What is the Ideal PH of an Indoor Dieffenbachia Plant’s Soil? [Benefits And Care]

Caring for indoor potted house plants can be quite challenging for both experienced and first-time plant parents.

Since most indoor house plant species need regular attention, a well-regulated environment, and plenty of water and sun to survive and grow, people who work or travel a lot usually end up killing their house planters prematurely.

Hence, if you are someone who cannot dedicate their time and focus to constantly caring for the highly sensitive indoor plant species, you should get yourself an indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant instead.

Apart from the undeniable beauty and the refreshing allure of the Dieffenbachia plant, perhaps the plant’s best quality is its ability to survive and thrive on the bare minimum.

Hence, if you have a couple of indoor potted Dieffenbachia plants, you can simply travel for a week or two and come home to a lush-green, tall, and healthy Dieffenbachia plant.

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Why Buy an Indoor Potted Dieffenbachia Plant?

However, although the Dieffenbachia plant is well-known and highly demanded across the USA for its unmatchable tolerance and high resistance, the quality of the potting mix or soil the Dieffenbachia plant is grown plays a major role in how the plant will develop and grow throughout its life.

In general, like many other indoor planters, the Dieffenbachia plant is likely to grow best in acidic soil.

This allows the indoor house plant an opportunity to grow tall, develop the necessary survival resistance, and have the bright green color and freshness it is loved for.

Although you can directly buy your indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant some pre-acidic potting mix; however, there are ways to add acidity to a potting soil with a neutral PH.

However, how does the low PH of the soil help the Dieffenbachia plant thrive?

Keep reading the remaining article below to learn more about why the Dieffenbachia plant grows better in an acidic potting mix and what happens when the potting soil is either neutral or alkaline.

Moreover, the article sheds light on ways the owner of an indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant can add acidity to their planter’s soil.

Finally, the article elaborates on other essential care tips and measures that every Dieffenbachia plant owner needs to know about if they wish to enjoy their evergreen indoor planter’s calming presence for a long time.

Let’s get started!

Read this: Are Dieffenbachia Toxic To Cats?

Why Does the Indoor Potted Dieffenbachia Plant Grow Better in an Acidic Potting Mix?

Unlike human beings or most animals, the needs and requirements of a plant are far less complicated. Usually, the primary needs of both an indoor and an outdoor plant are water, sunlight, carbon dioxide, and certain micronutrients and minerals.

While the plant can get its sunlight and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, its watering and nutritional needs can only be catered to through its potting soil.

For instance, just as a growing infant is fully dependent on the contents of its baby bottle for its nourishment, growth, and health, an indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant’s well-being is also directly related and dependent on the quality and acidity of its potting mix.

In general, many indoor plant species, including Dieffenbachia, grow best in slightly acidic soil. However, what role does the low PH of the soil play in the indoor planter’s well-being?

When we talk about the soil or the potting mix’s acidity, it is the PH of the moisture present in the soil that is referred to.

Hence, the soil on its own cannot be acidic; instead, the water provided to it creates the overall acidity or alkalinity of the soil.

When an indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant is grown in a soil or potting mix that is provided with slightly acidic water, the acidity of the water helps break down the organic minerals in the soil.

These minerals include nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, copper, boron, zinc, etc.

While some of these highly-nutritious organic minerals can easily get absorbed by the roots of the Dieffenbachia plant, some are too large to pass through the root’s cell wall too easily.

Hence, as these organic minerals get broken down into small and less complex compounds due to the acidic environment, the Dieffenbachia plant’s roots can absorb them more easily.

This means the more ideal the PH of the Dieffenbachia plant’s potting mix, the more accessible and absorbable the nutritional organic minerals present in the soil will be.

As a result, the higher the mineral uptake, the more well-nourished the Dieffenbachia plant will be.

Hence, when an indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant is grown in such ideal soil conditions, it manages to grow to a fantastic height in just a year, and can develop a remarkable root and stem strength.

It can also develop the needed immunity and tolerance that will eventually allow it to fight different diseases and retain its beauty and health for many years.

Check out: Can You Grow Dieffenbachia From Cuttings?

How Acidic should the Soil’s PH be for an Indoor Potted Dieffenbachia Plant?

Although the potting mix or soil of an indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant is supposed to be acidic, maintaining the exact PH value advised is highly important.

Hence, the ideal PH of the water provided to an indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant’s soil should be around 6 to 6.5.

This means the soil will be only slightly acidic, meaning it’s the right acidity for the growth of the Dieffenbachia plant.

If you keep your soil at this acidity level, you’ll have a lovely Dieffenbachia plant in your home that you’ll be able to cherish for years to come.

However, what happens when the water is either neutral or alkaline in nature? Keep reading to find out.

What Happens When the Potting Soil of an Indoor Dieffenbachia Plant is Neutral or Slightly Alkaline?

If the potting mix of an indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant is neutral with a 7 PH, it usually does not cause much harm to the growing plant.

However, although it does not cause direct damage to the plant’s well-being and health, it also does not facilitate the Dieffenbachia plant’s rapid growth or high immunity.

Since the larger organic minerals will barely pass into the Dieffenbachia plant’s roots, the plant will not have the ideal nourishment needed for quick growth and a long lifespan.

Moreover, if the PH of the soil is too high or alkaline, the growth and well-being of the indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant will be negatively affected.

The alkalinity of the soil will prevent the Dieffenbachia plant’s roots from absorbing or taking up most of the organic minerals and micronutrients in the soil.

As a result, the indoor planted Dieffenbachia plant will be highly deficient and might suffer from poor immunity, low resistance, and stunted growth.

Eventually, since the Dieffenbachia plant will be deprived of proper nourishment, it will be unable to have the same average lifespan as another Dieffenbachia plant grown in slightly acidic soil.

The Top Ways to Add Acidity to an Indoor Potted Dieffenbachia Plant’s Soil

Some of the best and easiest ways to add acidity to the potting mix of an indoor Dieffenbachia plant are as follows:

Add sphagnum peat to the topsoil of the indoor Dieffenbachia plant
Add a high-quality acidifying fertilizer to the indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant’s soil
Add two to three tablespoons of organic white or rice vinegar to a gallon of water. Then, spray this acidic water into the Dieffenbachia plant’s soil once or twice in fifteen days.
Mix some coffee grounds into clean, filtered water. Then, spray the coffee mixture into the Dieffenbachia plant’s soil once or twice in fifteen days.

Also check: Houseplants That Like Wet Soil

What Are the Other Essential Care Tips Every Dieffenbachia Plant Owner Needs to Know About

If you care to keep your indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant alive, follow the essential care tips mentioned below:

Only water your indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant once every two weeks.
However, if the regional atmosphere is too dry, it is better to water the Dieffenbachia plant once every seven days.
Although the soil of the indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant should always contain some moisture, it should never be soggy.
Hence, ensure that the pot of the Dieffenbachia plant has a great drainage system.
Never place your Dieffenbachia plant in direct or indirect sunlight. Doing so can burn the leaves and cause them to dry out.
Trim any damaged or yellow leaves of the Dieffenbachia plant to encourage new leaf growth.
Finally, repot the indoor Dieffenbachia plant into a fresh potting mix after every three to four months.

Final Thoughts

Caring for an indoor Dieffenbachia plant is usually much easier and far less complicated than caring for most other indoor plant species.

This evergreen plant has fantastic natural tolerance and resistance to its external environment conditions; hence, keeping it alive and healthy for many years does not require much plant-based knowledge.

However, although the indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant thrives on less water and sunlight, the PH of the soil will play a major role in the planter’s development, growth, and average lifespan. Hence, if you care to keep your indoor potted Dieffenbachia plant healthy and alive for many years, ensure that the potting soil’s PH is low so that it is slightly acidic.