A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Soft Stem

I have a diffenbacia that I grew from a cutting a cpl yrs ago. The plant is now over 5 ft tall with big dark green leaves. It looks the picture of health. But..yesterday after I watered it, I noticed the stick I have in it was falling over. I had to untie it (I use cloth strips to tie with) and my poor plant almost doubled over. It is so soft,yet the plant looks to be in good shape. There are no bugs in or on the soil.Can anyone give me any ideas as what to do or look for?

That is rather strange. So, you are saying that your plant is dependant of the tutor and starts falling over when the tutor is removed?

I discoverd that the plant kinda starts degrading after 3 or 4 years and that you should restart it after that amount of time. This plant needs to be watered as soon as the top layer of soil gets dry. It doesn't like to have it's saucer full of water. So, you should empty it after watering the plant.

If your plant is getting all limp or rotting that means that you are watering it too much and you should use a fingucide. Or, you could let it dry out a bit more to stop the rotting and cut the rotted stems.

It also is a very toxic plant. You should wash your hands after handling it.