Dieffenbachia is the plant sold as dumb cane. Same URL. NCSU folds older labels (D. amoena, D. maculata, D. picta) into Dieffenbachia seguine. Clemson still writes Diffenbachia maculata. UF/IFAS also lists leopard lily and mother-in-law plant. That last name is not snake plant.
Clemson HGIC: cane cuttings, stem tip cuttings, or air layering in spring or early summer. Iowa, UNL, Penn State, and Missouri name the same three. Division is split: UNL, IFAS EP137, and NCSU Toolbox list it. Missouri G6560 does not. IFAS: seed is for breeding, not a home method.
UF/IFAS EP137, Clemson, and NCSU: all parts contain calcium oxalate crystals. IFAS: gloves when you handle the plant. This page is not a toxicity sheet. Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema) is a different plant.
For mix, see soil propagation. Air layering has its own page: air layering.
Stem tip cuttings
Iowa State: 3 to 6 inches, at least two nodes. Hormone if desired. Most houseplant stem cuttings root in 3 to 6 weeks. Air 65 to 75 °F. Heat mat under the mix at 75 to 80 °F. 4 to 6 hours of bright indirect light.
Penn State: tips 3 to 6 inches, at least two nodes. Hormone speeds roots. Too much slows them. Media 75 to 80 °F.
UNL G1853: tips generally 3 to 5 inches. Room 60 to 70 °F. Push about 1 inch into the medium.
Missouri G6560: most cuttings 4 to 6 inches. Dieffenbachia is marked subject to rot. Do not overwater.
Those lengths, room temperatures, and weeks are not one number.
Cane cuttings
Iowa State: 2- to 3-inch segments, at least two nodes. Hormone if desired. Lay horizontally. New roots and shoots in 8 to 10 weeks. Air 65 to 75 °F. Media 75 to 80 °F.
UNL: 2 to 3 inches, on their sides, slightly below the surface.
NCSU Extension Gardener Handbook: 2 to 3 inches, one or two nodes. Lay horizontally, or insert vertically with about half below the surface and a bud facing up.
Missouri: 1- to 2-inch sections, horizontal, covered slightly.
Penn State: 2 to 3 inches, at least two nodes. Stick vertically with at least one node buried, or lay horizontally with half the stem in the mix.
UF/IFAS EP137 (tip or cane, not split): roots in 3 to 8 weeks if media stay at least 75 °F.
Do not average Missouri 1 to 2 inches with Iowa, UNL, NCSU, and Penn State at 2 to 3. Do not average Iowa's 8 to 10 weeks with IFAS 3 to 8.
Air layering
Dieffenbachia is a monocot. The usual wound is an upward slant, not croton's bark ring.
Iowa State dumbcane FAQ: 12 to 18 inches from the shoot tip. A second cut about 1 inch below the first. Dust with rooting hormone. Roots in 6 to 8 weeks. After you take the layer, cut the parent 2 to 3 inches above the soil.
Iowa State's general page: same 12 to 18 inches, an upward slant about 1/3 of the stem's diameter, a toothpick in the cut. Roots in several weeks, or several months on some species.
Missouri Botanical Garden FAQ: an upward slant about one-third through, about one foot from the top. Hormone. 4 to 16 weeks.
Illinois: cut only 1/3 to 1/2 way through. After 3 to 4 months.
TAMU: a long upward cut 1 1/2 to 2 inches, almost to the center. Hormone may be used.
UNL: a cut 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, about one-quarter to one-half way through. Hormone if available. Several weeks.
NCSU handbook: about one-third through, about 1 foot from the tip.
Clemson: spring or early summer. To shorten a leggy plant they also cut stems back to about 6 inches.
Iowa's 6 to 8 weeks, MOBOT's 4 to 16 weeks, and Illinois's 3 to 4 months are not one number.
Common mistakes
- Averaging Iowa cane 2 to 3 inches and 8 to 10 weeks with Missouri 1 to 2 inches, or with IFAS 3 to 8 weeks.
- A second URL for dumb cane.
- Treating Chinese evergreen or snake plant as this page.
- The dicot bark-ring air layer. That is the croton method.
- Skipping gloves. IFAS: sap can irritate skin.
Same URL for dieffenbachia and dumb cane.
People also ask
Water or mix?
Iowa and Penn State allow water as a general houseplant medium. Illinois does not recommend it. No dieffenbachia-only water recipe with a week count. The how-tos above are mix.
Can I divide it?
UNL, IFAS EP137, and NCSU Toolbox list division. Missouri G6560 does not check it. Not a numbered home recipe here.
How long until roots?
Stem tips: Iowa 3 to 6 weeks. Canes: Iowa 8 to 10 weeks. IFAS 3 to 8 weeks for tip or cane at 75 °F media. Air layer: Iowa FAQ 6 to 8 weeks. MOBOT 4 to 16 weeks. Illinois 3 to 4 months. Not one number.