Alocasia is a fairly easy plant to care for; however, sometimes we can find ourselves in the situation where its leaves, previously healthy and of a beautiful green color, now appear yellow. Because?
When a plant starts to have leaves of this color, you have to be patient, because there are several reasons why it can have them this way, and the solution will not always be found quickly. So, let’s see why the alocasia has yellow leaves and how to save it.
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It was overwatered
Image – Flickr/Henryr10
It’s hard to believe that a plant that’s usually kept in moist soils and even near ponds struggles with overwatering, isn’t it? Well yes, it can happen, because alocasia is not an aquatic planttherefore its roots are not prepared to live permanently submerged in water.
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So yes, we have to keep the soil moist, but what we never have to do is water so much that we always see the soil waterlogged. In this direction, nor should it be planted in a pot without holesnor put a plate under it unless we always remember, I repeat, always, to drain it.
But how do we know that the alocasia is drowning? Yes, it will have yellow leaves, but which ones? The inferiors, i.e. the oldest. But in addition to this, one can also find a very soft stem, as if rotten. In very severe cases, these rods can be easily removed.
How to save her? To have a chance, you have to “attack” on several fronts:
- On the one hand, the most urgent thing is to drain the earth, so if it is in a pot, we will take it out and wrap the earthen bread with paper towel and leave it in a dry and protected place overnight. The next day we will plant it in a pot with clean holes and new soil. If it is planted in the garden, one can choose to remove it and leave it in a protected area for the soil to dry out (this would be most recommended), or aerate the soil using a garden aerator. garden like this.
- Another thing to do is apply a multi-purpose fungicide like this from here. We can’t know which fungi can affect it, but we can assume that if it’s unlucky and a spore falls on the ground, it will do everything possible to damage it. This product will therefore be useful to avoid, or at least reduce the risk of this happening. We will apply it on the leaves and also on the soil once a week until we see that it improves (that is, until new leaves come out). Of course, the treatment will always be done at sunset, at a time when the sun is already low, otherwise it will burn.
- And finally, it is necessary to space out the risks. Alocasia needs frequent watering, yes, but not every day. It’s better to let the soil take its time to dry out a bit than to keep it permanently moist. Therefore, you should water about 3-4 per week during the summer and about 2 per week the rest of the year.
urgent need of water
Lack of water is quite a serious problem for alocasia. when you are thirsty, the leaves begin to turn yellow immediately, starting with the newest and then the others. But first, we’ll see another symptom: the stems weaken and seem to “fall off”.
If this situation continues for a long time, its weakness will attract insects such as scale insects, which will feed on the sap, weakening it even more. And, also, the earth is very dry, even cracked.
Fortunately, the solution is very simple: all you have to do is water. We have to pour water on the ground until we see that it is wet; that is, until it comes out of the pot’s drainage holes if there is one, or until the soil looks very moist. In addition, we will have to water more often.
He burns
Image – Flickr/Ninara
Alocasia is a plant that grows in places where there is a lot of light, but direct sun or sunlight entering the house through the window can burn its leaves. This problem, although it may be noticeable, is quickly identified and also fixed within minutes.
And it is that one will suspect that it is burning if one sees that spots appear only on certain leaves, those that are more exposed to sunlight, or its reflection if we have it next to a window. These spots will be yellow, but will soon turn brown, as if dry.
The solution, as I said, is simple: move it by placing it in a place protected from direct light. The yellow leaves will not recover, but we don’t have to cut them until they are completely dry, because even if they only keep a small green area, it will serve to regain strength and produce new ones. leaves.
We hope your alocasia will recover and start producing healthy leaves soon.