I bought this alocasia Polly at a big box store in Feb 2023. Full of optimism, I repotted her shortly after purchase (dumb) and all the leaves started yellowing and dying one by one. I came very close to tossing it.
However! In my frantic googling I came across this blog post (totally random, I have no affiliation): https://www.theshadygalwrites.com/dying-alocasia/
Feeling some hope, I went digging and found many corms. After more googling, I tried soaking some and peeling the husks away to encourage growth. DO NOT DO THIS. The oxalate crystals will lodge in your skin and sting for days.
I dumped everything back in the pot w a mix of potting soil, orchid bark, and perlite with my sore af fingers and watered lightly every 2 weeks or so. Finally they sprouted, and this is how she is doing now. She gets watered when dry, and seems to love the grow light we recently got. Likely needs a repot in the spring but tbh she seems to like being rootbound and I’m scared to kill her again.
Don’t give up on your alocasia!
by Sleepy_Pudding
12 Comments
Beautiful!
I like how your cat is amazed by this miracle. 😂
I like the planter too!
In the first photo, the cat looks so proud, as if he did all the work!
Some folks seem to be able to handle corms no problem, but they make me soooo itchy! I wear nitrile gloves when I handle them.
I was at Lowe’s for other things… that’s how it goes… and they had one left in meh shape so I brought it home took it out of the pot, got all the dirt off, split it, and now I have two in semi-hydro. They seem to be okay, but how long was it after you got her that the leaves started yellowing?
What grow light did you get? I tried everything you mentioned but I think my grow light is a little wimpy. It seems like my alocasia is going in the wrong direction. I’d love a better rec!!
Your plant looks so good!!!! Do you remember where you got the planter from? I love the color and the texture.
In case you’re not aware, alocasia plants can be toxic to cats if ingested, but I feel like your kitty is good around plants.
The plant, the pot, the kitty! It’s all so cute! Great job op!
Amazing congrats
I also almost tossed mine once, when it was down to two leaves. Mine is still not glamorous but the fact that is has 7 green leaves is a win in my book
Why does the cat look traumatized??
Loving that green, textured pot!