Many housewives love to decorate an apartment with flowers. One likes tall palms and plants with large fleshy leaves. Others enjoy the unusual flowering. But everyone seeks to acquire a plant that will complement the interior, making it cozy. For example, many people like Dieffenbachia.
The benefit and harm of this flower is perhaps the most discussed and burning topic for those who like to care for the home greenhouse. Where is the truth, and where is the speculation? Let's try to find out.
Types of Dieffenbachia
At home, the plant rarely reaches a height of 2 meters. At the same time, there are often specimens in nature (in tropical forests) where only the leaves grow to 50 cm. Depending on the external color and size, different plant species are distinguished. The most common are dieffenbachia spotted and mixed. It was from them that the numerous varieties of this beautiful home flower originated.
Care Features
Like a flower indoor dieffenbachia quite capricious and gives the owners a lot of trouble. A plant loves light, but the direct rays of the sun can discolor the leaves. In extreme heat, it is best to clean it away from the windowsill. Make sure that there are no drafts near and that it is warm enough.
Dieffenbachia is demanding on the level of humidity, as it is a tropical plant. Try to spray the leaves as often as possible and wipe with a damp cloth. At the same time, it is not necessary to fill the plant with water, otherwise the roots may rot. They can be carefully trimmed and renew the soil. A planned transplant is performed every 3 years.
However, we should talk in more detail about such a plant as Dieffenbachia. Its benefits and harms are precisely those aspects that need to be addressed. Of course, let's start with the positive qualities.
Air cleaning
Each of us’s apartment has furniture. Do you know that in the manufacture of tables, chairs, cabinets and beds they use formaldehyde and other harmful substances that emit toxins into the air?
Dieffenbachia absorbs them perfectly,
releasing oxygen. The plant also cleans the air of xylene and toluene, absorbs the harmful fumes that are released when working with household chemicals.
It is not surprising that this home flower is recommended to be grown by all those who live near large industrial enterprises, highways, in megacities.
Improving the indoor climate
It has been found that the number of pathogens in the air decreases if Dieffenbachia grows in your home. Benefit and harm are the most important characteristics that you need to know about in order to do something. The plant is also capable of secreting natural phytoncides, which deactivate staphylococcus aureus and some other microorganisms.
Get Dieffenbachia if you have allergies in your home. Since the plant requires constant spraying, the humidity level in the room rises, and dust becomes much less.
Positive energy of the plant
An excellent assistant in business for a businessman or a person who has to constantly participate in negotiations will be ordinary Dieffenbachia. The benefit of the plant is that it emits positive energy, aimed at obtaining good results in work and enhancing mental activity. The presence of a flower makes a person act more rationally, correctly use communications, dating and money.
It is believed that the plant expresses special gratitude to the hostesses caring for him. Dieffenbachia gives precious energy, which improves the well-being and appearance of a woman. The plant is best installed in an office or office, in rooms where negotiations take place. But to arrange flowers in the bedroom and children's room is not recommended. Why? Let's consider further.
Harm Dieffenbachia
Those florists who claim that the plant is poisonous are not mistaken. But in fact, everything is not so scary, since the harmful substances that burn the skin are in the Dieffenbachia juice, which is released when the stem is broken or the leaf is torn. It contains alkaloids that can cause swelling or irritation. Moreover, the reaction does not always occur immediately after contact with the skin. Since the plant propagates by stem and apical cuttings, it is necessary to break it when transplanting. It is enough to put on household rubber gloves, and after work, wash your hands with ordinary soap. This will eliminate possible problems.
However, given that there may be children or pets in the house, install the plant where it is difficult to get it so that it does not become an object of study for small researchers. For the same reason, do not install Dieffenbachia in the children's room.
Dieffenbachia: signs and myths
Why does the plant cause so much controversy? It turns out that many signs are associated with his appearance in a residential building. Some argue that the presence of Dieffenbachia negatively affects men, taking away male power, making it impossible to continue the clan. Say, they even leave the family if this “mysterious” plant is in the house. It is difficult to judge what is true and what is not, but I don’t want to try the action on myself.
The essence of what has been said is that the energy of Dieffenbachia is incompatible with the energy of the male representatives. It's true. But the plant provides invaluable services to male businessmen. And this must be used. The advice is simple: install Dieffenbachia in those areas of the apartment where the man is used to working on his projects, and the result will not be long in coming. After all, all sorts of signs and conjectures are not at all a reason to refuse a beautiful home plant. The main thing is to use its advantages correctly.
By the way, there is a myth that earlier it was Dieffenbachia who acted as an instrument of torture for naughty slaves. Benefit and harm plants were already known then, and the latter property was used originally. The offender was supposed to chew on a leaf of dieffenbachia, as a result of which there was an edema of the mucous membrane of the mouth and larynx. The man could not speak. Of course, such a punishment paid off: there were no tangible physical injuries, the employee could continue the service, but he became much more obedient.
Indoor plants: photo. What are their benefits?
Of course, without home flowers it’s uncomfortable. But, it turns out, in addition to the decorative component, many of them can be beneficial. Look carefully at indoor plants (photos of some of them are presented in the article), maybe small "wizards" grow on your windowsill.
For example, chlorophytum perfectly cleans the air. If the house was renovated, then only a few plants will completely restore the microclimate in a couple of days.
Dracaena feels good in a room where it is not crowded. The plant affects the character of a person, making him laconic and restrained. This is a very relevant gift for those who do not know how to keep their mouths shut. By the way, dracaena absorbs the vapor of benzene, which emit modern artificial coatings such as linoleum.
Ficus, like Dieffenbachia, perfectly cleans the air, but it needs a lot of space for its growth and development.
Geraniums are most often placed in the bedroom, because the plant releases antiseptic substances that disinfect the air, and anti-stress elements that soothe. Similar properties are possessed by home laurel, which neutralizes viruses and bacteria.
Cactus can reduce air ionization and reduce electromagnetic radiation. A similar effect is observed when breeding tradescantia.