Hi! Quick question: does anyone have an alocasia flying squid and is it finicky? Iāve stayed away from alocasia since I really struggled and killed a silver dragon and dragon scale and a Polly back to back a few years ago. But now Iām eyeing the flying squid. I wanna get one because theyāre so goofy looking but Iāve got alocasia ptsd and Iām scared Iāll just kill this too šSomeone talk me out of buying it. Or into it š
Life is short, get the plant (then again, maybe donāt listen to me, I have way too many plants lol) For future reference, if an alocasia dies back, you can grow it back from the corms! Thatās what Iām doing with my alocasia Polly because I didnāt realize it already had root rot from the store. If you want a good āstarterā alocasia to get used to them first, I highly recommend an Alocasia Wentii! Mine has been super easy. I have it in roughly half soil, half orchid bark and perlite. Itās helped me to feel more confident getting other Alocasias like the Jacklyn which I was nervous about.
7 gillningar Ugh I wish I had known about growing back years ago š¢ but better late than never I guess. I had mine under cloches and grow lights and watered with distilled water but somehow they still werenāt happy. The shop Iām looking at has wentiis too. Maybe Iāll get both as an adventure back into alocasias.
6 gillningar Yes! Hereās my Wentii. It was $5 from Walmart. Got it a few months ago and itās already popped out quite a few new leaves (alocasias tend to let go of the oldest leaf when they grow a new one) I have it in a small pot (so it doesnāt stay too wet), well-draining soil, in an East facing window. I also left a couple aerial roots above the surface of the soil and I feel like thatās key with alocasias because theyāre prone to stem rot.
Oh the roots thing is such a good idea! Itās looks so happy and healthy! Good find for $5 for sure
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Thatās a pretty Wentii! I find Lauterbachiana is pretty easy going as well. It sits near a SE window. Iāve had it for 2 years and it grows better in the winter due to the 100 foot deciduous trees not blocking the mid morning sun. Likes direct (but not intense) sun. The drawback Iāve experienced with using distilled water is stunted growth. Theyāre still getting fertilized so they look good just slower growth with smaller leaves.
3 gillningar Thanks so much! š
0 gillningar I almost bought one last week. It was even in my cart as you can see. I was convinced that I could give it what it needed but I feel that way about all my plants haha. I asked the worker at the garden center: Flying Squid, how easy Or how hard? Her: they can be easy, but theyāre hard for me. We looked at each other and both said: Alocasias That was enough for me to place it back on the shelf. š However, itās the coolest looking alocasia. I may have purchased it if I didnāt have my eye on some other plants.
Thatās what Iām doing but virtually š itās been in my cart on Etsy for days and I just keep staring at it debating on pressing place order. Theyāre just so weird and fun to look at!
2 gillningar So fun! I meanā¦ why not?! š
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I want one too! I had one a few years ago that totally melted within the first month I had it. Turned out it had a death plug mesh that caused root rot. It also had no chonk or corms because it was so young and being strangled in the plug But I donāt want to say not to get one. I want to get another if I find a good one. My tips are: get the biggest one you can find (they never get THAT big, but starter sizes are really delicate), check for a death plug in the soil, and donāt spend much on it in case it doesnāt make it I know it sucks to lose a plant youāve spent money on, but if itās a goal of yours to improve your skill and knowledge, sometimes losing an affordable plant is actually more like paying for a learning/skill building experience. But be wise about taking risks on pricy plants. Thatās my two cents anyways
4 gillningar Also, alocasia tiny dancer has a similar look but itās like a larger scale version; bigger chonk, sturdier petioles, thicker roots, etc. Larger generally equals more hardy and more corms. So maybe that would be a happy middle ground for you to start with āŗļø
2 gillningar Ughā¦ I feel like the one I found was beautiful in a 5ā pot. Now Iām antsy but it was the last one and Iām sure itās gone by now. Very expensive though.
2 gillningar Thatās also my worry! Itās online and the price is only $13 so not pricey BUT itās a starter plant. Only like 2ā pot if even that. And obviously the discretion of the seller which they send. The seller is good so thatās not a worry, Iām the worry with it being so tiny and delicate. And ughhhh the dreaded death plugs. They make me so mad every time I get a plant with one.
2 gillningar How much was the one you saw if you donāt mind me asking? The ones I am looking at are only $13 so Iām curious what the bigger ones go for. You should call and see if they still have it. I would haha
2 gillningar It was $59.99ā¦ I couldnāt justify it since I had already gone back to McDonaldās garden center in VB for the 3rd time wanting this booby cactus š It was $10 cheaper soā¦ And yes, weirdly the big and small boobies were the same price.
Just here to second on the alocasia ptsd šš¼āāļø
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