Many housewives love to decorate an apartment with flowers. Some like tall palm trees and plants with large, fleshy leaves. Others enjoy unusual flowering. But everyone wants to buy a plant that will complement the interior, making it cozy. For example, many people like dieffenbachia.
The benefits and harms of this flower are perhaps the most discussed and burning topic for those who like to take care of their home greenhouse. Where is the truth, and where is the speculation? Trying to find out.
Types of Dieffenbachia
At home, the plant rarely reaches a height of 2 meters. At the same time, specimens are often found in nature (in tropical forests), where only leaves grow up to 50 cm. Depending on the external color and size, various types of plants are distinguished. The most common are dieffenbachia spotted and multi-banded. It is from them that numerous varieties of this beautiful home flower originated.
Features of care
As a flower, indoor dieffenbachia is quite capricious and gives the owners a lot of trouble. The plant loves light, but direct sunlight can discolorleaves. In extreme heat, it is better to clean it away from the windowsill. Make sure that there are no drafts nearby and that it is warm enough.
Dieffenbachia is demanding on the level of humidity, because it is a tropical plant. Try to spray the leaves as often as possible and wipe with a damp cloth. At the same time, you do not need to fill the plant with water, otherwise the roots may rot. They can be carefully cut and renew the soil. Planned transplantation is performed every 3 years.
However, we should talk in more detail about such a plant as dieffenbachia. Its benefits and harms are exactly those aspects that need to be highlighted. Of course, let's start with positive qualities.
Air purification
The apartment of each of us must have furniture. Did you know that tables, chairs, cabinets and beds use formaldehyde and other harmful substances that release toxins into the air?
Dieffenbachia perfectly absorbs them, releasing oxygen. The plant also purifies the air of xylene and toluene, absorbs 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.
Improve indoor climate
It has been found that the number of disease-causing microbes in the air decreases if dieffenbachia grows in your home. Benefit and harm are the most important characteristics about whichyou need to know in order to do something. The plant is also capable of secreting natural phytoncides that deactivate staphylococcus aureus and some other microorganisms.
Get Dieffenbachia if you have people in your home who suffer from allergies. Since the plant requires constant spraying, the humidity level in the room increases, and the dust becomes much less.
Positive plant energy
An excellent assistant in business for a businessman or a person who has to constantly participate in negotiations will be an ordinary dieffenbachia. The benefit of the plant is that it radiates positive energy, aimed at obtaining good results in work and enhancing mental activity. The presence of a flower makes a person act more rationally, use connections, acquaintances and money correctly.
It is believed that the plant shows special gratitude to the housewives who care for it. 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 placing flowers in the bedroom and children's room is not recommended. Why? Consider further.
Diffenbachia harm
Those flower growers who claim that the plant is poisonous are not mistaken either. But in reality, 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 swellingor irritation. Moreover, the reaction does not always appear immediately after contact with the skin. Since the plant propagates by stem and apical cuttings, it has to be broken during transplantation. It is enough to put on household rubber gloves, and after work wash your hands with ordinary soap. This will get rid of 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 the object of study by small researchers. For the same reason, you should not install dieffenbachia in the children's room.
Dieffenbachia: signs and myths
Why is the plant causing so much controversy? It turns out that a lot of signs are connected 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 race. 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 do not want to try the action on myself.
The essence of what has been said boils down to the fact that the energy of dieffenbachia is incompatible with the energy of male representatives. It's true. But the plant provides an invaluable service to male businessmen. And it must be used. The advice is simple: install dieffenbachia in those areas of the apartment where a 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 abandon a beautiful home plant. The main thing is to use its benefits correctly.
By the way, there is a myth that Dieffenbachia was used as an instrument of torture for disobedient slaves. The benefits and harms of the plant were already known then, and the last property was used in an original way. The offender had to chew a leaf of dieffenbachia, resulting in swelling of the mucous membrane of the mouth and larynx. The man could not speak. Of course, such a punishment bore fruit: there were no tangible physical injuries, the employee could continue his service, but became much more obedient.
Indoor plants: photo. What is their use?
Of course, without home flowers it is uncomfortable. But, it turns out, in addition to the decorative component, many of them can be beneficial. Take a close look at indoor plants (photos of some of them are presented in the article), perhaps small “wizards” grow on your windowsill.
For example, chlorophytum perfectly cleans the air. If the house has been renovated, then just a few plants will completely restore the microclimate in a couple of days.
Dracaena feels good in a room where there are few people. 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 benzene fumes, which are emitted by modern artificial coatings such as linoleum.
Ficus, like dieffenbachia, perfectly cleans the air, but for its growth anddevelopment need a lot of space.
Geranium is most often placed in the bedroom, as the plant releases antiseptic substances that disinfect the air, and anti-stress elements that soothe. Homemade laurel has similar properties, which neutralizes viruses and bacteria.
Cactus is able to reduce air ionization and reduce electromagnetic radiation. A similar effect is observed when breeding tradescantia.
