My friend gifted me this Alocasia. It was pretty short when she first gave it to me. I kept it at her house for a couple of weeks and went I went to pick it up, it had gotten SO tall. I think she might have kept it in the gift bag for a while so the stems grew tall to reach out of the bag. The two tallest stems are around 44cm(17 in). It has grown 2 new leaves (including that little guy growing in the middle!) since I brought it home, but I've also had to cut off a leaf that was yellow and droopy, and might have to cut off the one on the right as it appears it might wind up with the same yellow and droopy fate. I water it once and week and move it to the coffee table in indirect sunlight during the day. The stems were already tied together to keep the stems upright, but I've added two chopsticks. As it keeps growing, Im not sure how to keep them held up. Is it just a plant that is doomed to only have 3 long ass stems at a time? It was hard getting the plant in one photo, but I can upload more if that's helpful! Thanks in advance!
by _snaccident_
7 Comments
I don’t know but I want to see more of your painting in the background or whatever that is 😮
If you keep it in a spot with adequate light it should not continue to grow leggy like this.
It is growing so much because it is looking for light. Give her more light.
Do not cut the yellow leaves until they look dry. The plant uses the energy of these yellow leaves.
Give it light!
They will go dormant in the winter, and you might think it’s dead. Put it outside in a shady spot for the summer and it will grow like crazy.
Check out Sheffield on YouTube for alocasia care. You need to get it into bright light. A south facing window is good. And put the pot on a saucer of gravel and water, so it’s not sitting in the water but on the gravel. It helps with humidity which helps with growth. Keep the gravel moist or in a bit of water. You don’t want to overwater it from the top because of potential for root rot. The biggest thing is great lighting. You may even want to try a full spectrum grow light. Most areas in homes aren’t actually bright enough. But even though it’s leggy, the leaves look healthy.
Try east facing window. It will get morning sun. When summer days are shorter, supplement with a grow light. I have a couple of plant stands with multiple levels, some with grow lights. I put the plants wanting less light on the bottom and brighter light under the grow lamps and run them several hours in the late afternoon and evening, especially winter. I can’t have them because I foster cats and the squirts like to play with the leaves and break stems. But I have a bunch of other pet safe plants. Good luck!