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I need help:(((( I bought an elephant ear alocasia today from a box… | Anything about plants | Planta community

Kaylie

I need help:(((( I bought an elephant ear alocasia today from a box store….. was BADLY root bound, I got all the roots free and repotted in a bigger pot with better soil and agitation for the roots…. However one of the leaves is pretty yellow and quite droopy with some dried out spots on the leaf, and the biggest leaf has a hole in the middle of it. That has also dried out a bit in spots, do I need to cut the leaves off the plant or cut the damaged part of the leaf off?? is there anything else I can do?

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4 comments

  1. New Plant Mom

    It’s common for alocasias to have their oldest leaf die off. I would just pull it off if it’s the oldest leaf. I would check for pests to see if that’s what cause the hole or if it was just cosmetic damage from handling. As long as you don’t see any current pests or pest damage, I expect the alocasia to take a bit to recover from its new environment and repotting but should be completely fine with the leaf damage being there(as long as it’s not from pests). When I bring home a new Alocasia from a box store, I always do a thorough pest check and root check and expect at least 2-3 weeks before seeing new growth. I have about 35 alocasias currently and have only ever struggled with Polly and Jacklyn due to pests and stem rot. Half of them are box store and do just fine after a few weeks in their new environment. Hope this helps.

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    • Victoria Maddison

      What she said ^

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  2. Waspinator

    Alocasias do like being a bit tight in their pot, so it's not too unusual to find them root bound. They like relatively frequent watering and it helps to mist any new leaves to help them stay humid enough to unfurl smoothly. They're often dramatic about moves and repots, so don't be alarmed if it throws a tantrum while it gets used to its new situation

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    • Kaylie

      Unfortunately I’m very quickly finding out that every plant I own outside of my succulents are WAY dramatic and throw a tantrum if I breath in their direction 😂

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