so, do you have any cut pieces of cane left (that had no leaves and no roots)?

or just one that had those root nubs in the very beginning (and then rooted)?

Nope.

All I have left are the ones with leaves on them.

well, you tried after all. they had rot all over, that's a hard thing to beat.

you can try again in warmer temps with your aunts plant that does not have any rot. but cut the cane pieces bigger with 5-6 nodes at least and leave them to air-dry for a week - they should callus and the cuts will be drier.

the ones with leaves are all rooted now?

Most of them, yes. I think I'm waiting on 1 more to root, and a different one to get more than 3 roots...

one of the things they do to close the cut to infection is to paint it with liquid wax.

you can melt a few pieces of candle in a spoon over a flame, let it cool a bit and paint it on the cut. it can't be wet - the wax won't stick - so you still need to air-dry them for min 5days. that's what they do with succulents before they try to root them.

Cut. soaking in alcohol/water mix.
Will put cinnamon over the cut edges.
The cut edge with the leaves...(suppose that would be the middle piece)...Give that part a soak and put cinnamon on that too?
((75° out today. figured it'd be a good day to do this))

for the top you can wet a cotton ball or a paper napkin and soak it in the solution and put that on the cut, since it's hard to turn it upside down - the leaves are in the way. I've never had a problem with bottom rotting in perlite, but i add 1.5 tsp 3% peroxide to 1qt of water - and water perlite with that, allowing 1" of water on the bottom to pool. when you have water in the bottom the leaves wilt less, the roots appear actually above the water level, but still in moist perlite.

considering the cane can mold - i'd leave the top cut piece exposed to air, but drape a plastic bag on either side around the leaves. give them bright light, but no sun.

and yes, put cinnamon on top.

Done done done. They're all in perlite trying to root, with cinnamon on the tops and tops minus the leaves exposed.

New Diefs in perlite mix.
Leaves are turning yellow and black... I feel like thats a bad sign:/ could it be because of the hole in the bag for the cinnamon topped cane (4th picture (has leaves too, this one is the middle section I cut))... Really dont wanna lose this one, it was the biggest...well leggiest one I had.

I also have more pictures and questions... tbc.

They're drooped a lot... just getting used to be in the soil? (These are the ones I had in perlite for a while,,, and just potted.. plus they didn't have much of a stalk to begin with... suppose that could be a reason too)
????

These are the other Diefs that went along with the leggy Dief.
Yellowing could be from over/under watering... or too much light... could it also be from being in a new pot and new soil..?

the plastic bags in the first few pics are WAY too small - the leaves should not be so scrunched up together, they need some air to circulate. these are rather large plants, so your need a much bigger bag. Dry-cleaning bag would be best, if you can't get hold of one you'll need to connect sev grocery bags cut on one side together with scotch tape or painters tape. and make a few small holes in the top for just a little ventilation.

some leaves will turn yellow - it's normal. the plant is getting nutrients out of them while it's rooting. it's unavoidable.

is there enough water in the bottom of perlite? to maintain such large leaves it needs enough water - flood the perlite with at least 1-2" at the bottom.

the newly planted canes (rooted?) - tent them loosely with some plastic. not small bags, just something loose, don't close it completely, just let it hang. the pot should not be in the sun (that will cook the leaves).

perhaps you have some plastic drop cloth or something that you can make into a large bag? water the soil and wait - they should perk up after a few days.

drooping is normal. tenting helps a lot, it's better then misting. but you can mist them too sev times a day, though that is more work. leaves are large, roots are small - the result is what you see: yellowing drooping leaves. it'll pass, it'll grow new leaves in time.

in the last pics with very long cane staked - i don't like the yellowing in the center of the leaves: this looks like sun-burn to me. were these plants in the sun lately for some time? they were in the sun in the pics that you posted, how long and what time of day it was?

if they are indoors in winter and you put them outside into the sun abruptly, they burn. when you acclimate plants from indoors to outdoors it needs to be done gradually. a few days in total shade, then partial shade. Dumb Canes burn outside in full sun in general, only partial moving sun early or late is good.

also in the first pic of newly planted canes - several of them you planted very deep: the cut top of the cane should be above soil level for obvious reasons: to prevent rot. even if it's callused and dry, still it should be above the soil level.

It would be necesary to lift them higher, but dont' just tug on them as you could break off the new roots. you need to remove some soil gently and position them higher in the mix. even if the cane is very short.

that's why it's better to have 5-6 nodes in cut canes, so you have enough to bury and 1-2 extra in case they rot and need to be recut.

i see 2 new leaves starting on 2 canes - that's nice!

I will have to find different bags for that... we have never used dry cleaners, so dont have any of those bags:/ ....I will connect bags together...
Yes there is water in the bottom...

Yes the newly planted canes are rooted.
Tent those too? Ohhkay. (just reread your explanation as to why)

Yes they were. I just moved them from their window...since that gets afternoon sun.
Put it in shade?...a more shaded area.

Your last comment... not sure what you mean? newly planted canes, cut top?

last comment was about those canes that you rooted before and planted , the ones that were drooping and canes on 2 of them are not visible, just the leaves pocking out and drooping. in 7:41pm post. they are in grey ribbed pot.

>> Yes they were. I just moved them from their window...since that gets afternoon sun.Put it in shade?...a more shaded area.

in general when you pot the new plants that you root - it's not a good idea to put them in the sun. they need to be in bright light, but no direct sun - it dries out the leaves too much and may be too hot too. they need to acclimate to repotting or potting for a couple of weeks at least.

>> I will connect bags together...

they sell very cheap painters drop-cloths: very thin plastic that you cover the stuff when you paint. they are large like queen sheets. those are good to make large bags for tenting. otherwise grosery bags cut on the side and taped together will do in a pinch - maybe 4-6..the tape does not have to run continuosly along the seam, just in pieces like 3-4" here and there - it'll have some holes , it's OK. it'll still create higher humidity inside.

Making a new looser tent for these rightnow.
I'm sure these leaves wont make it...but am hoping this cane does...this is the one from the middle, cut and cinnamon top.

Probably did it wrong...but this is the bigger looser bag... the cut top is sticking out thru the 2 bags.... leaves are still a little scrunched, but definitely a lot better than before...

ok, the last 2 with bags - looking good, leave like that and wait.

the first 2 pics with leaves hanging, the two leaves completely down, looks like they are completely dry and dead and stalks are totally yellow - cut them off and then remove the very base of the stalk near the cane. it should peel off - it's better to remove it or it will rot.

the one with red arrow - looks there is still some life left in that leaf. keep it for now, until it goes dead, then cut off.

First 2 pics are in Perlite, from the cane that I cut into 3 piece because it was too leggy.
The 3rd pic is the bottom of the too leggy cane...already has a leaf! :)
The last pic.... those are the 2 canes that barey had any cane left, but had roots.... and now they're like this :/ will most likely be taking them out :(

((One of the canes that I cut awhile ago, still hasn't produced a leaf and its been months... (will post pics when I get done with outside work later today) ))

last pic: i see a new shoot have formed - the top dried up? so then it should be ok.

the one in the back - am not sure, rot at the tip?

leave them thru the end of summer - they are just very slow, but the front one should make a leaf.

yah, they are slow... just be careful when watering them - if soil top soil is moist, do not water. without leaves they take much less water.

so out of all those canes that you tried to root - what's the lesson learned?

which ones were the most successful to root/leaf out? and why?

how many you started with and how many you have now growing? there were so-o many i lost track ;)..

would you do it again? which ones would you choose to work with if not all?

what would you do differently for better rate of success, if anything?

let us know. it might be useful for others attempting the same thing :).

Yeah, the last pic, the top/tip is dried up...

The one in the back, it was either rotted or really dry..... cause that part was a small leaf.... but now its gone....dried up and just hanging there.

I will leave them, hopefully they make it. I wont be all that disappointed if they don't. Cut the stems to short with these 2 anyway. Will not water for about a week or so.. There are 2 others in the same pot that do have leaves tho... (actually one of the leaves is turning yellow...either over or under watering...)

Lesson learned? be patient, this has definitely helped me with getting better at that:/ .... if I have 5 or more of the same plant and I try rooting 1 and it doesn't make it, then thats fine...I still have 5 more.

Most successful? definitely the ones that had a longer stem and a leaf or two. I guess just more to work with, so if something happens to the bottom, then it can be trimmed off and started over.

I started out with.....um 4 or 5....I think and now I have 11, will have 14 if those three smaller (w/o leaves, plus I do have one in water trying to root) make it.

I would do it again. not sure which ones I would choose to work with, probably a few of the bigger ones. I would definitely use the perlite method for rooting, a lot easier than plain water.
Pay more attention to them all, make sure I have the right size bags for them.

Thank you so much for your help. I will try and post pictures when they get bigger.

great! :)

Whats happening?! It has a decent sized root system.... I soaked it in water and peroxide, put cinnamon on the top of it.....

you've got a veritable dieff farm going :)…

it does happen to some canes: the top part yellows and dies. don't know why, but it happens, perhaps it uses up some nutrients to push out new leaves?

some cane are slow and sometimes they are so-o slow they die! but, so long as you still have green cane left on the bottom with leaf-node you are ok.

for now that is...my dieffs and ags from bare canes are super slow...I gave up. I just root the tips - so much more satisfying :)...

are these from last year? how're the cuttings doing from last year?

which ones are growing best?

when you have a variety of cuttings even when some die off you can still enjoy what's left :)...

This one is my great aunts plant, she thought it was becoming way too leggy for her, so she asked me to cut it. All she wanted back is 1 piece, this piece :/ They all seem to be growing fine, except for maybe one, it was doing good,,,,then I found scale on it, and once I cleaned them off and sprayed the plant it started dying.. I will take a picture and upload it for you to see.

>>All she wanted back is 1 piece, this piece :/

murphy's law? :)…

can't you give her a nice growing piece with leaves? how would she know it's not the one she asked for? how can anybody tell them apart ? ;)...it's so easy to get mixed up!..why would she want a bare cane in any case?..give her 3 then! it might pass for a sculpture ;) :)...

...
what did you spray it with? did it have any leaves or just cane?

scale can only be killed off with systemic insecticide. anything else is futile..

I agree. Unfortunately she would be able to tell because of how thick (thinness) her's is and how thick (thick) mine are. I will email her and ask if she minds getting a different one, but then I would have to repot some....and I wont be doing that until Spring or Summer (right now its -53 here at my place)

I've been using Eight Insect Control home & garden, (will post a picture) my local nursery suggested it. Maybe instead of spraying the plant I'll spray a rag and wipe the plant...?...

This is the spray I use

it won't kill adult scale when it hardens (brown bumps), it will only kill young scale. which is at least something, but adult scale will keep producing more, so you'll have to continue spraying ..without getting rid of it permanently.

I have been using a tissue and wiping as much of the scale off as I can...and using a q-tip to get as far down onto the stem (between stem and leaf) as I can.

My first mistake was not watering enough... otherthan that, not sure what else I did... It has one leaf, and another that hasn't started openinh yet....it has 2 nodes.....could I cut off the yellow part and try to root it?

oh, bummer! how long did it take to produce a shoot with leaf? 3 months or more ;) after rooting?

I hope it's just dried up and not rot? is it soft or dried hard?

yes, you can cut off the yellowing section like this and disinfect it : i'd stick it in peroxide water solution 1:1 for 15 min..just to be safe. and root in flooded perlite, tented as before. hopefully you won't loose that leaf and it will produce roots from the bottom node. you don't have many left...

how's the rest doing? any champions with good growth? pics to show?

what did your aunt get eventually :))?

Late for the party here, but this plant looks rather ill. There’s something funky looking with the stem. The soil looks very dry. When a dumb cane gets so leggy there’s a great way to rejuvenate the plant. It takes a long time and a lot of patience.

Google ‘air layering diffenbachia’.

Just be careful, this plant is harmful to kids and pets that might like to eat plant parts.

I will do that! hopefully I can bring this one back from the brink.... Yeah I think it took a good couple months for the first leaf to pop up., its 2nd leaf started popping up when I noticed the yellowing :/

The rest are doing good. Yes! one of the last ones I put in perlite as some pretty nice roots on it, when I pot it I will take some pictures to share.

My aunt hasn't gotten any yet.... I will take a picture and show you how the bottom (root part that I was going to give back to her) is doing

This is the bottom of my Aunts cane. ......

this does not look too promising..but it is still green, so may be it can resprout.

This is the one that has 1 leaf, with 1 still growing... I'm about to cut it and disinfect it...

those dried up roots are useless, u need to cut them off. the leaf is growing using whatever it can get from the cane, i guess. but it does need some moisture to produce new roots - it would be better to put it in perlite at least.

:'(
This is one of the canes that I rooted, and it has grown leaves.... I just noticed the bottoms looking like this the other night...
I'm starting to wonder if I am doing something wrong with my Dieffs....?

it looks like it's drying up - better have a look at the roots.

I never put new rooting canes in large pots: too difficult to judge what's going on. I always put them in transparent cut-off bottles or plastic tumblers (adding holes of course ;)). this way I can clearly see the root state of health.

I only put several of them together in a larger standard 6" pot after they have good roots. perhaps, you can try doing that.

I also do not use clay pots - only plastic and as small as I can get away with. But I grow everything on self-watering wicks: clay is not suitable for me.

This pot has 3 canes, all with newer decent sized root systems....
This cane (previous picture), I'm going to attempt to root again.

(Picture with this comment) This is the 2nd out of 3 canes having issues...

and the 3rd cane seems to be doing fine...

the cut top of cane sometimes dries up. I dont' know why. it happens.

since a lot of your canes are drying up - perhaps you are keeping them too dry? you can check the roots to see if they are dry or rotten..and I would put them in transparent containers separately, as I said before.

you obviously need to do something differently if it happens to a lot of your cuttings.

I put most of my canes (5 canes) in 1 plastic pot, and the ones I'm having issues with I will put in cut off 2liter soda bottles....with soil and perlite in it..?

if you have good roots on them: then soil and perlite. if the roots are dried up/rotten it's best to reroot in pure perlite as before.

by the way one of my canes yellowed from the top diagonally like yours. when I touched it it cleanly snapped off: the surface was not oozing. so I just left it in peace to grow.

Well any growth?, At this point I would have bought a new plant.

I need some help with my dumb cane as well. I read the chat. I took my sisters dumb cane and revived it. It was doimg amazing and then mealy bug attacked it. It took several treatments of the organic pesticide to finally get rid of them. Now im left with a root/stem with a section they ate through. It was fine for a while and it is vey slowly producing leaves. The largest(thickest) root is turning yellow now. What can I do?