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I have a dieffenbachia (dumb cane) that was a gift from a coworker about 5 years ago. It was over 10 feet tall if you measured to tip of the highest leaf. I say "was" because I tried air layering for the first time and I guess I got carried away with my knife and cut too deep and... the cane snapped.
My heart stopped. Horror of horrors! I killed my favorite plant! Trying to avoid panic, I made a nicer cut at an angle, dipped it in Rootone, and repotted it in fresh potting soil. I read that this usually works but of course I was terrified. I kept the root part of the cane too, hoping it will sprout new growth.
Now I had about 6 feet of cane to work with. I grabbed all the pots I could find and sliced up the cane into sections about 3"-4" long, applied more Rootone, and placed them in the soil.
Being the perfectionist that I am, I want to know: Should I have used rooting medium rather than good ol' fashioned potting soil? Should I keep the sections dark until they sprout? How moist should I keep the soil? Would it help if I covered them with plastic wrap? How deep should I have buried them? (I made furrows about 1/4" - 1/2" deep.) What about the top? Does it need any special treatment (light, watering, humidity)?
If this works I'm gonna have about a zillion new dieffenbachias. I guess the folks here at DG get first pick!
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