Cold shock or draft
Sudden, dramatic drooping near a cold spot is almost always temperature shock, not a watering problem.
Diagnosis
Cold shock or draft
What's happening
Dieffenbachia is a warm-climate tropical that resents anything below about 60°F. A cold draft from a window, an outside door, or an air-conditioning vent chills the tissue, and the plant responds by wilting and sometimes yellowing or browning along the chilled leaves. Prolonged cold can collapse whole leaves.
How to fix it
Move the plant to a warmer, draft-free spot and keep it in the 65–75°F range, away from windows, exterior doors, and AC or heating vents. Don't repot or fertilize a chilled plant — just give it stable warmth and normal light, and let it recover. Trim any leaves that turn fully mushy or brown, but leave merely droopy ones; they often perk back up once the plant warms.
What fixes it
- Frost cloth for cold snaps — If the only bright spot is by a cold window, a layer of frost cloth over the glass at night blunts the chill.
If that doesn't fix it
This is general guidance based on common symptoms; individual plants vary.
Read the full Dumb Cane care guide →
Reviewed June 2026 · how we check this