What's eating my dieffenbachia tropic marianne?

Dieffenbachia Tropic Marianne is most vulnerable to spider mites, especially in heated indoor spaces. Mealybugs hide in stem joints, and aphids attack soft new growth. Scale can appear on older stems. The large creamy-yellow leaves make early pest spotting easier — look for discolouration, stickiness, or cottony deposits weekly.

Fine pale stippling or silvery speckling on leaf upper surface; webbing visible underneath; leaves eventually yellow. Increase humidity, rinse foliage, and apply neem oil or insecticidal soap spray every 5–7 days until the infestation clears.

White woolly clusters in stem crevices and leaf bases; honeydew drips and sooty mould follows. Remove with isopropyl alcohol-dipped cotton swabs; treat plant with neem soil drench if root mealybugs are suspected.

Soft green or black insects clustered on new leaves and shoot tips; foliage curls and growth slows. Knock off with a water blast, then apply insecticidal soap spray; repeat every 3–5 days for two weeks.