Just rescued this poor alocasia from a Home Depot that takes the worst care of their plants :// can anybody help me with best steps to take with her? She has one yellowing leaf, the other two are fairly healthy, and the soil is horrible and soaking wet. I can also tell by looking and feeling a bit that the pot she’s in is too big for the roots so I got a smaller appropriate pot, just not sure how soon I should repot but she is SAD
by Moxie_Rotten
1 Comment
Congratulations on your new plant!
Alocasia like an airy, chunky soil mix. I’ve recently started using the alocasia pre made mix from soil ninja (which is awesome). I like mine a little chunkier, so I got a bag of westland orchid mix and combined the two. Gave me a gorgeous chunky potting mix for all my aroids.
They like good humidity but can tolerate normal household humidity of around 50%. If you cluster your plants (pic of mine in the next comment), the humidity can increase because they make their own microclimate. Some air flow is also good, so I have a fan i use on them if I notice the soil taking longer than usual to dry.
They like to be kept slightly damp at all times, but not soaking wet or anything. Remember, under watering is better than over watering if you’re unsure. They can be divas, so dont be concerned if you repot and it drops an old/small leaf or two, its just adjusting. Mine have all done exactly that when I repotted them.
Also, they loveeeeee fertiliser. I use full strength fertiliser every watering for my alocasia, and they love it. I flush them every couple of weeks with ‘plain’ water to make sure there is no mineral build-up on their roots – which can burn them. They also prefer distilled water, not tap water. You can also use dehumidifier water or tumble dryer water as that’s also essentially distilled water and doesn’t cost anything! Of course, if you have th means to collect it (i dont) rain water is best.
I have 2 30cm T5 Barrina lights on my alocasia, and they love it. No issues with burning or anything, and they’re growing well! (https://amzn.eu/d/fTEf6DF)
Good luck! If you have questions, feel free to reach out! Always happy to talk about plants.