Dumb Cane Care Guide | Fiddle & Thorn

Basic Dumb Cane Care

One thing we love about the Dumb Cane Plant is that it adapts well to the conditions of your home or office making them pretty easy to care for. In our Dumb Cane care guide you will find all the information you need to help your plant thrive.

Bright Indirect Light

I love the sunshine but too much direct light will damage my leaves.

Water Moderately

I don’t like my soil to be too dry or too soggy. Little and often is what I’m after.

Medium Humidity

Please make sure the air isn’t too dry, otherwise I won’t be a happy plant.

Potting Soil

I need soil specifically for indoor plants as it retains the right amount of water.

Detailed Dumb Cane Care Information

Whether you’re looking to make sure your Dumb Cane is in it’s perfect conditions, or looking to see if one could work for your space. We’ve got you covered.

Light requirement changes with the seasons

Dumb Cane plants like bright light during the winter months so that they can make the most out of the shorter days. However, over summer we suggest moving your plant a little further into the room so that the sunlight is indirect.

Don’t let your Dumb Cane dry out

Dumb Cane plants like their soil to be slightly moist and won’t be happy if kept dry for too long. Cut back your watering in winter though otherwise you risk overwatering.

Dumb Cane like warm environments

This isn’t a dealbreaker and Dumb Cane can certainly survive in slightly colder homes. But as a rule, they like to be in a slightly warmer environment so make sure they aren’t sat next to any drafty windows or AC vents.

Dumb Cane plants love humidity

One important thing to take into consideration when caring for a Dumb Cane plant is to keep the humidity levels high. Check out our humidity guide for more information on misting, pebble trays and other methods.

Use a well-draining potting mix

Dumb Cane like to have good draining in their pot to allow for the water to flow through. A well-draining potting soil reduces the risk of root rot too so is quite an important one to remember.

Make sure to dilute your fertiliser

We recommend you do this with most houseplants as they need less that the amount stated on the bottle so if you do want to fertilise your Dumb Cane, make sure you use a diluted soluble fertiliser.

Propagate your Dumb Cane using division

There are a few other methods you can use to propagate your Dumb Cane but division is definitely the easiest. We recommend you propagate in Spring to coincide with the growth period.

Dumb Cane is toxic to pets and humans

One thing that is really important to note is that the sap of Dumb Cane plants is highly toxic. If ingested, it can cause temporary speech issues so make sure to keep it away from children and pets and wash your hands immediately after handling your Dumb Cane (or wear gloves!)

About the Dumb Cane/ Dieffenbachia plant

With incredible large speckles leaves, the Dumb Cane really does know how to impress! It has got a little bit of a bad reputation, however, as it’s very toxic to both humans and pets and can cause temporary loss of speech if consumed in large quantities (hence the name). However, this is quite rare and whilst important to keep in mind, shouldn’t put you off this plant entirely. As long as you keep it away from children and pets, and wear gloves when handling, repotting or propagating your Dumb Cane, then there shouldn’t be any issues. Dumb Cane plants are pretty forgiving and bounce back pretty quickly, so you don’t need to worry about occasionally over or underwatering. Just provide them with plenty of indirect sunshine and the occasional misting and they’ll reward you with some of the most beautiful foliage.

Dumb Cane Care Starter Kit

We’ve put together this great little starter kit that includes all of the equipment and information you’ll need to take proper care of your Dumb Cane.

Common Problems with your Dumb Cane

Here are some common issues that you might run into. It’s important to diagnose any issues early to give your plant the best chance of bouncing back.

Why is my <a href=”/why-is-my-dumb-cane-dieffenbachia-losing-leaves/”>Dumb Cane plant losing leaves</a>?

Why has my Dumb Cane plant got brown leaf tips?

Why are my Dumb Cane’s leaves drooping?

There are yellow leaves on my Dumb Cane

Why are my Dumb Cane’s leaves curling?

Simple Dumb Cane Care Requirements

It sometimes helps to take caring for your plants back to the basics, here’s the key considerations that you should take into account when caring for your Dieffenbachia.

These simple points should give you all you need to keep your plant happy and healthy for years to come.

Common Name	Dumb Cane
Latin Name	Dieffenbachia
Light	Bright Indirect Light
Water	Water Moderately
Humidity	Medium Humidity
Soil Type	Potting Soil