If you like plants of the Alocasia family, you surely know the Alocasia cucullata. Its care does not differ too much from that of its “sisters”, although it has some particularities that must be monitored.
Do you want to know what are the Care of Alocasia cucullata? So pay attention because we reveal them to you below.
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How is Alocasia cucullata
Source: Groupon
Also called elephant’s ear or Buddha’s ear, this plant is characterized by very large bright green leaves. When he throws several, it almost feels like a tropical jungle. These leaves are petiolate and their veins are highlighted on them. To give you an idea, they measure approx. 30 centimeters each.
he can easily reach 4 meters in height, although only in its natural habitat; in pot it will hardly exceed 50 centimeters, one meter at most.
He is from the tropical areasespecially Borneo, Eastern Australia or Southeast Asia.
Alocasia cucullata: essential care
If you want to have an Alocasia cucullata at home, know that it is very easy to have, even if it can cost you a little to find it in stores. It is not a very expensive plant and the truth is that it is very resistantalthough he sometimes needs specific care to be healthy.
And that is what we are going to explain to you below, what is the care of the Alocasia cucullata.
Location and lighting
We will start by telling you that the Alocasia cucullata loves light. But it is not good for the sun’s rays to come near it because the only thing it will do is burn the leaves.
Therefore our recommendation is that the put in a bright or semi-bright place, because it also tolerates this location.
As for whether it’s better inside or outside the house, due to the temperatures it needs (which we’ll talk about below), it’s best to have it indoors. Of course, in summer you can take it out as long as the temperature is not too high.
Temperature
As we have already told you, one of the most important cares to take into account is the temperature that the plant will have. In this case, its ideal is to be between 18 and 22 degrees.
If it is lower, you may suffer. In fact, when temperatures drop below 10 degrees, Alocasia cucullata can easily get sick.
For this reason, in winter it is unthinkable to leave it outside the house, it must be indoors and in a room with a constant temperature.
earth
In the case of the substrate to be used by the plant, it should be known that isn’t too picky about it. In general, if you use a universal substrate and add fertilizer, it will be perfect
What we recommend is to mix this universal substrate with a little drainage because, although the plant requires you to water it, it does not like having its roots soaked and it is better that they also breathe .
Watering and humidity
We are going to talk about two very important cares for Alocasia cucullata. As a good tropical plant, it needs watering but, much more, humidity.
With regard to irrigation, it is important that checks that you never bond with a substrate that is too dry. Here it is more important to water it frequently than to do it with a lot or a little. In other words, it is better to water a little but several times a week than a lot and a few times. If you do that, you will most likely end up losing it.
Although the plant looks complicated, it is not. If you go overboard with irrigation, you will see this because one of its mechanisms is to excrete excess water (for example, by sweating the water). If this happens, don’t water it too heavily or occasionally.
The good thing is that it is not a plant affected by root rot.
Now let’s move on to humidity. And here we have to say that you need a lot of humidity. To the point of having a humidifier to put on the plant. Another option is to place it on a tray with water and pebbles so that when the water evaporates it is nourished by this moisture. In the summer it is very grateful that you spray the leaves, but without overdoing it.
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From the beginning of spring until almost the end of summerAlocasia cucullata has an active growth cycle, so it should be fertilized with liquid fertilizer added to the irrigation water at least every 15-30 days (depending on its size).
If you have it away from home, it is better to water it with the fertilizer at the very beginning of the morning or in the last afternoon because that way you make sure that it is not too “active” at the busiest times. hotter, especially as the water heats up and could even have a mirror effect, damaging the plant.
Transplantation
The plant must be transplanted every two yearsBefore if you see that the roots have come out of the pot.
It should not be put in a pot that is too big, but a little bigger is better. This Alocasia adapts well to the size of the pot you put in it, so it will grow anything you want it to grow.
Cut
One of the problems you may have with Alocasia cucullata is that it grows a lot. If you don’t have space, it becomes a problem, so pruning is a must.
you can prune Plant 1-2 vines very carefully. the yellow, dead leaves, etc. You can also remove them as they disfigure your plant.
Plagues and diseases
In this aspect, it may have problems with certain diseases or pests. The most common are xanthomonas, a disease that creates black or dark brown spots on the leaves, sun damage (if burned) and pests such as aphids, mites, mealybugs or mealybugs.
Multiplication
Like almost all plants, Alocasia cucullata can reproduce. There is an “easy” way to do this. It is remove suckers from tubers. And where are they? Inside the pot.
Normally, when you transplant the plant, you may find suckers, which are small plants that can be separated from the parent plant and placed in a seedbed so they can grow independently. If you take good care of it and you provide all the care they need, in no time they will start growing and you could have new plants.
Have you now cleared the care of the Alocasia cucullata?