Indoors
Dieffenbachia
Dieffenbachia seguine
- Cat: toxic
- Dog: toxic
- Light: half shade
About the plant
The dieffenbachia comes from tropical America and has big leaves speckled with cream. Its sap holds calcium oxalate crystals and an enzyme that cause intense burning and swelling of the mouth, which gave it the name dumb cane. In a home with small children and animals it calls for care.
Dieffenbachia and pets
- Cat
- toxic
- Dog
- toxic
- Signs
- calcium oxalates and an enzyme: intense burning and swelling of the mouth, tongue and lips, drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing
If a cat or a dog ate this plant and shows signs, contact a vet straight away.
Instead: safe for cats and dogs
Care
- Watering
- about every 6 days in summer (April to September), every 10 in winter
- Light
- half shade
- Air humidity
- high
- Temperature
- 16–28 °C
- Feeding
- April to September, every 3 weeks
- Repotting
- every 2 years, in spring
- Grown
- in a pot
The sap irritates skin and mucous membranes: prune with gloves on. The big leaves like misting and a spot out of harsh sun.
This is a rough guide for a flat in Poland. In flowers every plant also has its own watering interval, which learns from how the soil was.