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Alocasia Amazonica Care
The notorious Alocasia amazonica. Everyone wants to grow it, but the problem is that a lot of people kill it! This is a challenging houseplant, but don’t despair! This plant is also known as Alocasia x amazonica and is actually a cross between Alocasia longiloba and Alocasia sanderiana.
Alocasia x amazonica care is not insurmountable by any means once you understand it. Like many people, I was seduced by the dark green, glossy leaves with sharply contrasting veins, as well as by the striking shape and form of the leaves.
My plant looks beautiful now, but it wasn’t always in tip-top shape. See, I’m human too. I’ve also become notorious on Instagram and have been offering so much advice that I decided to write a blog post. I got tired of explaining what to do repeatedly, so here we are!
Anyway, I’ve learned through the years not only how to keep this plant from dying, but how to make it thrive. I wanted to share my tips with you so keep reading!
The plant that I have is actually Alocasia longiloba, after doing some research, but the care is identical to Alocasia amazonica. After all, the longiloba species is one of the parents of the Alocasia amazonica artificial hybrid.
Origins of Alocasia amazonica
Even the name of this plant is misleading! When you see Alocasia amazonica, you might think that it is a a species that comes from the Amazon rainforest.
In fact, it is NOT a species and it doesn’t even come from the Amazon.
Like I mentioned previously, it is supposedly a hybrid between Alocasia longiloba crossed with Alocasia sanderiana, both of which are Asian species. The name amazonica comes from the name of the nursery where this hybrid was created in Florida.
Alocasia Amazonica Light Requirements
These plants need bright indirect light to do their best. A little bit of morning sun or filtered sunlight is great, but keep this plant away from harsh, direct sunlight.
This is definitely a plant that you do need to keep very close to a window. And by very close, I mean right in front of it, but without touching the window.
There are some plants that can survive locations far from a window, but this is not one of them.
If you can not place this plant right in front of a window to receiver proper light, then I would suggest you look for another plant because it’ll just end up in disappointment!
These plants can be finicky enough, so don’t set yourself up for failure!
I find it important to really specify that it needs to be in front of a window, because many people think that they can place a houseplant anywhere, and then they are surprised when it dies.
Sure there ARE plants that can SURVIVE and even sometimes do pretty well several feet from a window….or even in rooms that have no windows (but that have plenty of bright overhead lights), but this plant is NOT one of them.
If you DO want to know good plants that you can grow away from a window or in darker conditions, be sure to read my blog post about plants that can grow in the dark! Ok, growing in the dark is a bit of an exaggeration, but you won’t want to miss this post.
Remember, plants use light to photosynthesize and make their own food, so if you’re not giving your plant the light that it needs, you are basically starving your plant. Shame on you!
Situating your plant in an area with proper lighting should be the single most important concern that you need to take care of.
My own Alocasia amazonica (ok, technically I have an Alocasia longiloba, but the care is identical) is growing in my sunroom right in front of a large Eastern exposure sliding door so it gets plenty of light.
There is also a skylight in that room, and a large wall of Northern exposure windows.
Alocasia Amazonica Water Requirements
Next to adequate light, proper watering is the next most important thing in keeping your Alocasia amazonica in good shape. Actually, EVERYTHING I’m mentioning in this blog post is probably equally important so take note. These plants LOVE their water and do not take neglect very kindly.
Years ago, my specimen was growing in a terra cotta pot and this was a big mistake. The soil dried out very quickly, and the plant was kept much too dry for its liking.
I kept losing leaf after leaf and it looked pretty pathetic, but it was still alive! After that, I repotted it into a glazed ceramic container and it was much easier to manage its moisture requirements.
We all make mistakes! This was before I really had read more about this plant and researched its need.
Except in the winter time, you’ll want to keep this plant pretty evenly moist. In the winter, I let the top of the soil dry out a little before I water again.
But don’t let your Alocasia amazonica get TOTALLY dry otherwise it will start to go dormant. This is not a plant that you can neglect the watering. If you’re looking for a carefree houseplant, then go buy something else.
If you want plants that you can neglect, you may be more suited to Sansevieria and there are plenty of varieties to keep your interest!
You’ll have to be very vigilant and careful with the watering with this Alocasia. When winter is over and the days are getting longer, the plant is growing and the lighting is brighter, so you can increase the watering.
Alocasias in general are moisture loving plants so bone dry soil spells disaster for these plants. On the other hand, I would also generally avoid these plants sitting in water for extended periods of time. It’s all about a balance!
Alocasia Amazonica Care Outdoors
The best thing that I do for my Alocasia amazonica is place it outside in the summer. It absolutely flourishes outside in the summer! Make sure that you place it in a protected place though. One year, my plant blew over and the pot broke and part of the plant got damaged!
After that happened, I made sure to secure the pot well so that the wind could not blow it over.
When this plant is placed outside, the wonderful air circulation, higher humidity, rainwater, and brighter light really work wonders for this plant. Place it in a sheltered spot in the shade or in filtered/dappled sunlight at the very most.
Anytime you place a houseplant outdoors, after it has been indoors for a while, you must harden your plant off. This means that you need to gradually acclimate your plant to outdoor conditions so it doesn’t go into shock.
Be sure to read my blog post on how to transition your houseplants to go outside. I have had one too many people complain to me that they burned their plants because they didn’t properly harden them off. So don’t miss my blog post on this topic.
In the heat of the summer, I’ll even water my Alocasia daily sometimes when it is outside! Remember that you should NOT worry about how often you water. Don’t look at your calendar when you water. Especially when you have plants outside.
Instead, you should just go by how dry the soil is to determine when you should water. Whether the plant is indoors or outdoors.
The rapid growth and warm temperatures will dry out the soil much more quickly than indoors so you’ll need to provide plenty of water for your plant if you move it outdoors.
And don’t worry if daily seems too frequent…it’s NOT during the heat of the summer. Don’t judge when to water a plant by the frequency! “Oh I watered it two days ago…it should be good. I don’t want to overwater it.”
That will prove hideously false if it’s hot outside and the plant is totally dry. Especially when it is hot outside, it will need all the moisture it can get.
Water when it NEEDS it, not when your schedule tells you to. And throw everything out the window if you move a houseplant outside for the summer.
Your weekly indoor watering routine that you may have been doing suddenly may not work anymore, so you’ll have to pay attention to your plants when they are outside because the environmental conditions are very different from your indoor conditions.
When your Alocasia is outside, each consecutive leaf grows bigger and bigger, and it really increases in size beautifully.
But you’ll only want to keep it outside if it is warm enough, which brings us to…
Alocasia Amazonica Temperature Requirements
We all know that one person that always seems to be cold. Everywhere. Always wearing a sweater even when it seems comfortable to other people.
Well, this plant is like your frigid friend. They’re going to complain at every chance they get.
If you place this plant outside, please make sure that the minimum nighttime temperature stays at LEAST 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 10-13 Celcius) if not warmer!
If the temperature dips below 50F (10C) or so, especially for extended periods, you may as well kiss this plant goodbye. They detest the cold and will protest with yellowing leaves and start to go dormant.
Keep it cold long enough, and you will have to start planning a funeral. This goes for indoors as well.
If it is consistently below the 50-55F range, it’ll start going dormant and you will lose one leaf at a time until there is nothing left.
Many people have reached out to me about their leaves yellowing and falling one by one. In a few cases, it turned out that the rooms where their Alocasias were growing had plunged into the 40s Fahrenheit.
This is MUCH too cold for these plants and they simply will not tolerate it. So make sure you have a mild to warm spot for your plant!
If you can not provide these conditions and you acquire one of these plants anyway, then you may as well start planning that Alocasia funeral…
Also, try to avoid placing this plant in areas that have cold drafts. Conversely, try avoiding placing these plants right next to a heating vent. Demanding isn’t she?
Alocasia Amazonica Fertilizer Requirements
I just use whatever all-purpose fertilizer I have on hand, and use a variety of fertilizers depending on the season. Check out my recommendations below, available on Amazon for convenience:
Right now I’m using the Schlutz All Purpose 10-15-10 fertilizer on most of my houseplants. Do not feed your plant in the winter since it will be either growing very slowly or not at all.
When I take my plant outside, I will rotate different fertilizers, including some organic fertilizers. I love using Neptune’s Harvest fish emulsion and seaweed fertilizer in the warm months.
In general, I like to fertilize at every watering when my plant is indoors, but the concentration is more dilute since I’m applying at every watering. The exception is the winter when I don’t fertilize at all.
In the summer, I like to use the fish emulsion fertilizer mentioned above about once a week.
Alocasia Amazonica Humidity Requirements
Humidity is very important for these plants. There are many things that you can do to increase the humidity for your Alocasia.
Firstly though, let me explain a common practice that actually does NOT increase the humidity and can actually be dangerous if you do it incorrectly.
Many people mist their houseplants. This actually does nothing for the humidity. Humidity is a measure of moisture in the air. All you’re doing by misting is wetting the leaves.
You’re not changing the humidity of the air. In fact, it can be dangerous if you mist too frequently, especially if the temperatures are cooler, because you might be encouraging bacterial and fungal infections.
Misting at night is especially dangerous because the cooler temperatures and wet leaves can encourage diseases particularly well at that time. I never mist my Alocasia.
This is not to say that I never mist any of my plants. For example, my cast iron plant used to get spider mites in the winter, but I took care of that problem and found that I was able to prevent that issue from occurring by misting it during the winter.
Some viable ways to increase the humidity for your Alocasia are the following:
My preferred way is to get a humidifier and run it in the room where your plants are. There are many varieties out there, but I use a warm-mist humidifier with a pretty large water reservoir.
My absolutely FAVORITE humidifier is the Levoit humidifier. You can run it on cold mist or warm mist, has a remote control, operates very quietly and is just amazing! I highly recommend this humidifier and I have been very happy with it.
It’ll actually operate for several hours and then it automatically shuts off when the water is depleted. Sometimes I forget to turn it on, but when I do run it, I make sure to start running it in the morning or at the latest by early afternoon.
I avoid running humidifiers in the evening and I use them mainly in the winter months when forced air heat really dries out the air! I live in a cold-winter climate. Some of my readers live in sub-tropical and tropical areas so you can probably ignore this section of the blog post altogether!
Grouping plants together is another way to increase the local humidity around your plants. Plants naturally release water through their leaves in a process called transpiration.
If you group a lot of plants closely together in one area, you’ll create a mini microclimate with higher humidity.
The last way I will mention is to set the plant on a tray with pebbles to which water has been added. This will increase humidity as the water evaporates.
You’ll want the water level to be below the top pebbles. This ensures that the plant is not sitting in water. I don’t use this method because I have too many plants, but it is a viable option.
Final Remarks
So there you have it! I didn’t mean to scare anybody here. I am here to tell you that you CAN grow this plant successfully if you provide the environment that it likes.
If you try and force a plant to grow in an environment that it doesn’t like, it will end up in disappointment and you will continue telling people that you have a black thumb.
It’s better to select a plant that will like the light and temperature conditions that the selected growing area offers. You can always work on your watering habits and you can always find a way to increase humidity.
Heck, you can even add additional grow-lights if needed. If you can marry up your selected plant to a suitable area for the plant, you will start to be successful! Don’t force a plant into a location that is not compatible with its growth.
No one is born with a green thumb! It’s not something that you have or don’t have. It is developed and takes time, understanding, work, and practice. So read up on your plant’s requirements. Knowledge is power.
Do you have an Alocasia amazonica? Any questions or stories to share? Make a comment below! I’d love to hear from you. And I forgot to mention, if your plant really loves you, she’ll even bloom.
Love your wonderful information!
Thank you! 🙂 Do you have one of these plants Sharon?
You are a good writer. Never boring. Thanks for all your advice. I guess I should not be misting my fern? I was trying to increase the humidity as it lives on my sunporch all summer and spring.
Thanks Joan! If you are seeing no ill results, go ahead and continue! I was just making the point that misting really doesn’t increase the humidity. If you feel better doing it and it doesn’t make anything worse for your fern, then there is no harm. 🙂
Beautiful article. My Alocacia is sitting in front of an east facing window with super sheer curtains, temperature in the house is 73F thanks to the heater (I live in North Dallas and our winter is cold), I have a humidifier sitting next to where si is and humidity runs at 45 – 50. I have her in a clay pot and water once a week about 1 cup of water. The tips of the leaves (the very tip, like 1/16 “) are turning brown and when I water her a bit more water, say 1 1/2 cups, I get gluttation (water droplets at the tip of the leaves … same tips that are turning brown). I need help with those briwn tips…. I truly don’t know what to do. To make it even worse, now my ponytail palm is,also getting brown tips. Sorry for the long post. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you Patty! So without seeing your plant, it seems like one cup of water is not enough, especially if it’s in a clay pot. I would recommending totally drenching the soil and let it all drain out. This is how I recommend watering ALL houseplants. Even succulents. Don’t get too precise with measuring the water. If your plants are small enough to take to the sink, water them there and REALLY let the water flow and let it all drain out. You want the soil to be consistently moist. The dry tips are telling me that the plant is probably too dry, and you are not getting all the soil evenly moist. Don’t worry about any water on the very tips of the leaves. If you don’t drench all the soil, you’ll get dry pockets of soil and the roots won’t like that. It will not encourage a healthy root system if you water that way. So don’t be afraid and soak your soil completely when you water. As far as the pony tail palm (which isn’t a palm at all, but rather a succulent), just cut the brown tips off. It’s going to happen so don’t expect perfection. They will all get brown tips. This is another plant that you should drench and water well even though it is a succulent. Some people are shocked when they hear that. I’ve been watering everything this way for a very long time with great results. Hope this helps. My advice to you on watering, is don’t go by a schedule. Water when the top of the soil is dry, and then give it a good soaking. Don’t be timid with the water, but drain any excess.
I can’t thank you enough for your reply. Right now it’s really cold so the girls will have to wait until tomorrow morning but I will go ahead and give both a good drink. You know how people warn you and tell you how you can easily kill a plant by overwatering and not to over do it, etc., etc., so I have developed a tendency to underwater …. thanks again for your thorough reply ??????
You are welcome! There is so much misinformation about watering that I’m going to write a blog post on the proper way to water. Overwatering does NOT mean adding too much water at one watering session. You WANT to water thoroughly. What it REALLY means if you’re overwatering is that the potting medium stays wet for too long. There is a big difference between a thorough watering (which I highly advise) and watering too FREQUENTLY. Or sometimes the soil will stay too wet if it’s colder…so although you may not have watered in a while, the soil might still stay wet. There are many factors in soil staying too wet, but in general you want to water thoroughly and then let the top of the soil dry out before you water again. There are many, many variables and I will discuss them all in my next blog post. 🙂
I was forced to leave my Alocasia at slightly below room temperature without water for a month. I’m hoping it went dormant and I can bring it back (there is still one leaf that looks totally healthy). Any advice? 🙂
It will come back, especially since it has a leaf. Just follow my cultural practices in my blog post and it will be ok! If you have the opportunity to place the plant outside in the shade during the summer, you will be amazed at how much it grows!
Wauw, great article!
I have Some trouble with my alocasia.
It started to make new leaves as the days become longer, but I think I have spint mites in my plants, because the biggest leaves get yellow and brown spots and I see some ‘webs’ underneath the leaves!
The biggest problem I think is humidity? I’ve been misting the leaves but I read that is not A great idea?
My house is floorheated, and winters are cold (Belgium 🙂 )
Thank you! Yes, if you see webs under the leaves, you probably have spider mites. Not having enough humidity will definitely encourage spider mites. You can try to take a damp paper towel and wipe off all the leaves and stems, including the undersides. You can also give your plant a gentle shower with warm water. Then keep an eye on your plant and do this routinely. Some people use soapy water to treat spider mites. You can use chemicals but I don’t like to use that indoors. Misting the leaves really doesn’t do anything for humidity. I would recommend a humidifier, or group your plants together. But I wouldn’t group this plant with anything else since you don’t want your other plants to have spider mites! Good luck!
Thanks for your helpfull advice!
Just 1 more question, do you advice to cut the damaged leaves ( The ones with yellow and brown spots?)
Yes if I get any yellow leaves, I just cut the whole stem off close to the base of the plant. Just the stem part, but not the bulbous part on the soil line.
Hello, you mentioned the lower temperature allowed but, what is the maximum temperature they can tolerate? I live in south Spain and in summer it is up to 45° celsius.
Thanks in davance.
Are you referring to outdoors? If they are outdoors in that heat, they should be fine still but you’ll need to make sure they have enough water. Also, with those high temperatures, make sure that they are in completely shade. In the summer outdoors where I am, I sometimes water them daily or almost daily when it’s a hot summer day. In your case with that type of heat, you’ll need to make sure that you’re giving it enough water otherwise the heat plus dehydration will surely not be good for the plant.
Yes, I referred outdoors. Here the heat in summer is dry, so in this case I will water it daily. And sure, I knew it can’t stand the direct sun. Thank you very much for the info! =)
You’re welcome! Depending on how big the pot is, you may need to even water twice a day. Just keep an eye on it. When mine is outside in warm weather, I water it MUCH more often than when it is indoors in cooler temperatures and lower light. 🙂
Ok, I’ll keep a close eye on it. The pot has a 17 cm diameter and it has 5 big and 1 small leaves and I think it is OK by now. I hope it grows from now, since I moved it next to a big window. I will see the roots in May or June in case a bigger pot is needed. Thank you again!
You are more than welcome. Let me know if you have any further questions and good luck!
Hi! Just discovered your site via Instagram, and so grateful that I did! So anywho, I rescued an Alocasia amazonica from a local nursery’s clearance “I’m dying a slow and agonizing death” section. He only has three leaves. One seems healthy, one is moderately healthy with the bottom point yellow, and the last is kind of krinkling at the top with small brownish/goldish spots the size of ladybugs and also yellowing. I repotted it and I put him in my bathroom right in front of an eastern facing window. It’s been two weeks. Soil is moist. Light is good. I feel like the humidity could probably be a little higher, but it’s not horrible. But it doesn’t seem to be improving. There are no additional spots, but the yellowing at the tips is spreading ever so slowly. Any idea how I can save it? Any idea what might be the problem? Thanks so much!!!!!! No one really seems to know too much about these plants, and everything I can find is so vague 🙁
Thank you for your kind words. It sounds like you are doing the right things. Unfortunately, those leaves that have yellowed will not come back. So all you can hope for at this point is that any brand new growth will look normal. It was obviously mistreated wherever you purchased it. Either it dried out too much and started to go dormant, or it was kept too wet. I would encourage you to let the surface of the soil to dry out a bit before watering again. Since it doesn’t have many good leaves, if you keep it too wet it won’t be able to use much of that water. Let just the surface dry out, and hope for the best. Your Eastern window is good. Just give it a little time and patience and it should come back for you :-). Also, if you can place your plant outside in the summer, it will do wonders for it. In the shade though.
Thanks so much! When it’s warmer, I will plan to put it outside (if it makes it that long!) Oddly enough, it’s snowing today in ct, so it will probably be a while! Thanks again for the response!!!
You’re welcome! It’s still snowing in Ohio too. This is the longest winter ever! Good luck with your Alocasia 😉
Awesome post. I just purchased my first Alocasia plant (indoor) and I didn’t realize how fussy these can be until I researched their care. I am a flight attendant and am gone for a few days at a time. Would water spikes be a good idea for keeping her adequately watered? Thank you!
Thank you, and actually that is not a bad idea! I would only use them while you are away if you are gone for extended periods of time. Experiment and see what works! 🙂
Hi! I have one of these plants and it’s been growing pretty rapidly indoors which is great. ive had it about two years now but I definitely need to transplant into a larger pot bc it has outgrown it. I’m nervous to do so bc it’s so finicky and don’t want to stress it out. Should I be concerned? Also- are these able to be propagated at all? I have a pic of mine but can’t see where to attach the pic
There is no reason to be afraid to repot! And the best way to propagate these plants is to divide the plant when you repot it. You can email me a photo at [email protected].
I just discovered you on Instagram last night and found your website today. 🙂 I, too, am in Ohio, so I am hoping some of your plant knowledge maybe flows towards the part of Ohio I live in. 🙂 I have a small alocasia in my office at work. It is in a plastic pot that I have inside a ceramic mug. There is a root starting to come out of the plastic pot into the mug. Is that normal or should I re-pot this because it is too small of a pot? I have read that these plants like to be root-bound, so I am not real sure what I am dealing with here. Additionally, the watering I do for the plant results in water in the bottom of the mug. Could the escapee root actually be trying to get to the leftover water, indicating that I am not watering it enough? I really want this plant to live, but I am afraid I am gonna kill it. 🙁 Any advice is greatly appreciated!!
The root coming out of the bottom could be an indication that it needs to be repotted. They do like to be potbound though. If I saw a picture of the whole plant, it would be easier to tell. You can email me the photo at [email protected]. Also, you should drain any leftover water at the bottom of that mug. Most plants should not be allowed to sit in water for an extended period of time. Follow the directions in the blog post as far as light and watering goes, and try to increase humidity if at all possible.
I actually just bought my first Alocasia yesterday! It was at Ikea and as dry as the succulents ???? But it has beautiful leaves and color and two new leaves on the way so I rescued it! At work they do grow extremely well because the humidity in the greenhouse is very high and we have excellent indirect but very bright light. I brought it home and repotted it and have it on a pebble tray in front of a very large east facing window. I honestly didn’t realize that they were so finicky because, as I mentioned, they grow very well in the greenhouse and I’ve never had customers have problems with them. I’m excited to see how it does in my house and your article was extremely helpful! Once again, thank you for your well written advice!
You are more than welcome! I’m sure you get very spoiled as a result of the greenhouse where everything has ample light and humidity and attention! I have had mine for several years and once you get the hang of it, they’re really not bad at all! Good luck with your plant! 🙂
Hello, a week Ago I got one of those because they’re stunning and couldn’t find them anywhere locally so I’ve placed an order online. When my alocasia arrived she looked beautiful but on closer inspection most if not all of her leaves were broken at the stem due to careless handling during her trip… The plastic pot she came with has 2 bulbs and each one has one mostly intact leaf. The one also has a new leaf coming up. I don’t know how to further the care for her and I couldn’t find anything helpful. I mostly left her alone in a bright spot away from the sun & watered her once since she arrived because I thought she was already stressed enough but I saw today one of the mostly intact leaves turn completely brown within a day. What do you suggest I should do? Cut off all the broken/damaged leaves? Separate the 2 bulbs? Both??
Personally, I would leave it the way it is for now. If any leaves turn yellow or completely brown, then go ahead and cut them off. Give it time and it should recover! It may be a little unsightly for now, but I would leave the leaves if they are green.
I so appreciated this post! I too have had the issue of one leaf yellowing/browning at a time and dropping off. However, this only happens once that leaf has put out a new leaf. The new leaves on my plant are big and gorgeous, but the leaf the new leaf comes from always dies within the next couple months. I bought the plant with 4-5 leaves and it has produced many new leaves over the last year and now only has three large leaves remaining (none of them the original leaves it was bought with). I have it in a ceramic planter adequte to its size. I planted it in a pot without a drainage hole planning on removing it and drilling a hole into the pot later, but it actually seemed to do well with staying a bit more moist. I water it about once – twice a month during winter, in the summer once a week or more. It is in a room that does not go below 40 degrees and it is in a room with eastern and southern facing windows. I can certainly try moving it closer to a window, however. I’m not sure what else it could be. It is a great looking plant and I’m not necessarily disppointed by it since it does look healthy, I would just love if it was more full.
I would still go ahead and repot it into a pot that has a drainage hole. I would recommend this for absolutely all houseplants. Even though it may seem to work for a bit, it will eventually cause you problems and is not worth the risk. Although it is normal for the older leaves to eventually die, your plant should be able to hang onto more leaves than it currently has. They do like to stay on the moister side for sure, but drainage is critical. It’s too dangerous not to have a drainage hole. Any excess water will sit there and probably cause root rot.
hi, what an awesome find ! It is really a pleasure to read your article, love the way you write. I have one question, i have a few plants in my bedroom, because it’s the only place where there’s enough light, i have one Alocasia Amazonica, Musa Acuminata and Maranta Fascinator. Is it ok to sleep in the same room as all these plants? I mean because of the oxygen.
Thank you for your reply and for all your advices, I hope that my Alocasia will be ok now 🙂
Well thank you! Yes, I would say you’d be ok to do that…if you are really worried, you can introduce some succulents…maybe some Sansevieria because those will give off oxygen at night 🙂
Wow – that was great info! I’m scared but I’m going to give it a try. Do you think it will survive under a grow light?
Thank you, I’m glad you found it helpful! Yes absolutely. You should be fine to grow this plant under grow lights.
This weekend i found one of these plants for 5.oo on clearance at a big box store. It was 100%dry and has damage on one of the leaves, but the other 3 leaves look to be ok. I took it home (i live in Minnesota) re-potted it and fresh soil and gave it a good soak. I have a north facing bay window and it has access to a grow light as well if needed. do you think North window is ok? thank you
Depending on the size of the window and if there are any obstructions, it may be OK. If you supplement the natural light, especially in the winter, you would be fine. The rest of the year should probably be ok without!
It’s a 9×9 foot bay window north facing. Trees maybe 40ft away otherwise no obstruction. I have full spectrum light how many hours would you suggest? Should I put it directly under it? Sorry for all the questions 🙂
Well that sounds like a very nice window! You may be fine with no additional grow lights! It definitely wouldn’t hurt though to have a grow light on, at least during the darkest winter months. I don’t think it’s necessary for the other seasons. I would recommend lights on for 12 hours. You can use an inexpensive timer and program it to be on for 12 hours, and off for 12 hours.
Thank you so much for the information, and so quick 🙂 it’s a nice size window 🙂 I am still a new plant mom, but I love the challenge and I want to be one of the success stories with these beauties. Btw I have a humidifier by it as well and the house is 50-55%
You’re welcome. It sounds like you are doing all the right things!
I had this as a houseplant in CO and it seemed to do well..moved to Miami….put it outside in summer and it went nuts but after maybe 3 months the branches and leaves started turning to mush. It finally died. I bought 2 more small ones to put in my above ground planter…with in a month they are also turning to mush…saved what I could….replanted and brought them inside but I have furry babie and would rather not take the chance…heard they are toxic….any suggestions as to what was happening….some fungal disease…no clue…help…hate to lose plants.
Thanks, Courtney
I would need more information to diagnose the actual problem. Were they ever sitting in water for extended periods of time? Did the pots not have drainage holes? Or did the pots have drainage holes but sat in water in any tray underneath? These plants love moisture, but if they’re waterlogged for long periods of time, it can cause them to rot potentially.
I have had my alocasia for a couple of years so a lot of the leaves have died off leaving a large “stalk” of brown. Should I re pot and bury this portion or just leave it.? It’s really ugly down there
I wouldn’t necessarily repot it just because of that. If it is dry and cripsy though, you can gently pull it off if it comes off easily, or cut it with some pruners. If it is firm at all, I would leave it!
I have an alocasia Amazonica that lost all its leaves and is now just one sad stem. How can I tell if it went dormant or died and if it is dormant can I bring it back? Thank you!
You’ll have to give it some time. Did you determine from the blog post why yours lost all of its leaves? That would be the first step and then do something to change what you did wrong. It’s hard to help without a photo, but I would feel the base of the plant near the soil. Is it firm at all? If it’s mushy, it’s probably a goner. If it’s dry but still somewhat firm, it can perhaps come back. I’d need more details to help out better, but good luck!
Thank you for your post. It was very informative. I just purchased an Alocasia Polly. It looks very healthy and has lots of new grow. I noticed that there is one leaf that has curled inward on both sides of the leaf. The leaf is not brown, yellow, or damaged in any way. I do not know what this means. Is the leaf just old? Should I cut this leaf off?
I would just leave it for now and I wouldn’t worry about it if it is just one leaf. Is it one of the older leaves?
Thank you for your quick response! I’m not sure if it’s a new leaf or an old leaf. It’s a very large leaf. I don’t know if the size of the leaf indicates its age. Also, I noticed that some droplets accumulate at the ends of leaves in the evening. I’m not sure what that indicates.
You’re welcome Karen! The water droplets at the end of the leaves is most likely due to what is called guttation. It can occur if the soil moisture level is high. It’s no reason for alarm though. Just be careful not to keep the soil too wet.
Hi there, thanks for the lovely article. I have two alocacias amazonica, one of them bloomed and gave me 2 beautiful flowers, but after the flowers dye, some leaves began to get yellow and i have a feeling that the whole plant is going to dye soon. My second one is much bigger than the one that flourished, but i can see that some of my baby leaves are getting some yellow spots. which makes me very sad, i hope i can save it from the winter because i really love them. 🙂
Hi Julia. They can be tricky, but follow the guidance in my post and you should be OK! Good luck with your plants!
Hi . Im so glad to discover your article thank you . Ive had my amazonica for a week . I placed it in the shower room thinking the humidity would be good for it , however it now has brown spots with yellow circles on all leaves . Is it going to die ? What could i do ? .
Please help
Hi Elaine! Can you please send me a photo? It would assist me in helping you.
My Alocasia flowered in spring but after that has been very slowly deteriorating. The leaves are getting smaller and remain tender and do not harden. It keeps about 3 leaves all tge time. Please, what could be the cause?
Hi Marcel. Are you following everything that I have written about in the blog post? My guess is that your plant is not getting enough light. Where is your plant located? How far is it from a window and what exposure is the window?
Hi Raffaele! I have 2 Alocasia plants that I believe were intended to be annuals for outdoor gardens here in NW Wisconsin ~ the big box store had them outside with many other “death row” annual garden plants this spring marked down to .75 ~ i don’t care WHAT KIND OF PLANT it is, at that price I’m scooping them up! (On that note, do you know why these big box stores hire people to work in the “garden center” that don’t know even the most BASIC plant care, don’t give a rats patoot about them, drown the succulents and cacti while keeping them indoors, yet don’t water the plants that are outdoors and literally baking in the sun? MIND BOGGLING!!) Sorry. Rant over.
As always, I learn everything i can about my plants, but these 2 have me puzzled ~ the tag simply said “Alocasia”, and there is nothing really that makes them stand out ~ t he leaves are pretty and large although they are plain, every day “blah” green ~ I brought them in a few weeks ago as temps have been in the low 40s already and they are doing well, but my question is this ~ Am I wasting my time having them join my houseplant family? Are these plain-jane, green leaved plants just going to die, because they are true annuals and should go in my compost heap with the rest? I have invested a great deal of time trying to rid them of aphids, the evil spider mites, mealy bugs and quarantining them in the East section of my home til healthy, and I know this might sound cold hearted, (I feel mean just thinking this) but with 185 houseplants in my dining and living room alone, I would rather not waste any more time on them if they’re just going to be going to the big greenhouse in the sky soon anyway! There are cacti and succulent gardens in one part of my house, humidity living tropicals in another, baby plants propagating in a guest room, a growing African Violet collection, all the different Peperomias, Dracaenas, Dieffenbachias I can find (I think you get the idea!??) that I’d rather spend that time on. What are your thoughts on this? I trust your judgement with that wealth of knowledge you have. Thanks in advance!!
Tawny Leste-Carlson
PS ~ apologies for the length, I’m incapable of keeping a “short story SHORT, whether conversing in person, sending texts, writing letters or asking ONE SIMPLE QUESTION about something”. I have no self-control lol lol
Hi Tawny! I totally understand what you are saying! You can overwinter them indoors, absolutely. If you have the room that is 😀 Be sure to give them a bright location indoors. And don’t worry if it starts to decline a little bit indoors over the winter. It will be worth it when it goes back outdoors next year. Another option is that you can let it go dormant and you can overwinter the corm. That’s another option as well. Sounds like you have a lovely collection of plants! Hope this helps Tawny!
This is such a great article, thank you. I have a question on something you didn’t mention, blooms. My Alocasia is growing a bloom and I’m having a hard time finding any info on how to care for the bloom. Do I just let nature take its course? I know there will be seeds, any advice on when to harvest them? Thank you.
Hi Dana! Glad you enjoyed the article. There is nothing special you need to do to take care of the flower. Just enjoy it and let it run its course. When it is spent, just cut it off. It will not form seeds unless it is pollinated.
I have lots of plants (my friends kid me that I have my own jungle). I live in a 2-bedroom apartment that has westerly facing windows in each bedroom and a large glass patio door and side area from the living room to a screened patio, also westerly facing. There is a roof over the patio, so sun that reaches into the living room is for a couple of hours when the sun is low on the horizon. The patio is large, so during good weather it holds a lot of plants that thrive. I have success with all of my plants except for Alocasia x Amazon. They start out very well, but then develop yellowish half-circles on the edges of leaves about the diameter of pennies to nickles. I have tried every hint I can find, but none address this condition. Our water supply is the Ohio River, but I let the water sit for many days before using. I notice after many months a crust will
form on the bottom of all pots that dissolves easily in Vinegar. All of my pots have lots of extra holes I have drilled, so they drain very well, and I do flush them with water. Any ideas what can be causing those half-circle blotches? I grew up on a farm, have degrees in Biology, lots of success with all of my other plants including Colocasia, except this one. Very frustrating.
Hi Michael. They are not the easiest plants! I’d have to see a photo to be able to help out more.
Hello, great article! I learned a lot
I have one alocasia for 2 months, indoor.
it now has brown spots with yellow circles on same leaves . How can I help her?
Hi Tamara. It sounds like it could be a fungus, but I’d have to see a photo to be sure. I would remove the leaf and get a fungicide to spray your plant with.
Hello! Your article gave me more useful information in one place than several others together. I’m so happy to have found yours! I currently have 1 amazonica but want more, it is so beautiful. She has an “ancient” look I think-around with the dinosaurs perhaps. Thankfully I seem to be doing ok with her in the 4 months I’ve had her so no questions….you addressed everything I was unsure of already. Thanks for the great information and the easy flow of your writing made me feel as if my smart plant neighbor came for coffee and sharing. Thanks for a great post!
Hi Vicki! You’re very welcome. I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, and I wish you continued success with your plants!