not a lot of activity here... You might post on the Florida Forum or the Tropical Plants Forum. best luck!

Hi, I have been part owner and caretaker of an alocasia frydek that sits on my desk at work. It is about 6 years old and it has pupped several times. There are now 3 very distinct plants in the 10in pot. I understand the basic issue of splitting the plants apart and repotting them. However, the older plants have all developed that "palm tree" stem. It makes them very top heavy, floppy and unattractive. My African Shield at home is not doing this. Can I bury the whole stem when I repot them? I know tomatoes like that treatment, but I have read pages and pages here and nobody mentions what to do with that ugly stem. My friend who originally had the plant wants part of it and he will hurt me badly if I kill it. Any good advice will be greatly appreciated. thanks

Hey, there Ajacs. I noticed you had inquired about the care of your Alocasia amazonica hybrids. I don't grow this particular alocasia, and I don't grow them as houseplants. The alocasias I grow are in the garden, or just overwintering in the house until I get them planted in the year in spring (assuming they make it). Anyway, I found some culture information concerning Alocasia amazonica and hybrids that may be of some help to you, from Agri-Starts. Growing Information Temp: below 45F plant may go dormant Light: 65%-73% shade, likes high light, but will do reasonably well in 80% shade Soil: aerated mix containing bark, coarse perlite and peat moss Mature Height: 3-3 ½' Pot Size: 8-14" Hardiness: Zone 9 Major Pests: Mites (Control: Avid, Pentac, and Kelthane) Diseases: Alternaria, Botrytis Blight, Anthractnose, Phytophthora/Pythium Rot, Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot, and Xanthomonas Blight Origin: South East Asia Amazonica is an enduring favorite that has been around for a long time. It is a watsoniana x sanderiana. It typically has leaves 12-24" long by 6-11" wide. The upper surface of the leaf is dark green and the midrib is typically a lime-white. The primary lateral veins are surrounded by white-silver zones and some clones have an extensive network of silver veinlets between the primary lateral veins. The lower surface is typically matte purple with a green-white midrib and major lateral veins. Between the laterals on the lower surface the veinlets are pale green-white. The petiole is typically 15" long and is green with dull brown variegation in the lower half. The corms are white with a tint of very pale pink. I have to add that this is usually the dormant season for alocasias and colocasias, and while I wouldn't totally withhold water, you might want to cut back on watering some, especially since it appears your plant is not in active growth. Don't fertilize now. Wait until it begins active growth in spring. You might want to put the plant outside once the night temperatures are in the 60's, in shade. I think Amazonicas like more shade than some alocasias. I have macrorhiza, wentii, and plumbea nigra, and they can take a bit more light than Amazonica, IMO. Anyway, for it to be dormant now sounds pretty normal to me. It may be hardy outside in your zone, but I wouldn't try that now. The bumps you noted, to me, are just part of the tuber. My tubers are kind of bumpy right at the bottom where they enter the soil, so I don't think that is unusual either. Humidity could be an issue, and you may have to deal with spider mites, a common ailment for alocasias in a dry indoor environment. Do you have a cool mist humidifier on it, or do you set the plant on a saucer of rocks (saucer wider than the pot) with water in the saucer, but not enough where the water will reach the roots of the plant? I used to just run a cool mist humidifier on my indoor plants that like high humidity environment, and that seemed to work. Hope this helps you. Susan

Thank you for your response. I just bought this from a nursery and it is rather small so I assume it’s still fairly young. I didn’t think it would loose a leaf quite yet. Is it normal for this to happen, even if the plant is small/young?