Dieffenbachia Care Questions
Hi! My dieffenbachia has 2 flowers. I found your site while researching whether or not I could cut the flowers off. From everything I’ve read, I’m ready to follow your advice and cut these unremarkable flowers off so the beautiful leaves can prosper. (Plus the smell of the flowers is driving me crazy.) But I’m new to plant care and I have no idea how or where to make the necessary cuts. Can you advise me?
Hi Nia,
Follow the “stem” of what you are called the “flower” as far down as possible and cut it off there.
They are not really flowers, but are a spathe and a spadix. The outer portion is the spathe and looks a little like a folded leaf. The spadix is the erect white piece growing in the middle of the spathe. The male flowers are at the top of the spadix and the female flowers at the bottom. In nature, these flowers are pollinated by insects.
All parts of a dieffenbachia are extremely poisonous which is how they earned the nickname “dumb cane plant”and should be kept away from pets and children. Read more about common houseplants that are poisonous in Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants.