Alocasias! A TRUE tropical beauty. They come in all different shapes, sizes, colors and heights. I would not call these beginner friendly, the more you learn as you care for one the easier they become though!
I’d say one of the most common and sought after varieties would be the ‘Amazonica Polly’ also known as the African Mask plant. This beautiful variety has super dark glossy green leaves with an almost black/purple underside. To add to their wildly stunning appearance, they have striking silvery-white veins! Another fun variety is ‘Zebrina’. What’s unique about her is the pale pink stems with dark mottled striping. Some of our most popular plants with collectors are the variegated varieties of Alocasias, such as ‘Frydek’ and ‘Black Velvet’, just to name a few. There are also quite a lot of new unusual cultivars like the ‘Venom’. The ‘Venom's’ exotic appearance looks like something from another planet - it’s a pale green/grey in color with a long thin leaf tip that curls like a fang! Hissssss!!
Alocasias are humidity lovers who need the heat or they will go dormant. Dormancy isn’t a big deal, just go lighter on water and skip fertilizing until they wake back up in spring. To keep them out of dormancy you will want to keep your temperature higher than 65°F, they prefer closer to 75°F. Keeping their moisture, light, humidity and heat consistent is key. These little diva’s like what they like and will reward you with big BEAUTIFUL leaves and lots of corms (baby Alocasias!!!) when they are happy.
There are many different soil mixes people use for Alocasias depending on their environment. Some prefer indoor soil, some hydroponic with leca, some heavy bark/coir soil and others a mix of perlite and sphagnum moss. I recommend trialing what you feel most comfortable with and only experimenting with other substrates should you notice your Alocasia suffering. Trial and error is really the best way to find a perfect care routine in your home. And don’t forget, we are always here to help along the way too!
