Name: Kim Black Hills, SD (Zone 5a) Discover more wildflowers
I've tried everything! Fertilizer, plenty of sun, not as much sun, keeping it moderately moist; I researched this and the only thing that keeps popping up is that I'm under-watering it, but even when I increased the amount of water I usually give it, it continued to yellow. But it's really only happening with this one leaf. Should I just cut it off?
If it were me and it is just one leaf I would cut it off. I try to resist changing care of a plant for one or two leaf changes. I keep a closer eye on the plant. Only if things continue to decline do I do something. But it is hard!
I try to think about plants in their natural habitat. They are rarely pristine.
Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia seguine) (synonym D. maculata) require bright to medium light, warmth (temp's of 60ºF and higher) and humidity. You can raise the humidity around the plant by sitting the pot atop a tray of moist pebbles and keeping a small amount of water in the pebble tray at all times but it might be difficult to give it sufficient light indoors unless you have a very bright south facing window. It's normal for older leaves to turn yellow and drop but I'm thinking that yellowing leaf is due to a moisture issue. The soil should remain damp throughout, not overly wet but not totally dry either. What type of soil is it potted in? If it's a dense type media that is retaining moisture at the roots and not drying sufficiently, you may need to allow for longer drying time between watering.
I don't think it will cause any harm to remove the yellowing leaf because it won't recover and will most likely continue to yellow and die.
~ I'm an old gal who still loves playing in the dirt!
~ Playing in the dirt is my therapy ... and I'm in therapy a lot!
Name: Kim Black Hills, SD (Zone 5a) Discover more wildflowers
Thanks for the info! The last couple of days it was very perky, and then just tonight it started to seriously droop. I think it may be the cold and maybe the lack of humidity. The house has gotten to 59' in the middle of the night in the last few days, and we have very little humidity. I was told by the nursery person that it was a good plant for low humidity and that it was good for medium light. My Pothos is in the same area and it is thriving. I'll try a warmer place tonight and the rocks. I'm really quite bummed. 😕