of the stalks. Do you know what might have happened or what might be going on? If so, what could I do to fix it?
Thanks for your help!
Kristine
AnswerKristine,
I agree with your diagnosis that it was overwatered. Mold ALWAYS indicates overwatering. There appears to be no drainage hole in the pot so no way to drain the pot of excess water so I imagine that there is still a lot of stagnant water laying in the bottom of that pot. Every plant needs to be in a pot with a drainage hole so it is easy to get rid of excess water. It is almost impossible not to overwater a plant in a pot that doesn't have a drainage hole. I am surprised at how much the plant has perked back up. What might help at this point is to tie the crooked stalks to stakes to help to straighten them up. At your first opportunity I would repot it into a pot with a drainage hole. Good luck.
Darlene
