Hello!

I've had a Diffenbachia Reflector for about a year. It has been doing well. Usually it puts out one leaf at a time and those to me are easily discernable. Over the past few weeks, these shoots have popped up. Last week there were only two, now there are three. I just wanna check they aren't leaves that have somehow gotten stuck? Is there anything I need to do? Are they flowers?

Advice/insight greatly appreciated. And let me know if you need clearer pictures!

Slightly better picture

Looks like flowers to me.

Hamwild said:Looks like flowers to me.

No waaaaaaay!!! I'm so excited. I have just been doing sone reading on Dieffenbachia blooms and it sounds like the main stem will die off when it has finished blooming and then leave the side shoots behind for repotting.

rainbowsprinkles said:
No waaaaaaay!!! I'm so excited. I have just been doing sone reading on Dieffenbachia blooms and it sounds like the main stem will die off when it has finished blooming and then leave the side shoots behind for repotting.

That's interesting! Snake plants (Sansevieria) kind of do that. The main plant blooms and she stops growing. I'm not sure if she dies eventually (probably has so many children you wouldn't notice), but if anything, they just stop growing. Air plants die after blooming, but they make children. Dang, Agaves do that too.

I agree, your Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia 'Reflector') is putting out a bloom spike. We have no bloom photos of 'Reflector' in our database yet but here are a few others that show what Dieffenbachia blooms look like:

Ta-daaaaaaa

Hamwild said:

That's interesting! Snake plants (Sansevieria) kind of do that. The main plant blooms and she stops growing. I'm not sure if she dies eventually (probably has so many children you wouldn't notice), but if anything, they just stop growing. Air plants die after blooming, but they make children. Dang, Agaves do that too.

Makes you wonder why many of us see the blooms as a good thing then lol. She has a few kids, yes. Those have new leaves emerging

plantladylin said:I agree, your Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia 'Reflector') is putting out a bloom spike. We have no bloom photos of 'Reflector' in our database yet but here are a few others that show what Dieffenbachia blooms look like:

• Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia seguine)
• Uploaded by bonitin

• Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia seguine)
• Uploaded by robertduval14

• Dumbcane (Dieffenbachia seguine 'Tropic Snow')
• Uploaded by mcash70

• Dumbcane (Dieffenbachia 'Ely')
• Uploaded by skylark

Thanks! I can upload this one
I'm not sure I like the smell

Stunning Dief, well done!

This is my first time seeing anyone mention Diefs being monocarpic. I could not find any info about this.

purpleinopp said:This is my first time seeing anyone mention Diefs being monocarpic. I could not find any info about this.

I've never known Dieffenbachia or Sansevieria to be monocarpic plants. They will sometimes stop producing leaves, spreading via the underground rhizomes which push up new stem growth through the soil.

purpleinopp said:Stunning Dief, well done!

This is my first time seeing anyone mention Diefs being monocarpic. I could not find any info about this.

I just double checked and to be fair the info was given in someone's answer to question on the 'gardening know how' website so they could simply, like me , not know what they are talking about

Was not on top of my fact-checking game that day.

That site is famous for being FOS, unreliable.