How do I care for my Alocasia?

This incredible Amazonian Alocasia is our June 2019 Luxury NOT pet-friendly plant of the month. If you're an existing subscriber, one of these will be winging its way to you during the first week of June. If you aren't yet a subscriber, you can sign up here. 

Native habitat
Alocasia is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia to eastern Australia.

Light and position in the home
The more light you can provide your Alocasia the better, next to a window if possible. However, try to avoid direct sun and overly dark places.

Flowers and foliage
Although this plant can flower the dark green and slivery white veined foliage of the Alocasia is what makes it such a fantastic addition to any collection.

Watering
Keep your Alocasia moist and try to avoid drying out/over watering, little and often is the best plan of action for this plant.

Temperature
Alocasia enjoy higher humidity and temperatures which makes it a good candidate for kitchens and bathrooms. To increase humidity try grouping near other plants or sitting on a tray of pebbles with water in. Misting can be done just try to avoid misting late in the day. Do not expose your plant to temperatures below 15 Celsius as this may cause it to enter a dormant state.

Did you know?
There are 79 known species of Alocasia and are particularly common in Borneo where it can reach a height of four meters! It has been cultivated around the equator as a foodstuff for thousands of years and now includes many different decorative versions. Dominating 1950’s living rooms, the Alocasia brings a stunning vintage vibe to your living room, as well as kudos to your Insta feed.

Why I chose this plant
Alocasia is one of my favourite ever houseplants. I love tropical rainforest plants and basically wish I lived in the tropics, so this is a great way to get close to the beauty of the rainforest without actually being there.

I've found Alocasia to be a surprisingly undemanding rainforest plant. It prefers lower levels of light to most of the plants we've so far sent out with our Lazy Flora subscriptions, and as a result, drinks water more slowly than a lot of other rainforest plants. I did manage to burn the leaves of my Alocasia even when it wasn't in direct sunlight, so watch out for overly bright, indirect light too. If you're unsure of the best location for this plant, start off on the shadier side and work your way up to higher light levels gradually.

****

If you like the look of this plant, it's plant of the month for our Luxury NOT pet-friendly plant subscription for June 2019. If you're an existing subscriber, one of these will be winging its way to you shortly, and if you aren't yet a subscriber, you can order one here until 25 June!