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Do you want to add a touch of the tropics to your home or office? Alocasia Polly aka African Mask plant is the answer.
If you ’re new to houseplant concern or to this works , you may be question how to worry for Alocasia Polly . This plant is fairly straightforward to care for , but there are a few things you postulate to know in order of magnitude to keep it intelligent and looking good .
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In this blog post , we ’ll discuss the best way to give care for Alocasia Polly , so read on for some tips !
Today we will talk about
Alocasia × amazonica(Polly ) boast leathery , wavy - cutting , arrowhead - shaped , dark green leaves with prominent , contrasting , thick white to silver - green mineral vein .
Alocasia Amazonica , African Mask Plant , and Elephant Ear Plant are some of the other names for this plant . ( my Elephant Ear works are colocasia family so to avoid confusedness at the garden center when ask for this plant verify to utilize the name Alocasia “ Polly ” )
How big will Alocasia Polly get?
The plant can grow up to 2 foot magniloquent as opposed to nearly 6 fundament tall of other cultivars . Most of us grow them as theater plants , but in the summertime you’re able to enjoy them on a covered porch or terrace if kept in the shade .
Note : Some happen produce Alocasia challenge . If you want to start out with easy - to - grow houseplant then check out this military post on some of the best tyro houseplant useable .
Easy Houseplants for Beginners
If you are looking for some gentle , common house industrial plant that anyone can grow , look no further ! This web log place will give you 11 diversity of house plants that are perfect for novice gardeners .
How do you care for Alocasia Amazonica Polly?
All African mask plants like veryconsistentconditions overall when it follow to lacrimation , temperature , and Christ Within . Read on for specific …
How much light does alocasia Polly need?
Choose a brilliant spot : In world-wide , African masquerade party plant life require plenty of bright collateral light in monastic order to mature well .
identify them near a window that gets bright cheerfulness . If you do n’t have such a quad then you may need to supplement witha originate unclouded .
You also may demand to supplement if your house have little light such as in climates with constant cloud-covered sky , or orbit that get less than 4 to 6 hours of daylight in wintertime . ( I am believe of you Alaska )
caseful in point , my house has a roofed wrapping - around porch so the downstairs windows get almost no verbatim sunlight .
I keep my light - loving plants , such as Alocasia Polly , in my office upstairs where I have a north - facing windowpane and an east - facing windowpane that gets unmediated light .
In the winter my office resembles a jungle filled with tropic plants . I also go in the mountains where we can have snow on the ground for months at a prison term . My small jungle room keeps me sane when all I see is lily-white out of doors .
New foliage of Alocasia Polly are cranky and wo n’t do well in lineal sun , so be indisputable and keep them off the windowsill and out of the direct rays .
These plant will tend to lean towards the light so turn the works once a week to keep it growing more erect . I do this when I irrigate .
How to water your Alocasia Amazonica Polly
It favor to be consistently moist , but not wet and necessitate to have in force drainage .
It ca n’t take plastered soil , but also does n’t tolerate dry dirt well . A well - draining soil is necessary and the industrial plant should not be allow to ride in water . ( see below under repot Alocasia for a dear portmanteau )
provide the top 2 inches or so to dry out out before tearing again . I care to use amoisture meter like this oneinstead of poke my finger down into the soil .
I check all my sign plants once a week . Before I irrigate Polly I make certain the level on the measure reads nearly dry and so far this has worked well for me .
Humidity and Temperatures
All Alocasia choose a high level of gentle wind humidity , so if it is not enough in your home there is a couple of trick you could apply .
I keep a humidifier buy the farm in my industrial plant room / office for my more humid - have it off plants .
Some say to spray or mist the plant on a regular basis while many plant specialists say this does little to promote humidity . Also , spray can encourage fungus or espial of the leaves .
Instead of spray it is better to put the flora in the tray with moistened pebble stones beneath . The water should not tint the bottom of the pot . Also , group plants together can boost the humidity around them .
One acquaintance I know apply her diffusor with just distilled water in it as a humidifier near the plants and it seems to ferment .
The temperature level for ideal growing Alocasia Polly is between 68 - 79 ° F . In winter the temperature should be not less than 64 ° F . Going below that temporary worker can cause your works to go into dormancy .
Some say 60 degrees is the lowest but I have find keep on it not less than 64 is better .
Repotting your Alocasia Polly
These plants demand to be repot if it is growing smartly . Repot a younger fast growing flora yearly in the spring , using a pot one size big each fourth dimension . For an adult plant , once every two years is more than enough .
( I confess to being lazy , once they reach full size I do n’t repot unless they show signs of stress )
When you buy an Alocasia they are often in moisture - retentive soil , it is good to repot into a more free - draining medium .
A mix of 1 part potting stain , 1 part orchid bark , and 1 part perlite will keep your plant well-chosen and in better condition .
The number one killer whale of most houseplants is over tearing so the free - drain medium whole shebang in your favor .
Fertilizing
Feed once per calendar month at half - strength when the works is actively growing . In the northern cerebral hemisphere , this is commonly March through October .
No need to feed it during the stale time of year . I usethis organic fertilizerand it works wonderfully for not only Alocasia but also many other plants .
Some recommend feeding with every watering but I have get once - a - calendar month more than sufficient . If you choose the every - workweek routine then dilute the fertiliser by 2/3 to 3/4 .
Where does Alocasia Polly come from?
Many times knowing where a plant originated can explicate why they prefer sure conditions and help oneself us to care properly for them .
The parentage of Alocasia Polly is sometimes sound out to be a enigma . Others say it is a hybrid of Alocasia longiloba x Alocasia sanderiana .
Some currently consider thatAlocasia × amazonicais simply a name use by Salvadore Mauro in the 1950s to a cross created by him at his Miami , Florida greenhouse have it off as Amazon Nursery . Mauro never release or read this hybrid name , so we are think at this point . Alocasia Polly does not have a natural home ground but has always been grown in greenhouse , homes , and situation .
These African masque plants were developed as a dwarf to arise smaller and now there are many more developed with Polly as a parent industrial plant , but that is for another stake .
Polly is most likely hybridize from Alocasias derive from Southeast Asia and the Phillipines . All we really know is it likes tropical condition .
How to Propagate
A really good fourth dimension to broadcast African mask works is when you are repot it .
Once you remove the plant from its potty , gently loosen the soil with your fingers . You may see and feel the trivial round corm as you tease away the soil from the root word of the mother plant .
Some of the corms or bulbs will be unattached while others may still be connect . Using apair of snippet , just thin out through the piece that connects it to the female parent .
The pointy backsheesh or end that was not connected to the female parent works is where the young leaves will go forth and the beginning will sprout low down .
You know what , it is so much easier to show you than explain it . This picture does a heavy problem of showing you how to grow the alocasia corm in water .
If entrust alone those petty bulb will start to turn into works . Once they begin to issue it is just a matter of separating the little industrial plant from the mother plant life .
Once you see multiple plant life in your pot you’re able to separate them by ingest the plant life out of the pot and gently knocking away the ground . Then separate the plants at the bulb stage , making sure you take some of the root systems with you .
Try it both ways and let me know how it works for you . I will do the same and create my own video to share .
Pests
pest that can really love to overrun Alocasias are wanderer mites and mealy bug . Spider mites are super diminutive and hard to see and by the time you do see them , they are very abundant .
Keeping the humidness up helps but I confess that each winter I have had issues with wanderer mites wreaking mayhem on my indoor flora so I have resorted to desperate measures .
Since I do n’t keep these plants outside where there are pollinators I have been usingthis 3 in 1 sprayto get disembarrass of those sap - suck monsters ! Though it says it is safe to use in the garden I do n’t as it can still harm beneficial insects , I only use it on my indoor works .
FAQs about Alocasia Polly
Some title that Alocasias are not a good candidate for beginners . They are challenging as they are finical about their environs but they are worth a try .
Yes , Alocasia Polly is toxic if eat by people , dogs , or cats . So if you have children or pets that may masticate on plants then keep these out of reach .
Many other Alocasias will grow in piddle so I do n’t see why Polly would n’t . But I will give it a try and report back to you on that .
Only slightly . As long as you do n’t see the roots coming out the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot . If that happen it can forbid water from get off and lead to root rot .
They can but rarely do containerize Alocasia bloom . Or so everyone says . The flowers resemble the bloom of thePeace Lily .
