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I need some help with this little guy; he’s a ‘Frydek’ allocasia. I… | Anything about plants | Planta community

Lynda

I need some help with this little guy; he’s a ‘Frydek’ allocasia. I purchased him online, and he came in moderately good shape. But, as time has marched on, he began to do poorly. I repotted him in a ficus soil, and now he’s asking to be watered every single day! He doesn’t seem to show any deleterious effects from his frequent watering ; the moisture meter I use shows normal when I water, so I know I’m not overwatering him. Any advice regarding this little guy would be appreciated. I only bought this plant because I saw it on a Planta member’s post, and fell in love with it. TIA. 🤗💚🪴 PS. I think I can see the beginnings of a new leaf starting as I look through his stem… 😀!

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17 comments

  1. Gray

    Sounds like he’s doing great! Make sure he gets enough sun because plants can only photosynthesize through the non-white parts of their leaves. It’s also common for leaves with a lot of white variegation to die back because of it. So don’t panic if that happens. Other advice is to make sure the soil isn’t too damp and to rotate the plant every now and then so it doesn’t lean! Alocasias are slow growers— especially during the colder months when they go dormant.

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    • Lynda

      Thanks so much for that advice! This little guy sure does seem to be a slow grower; I guess I’ll have to be a little more patient before I see any more leaves, especially since winter is on its way, with less light. The grower recommended that I not put him in direct sunlight, because they are propped inside, in the shade with grow lights. So, I’ve slowly introduced him to an eastern Window that gets only a cooler morning sun; should he eventually get full sun? I did notice that the whiter leaves died very soon… It did freak me out! However, I’ll dial it back on that respect. Do you know if they need high humidity? The room he is in stays in the upper 40% to mid 50% in humidity; is that adequate? Thanks for your post, and the other suggestions; I really appreciate that! 🤗💚🪴

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    • Gray

      They like light but don’t need direct sun. The situation with the grow light is fine! They also like humidity (your range should be good!), so either putting it in a greenhouse or simply misting it every now and then will work fine :) Be careful watering so often and misting them. Alocasias are super susceptible to root rot. But it sounds like you have a handle on that with your moisture stick! Good luck!

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    • Lynda

      Thanks for your repeat post! Just to clarify, my little guy is in an east facing window, that gets morning sun… Is that too much light for an allocasia? TIA 🤗💚🪴

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    • Gray

      Nope! You’re all good :)

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  2. Alyssa

    Great advice by Gray, also, if during the growing months you notice the alocasia kind of stagnating or not fairing so well, take it out of the pot and check to see if it has any baby corms it is trying to push out, sometimes the mother plant will put more energy to making babies than keeping itself alive

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    • Lynda

      A corm is a bulb like root, correct? If a plant that small, has a corm, does that mean that corm came from the mother plant? So, are you saying a plant that small can’t have a corm of its own? Thanks for your previous post. I look forward to your answer regarding my “corm” questions. 🤗💚🪴

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    • Gray

      Any sized alocasias can have corms! The larger the plant the larger the corm. But all corms can bloom into full plants. You can either leave them and they’ll eventually sprout, or you can pluck them and prop the corms into new plants. I usually pluck my corms whenever I repot so I can prop them and sell them once they sprout. They don’t hurt the plant any to leave them in though. But to the point about winter months, your plant will likely not grow new leaves and/or drop some leaves when it’s colder out. That’s natural and part of their dormancy!

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    • Alyssa

      It’s more of like a seed pod that grows out of the rhizome of the mother plant that you can pluck out or leave in there, unless the pot is getting too crowded or the plant doesn’t seem to fairing too well. But yep, like was said, any sized alocasia can have corms. During dormancy they usually won’t create any but during the growing season they definitely will! 💚

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    • Lynda

      Thanks so much for all that info… Do you have a lot of allocasias? (Just curious, as you seem to know so much about them.) I had no idea I could prop an allocasia; that’s great info! May I ask, how you sell your propped plants? I do have an old ‘Amazon’ allocasia, and it has so many ‘corms’, that propping them that might be a fun hobby! TIA. 🤗💚🪴

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    • Gray

      I have a Polly, Odora Batik, and Black Velvet. Looking to get many more!! Corms are easy to prop but they take about 2 months to sprout. I just post pictures of them on my Facebook for my Facebook friends to snag! I know people that have created Etsy shops though :)

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    • 2 more replies in the app
  3. Dondoo52

    I ordered one from Etsy but it didn’t survive 😞

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    • Lynda

      🥲🥲🥲…. 🤗💚🪴 PS. Would you order from Etsy, again?

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    • Gray

      Probably not your fault! Pollys are extremely tough to care for. I’m constantly worried for mine (a helicopter plant parent if you will). Try it again!

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    • Dondoo52

      I would order from there again. I have about 4 live plants from different vendors on Etsy. 😎

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