Alocasia Care
Well known to be from the Philippines, the Alocasia belongs to the genus of broad-leaved rhizomatous or tuberous perennial flowering plants from the family Araceae/Arum. They are famous for their striking sword shaped or elephant ear foliage and bold colours. Some varieties have patterned stems. The Zabrina with the zebra markings, the Stingray with dappled style stems, Yucatan Princess with her pink and majestic stems or Polly with her friendly bright green stem. In Southeast Asia they are the plant in Jack and the beanstalk and often called the plant that grows up to the heavens.
Each Alocasia stands out as a unique and perfectly shaped statement plant. They do desire some specialised care to keep them thriving in our dry indoor environment in the UK. Being tropical plants they enjoy high humidity, bright, indirect light and warmth. Alocasia are quick to show disapproval of their environment and unfortunately claimed to be “fussy” plants. But the care is a lot easier than the rumours would have it. Not ideal as a first time plant, but if you are familiar with tropical plants you should not have any issues adjusting to the care of Alocasia.
Care
Alocasias thrive in medium to bright, indirect light. Low light will leave fading spots on the leaves and direct sunlight will scorch them. Place your Alocasia near a north or east facing window and avoid cold draft at all times. They prefer their soil to be on the drier side but love humid environments, mist regularly, maybe even a couple of times during the day. It would be ideal to invest in a humidifier if you have a lot of tropical plants. Over winter, Alocasia will go slightly dormant and at this time it’s best to place them in a warm environment, ranging from 18-25ºC, away from drought and cut down on water to prevent root rot. Allow the top 2” of the soil to dry out between watering.
Alocasia do love houseplant fertiliser, whether in liquid form or powder mixed in water. In Particular Stingray could go a few more months (to October) with fertiliser once a fortnight.
Alocasia leaves sweat and secrete small droplets by the water accumulating in the plant and causing a slight overpressure in the root. This pushes the water out as small drops from the leaves. This is a sign of health for the plant, but the drops leave stains on furniture and floors where it stands.
Problems
Yellowing or spotting leaves - overwatered
Browning edges - under watered or direct sunlight
Fading leaves or slow growth in autumn/winter - Dormant, reduce water
Webs on the soil - infrequent watering invites spider mites. Clean the top of the soil and use neem oil
