How to Grow Alocasia (Dumb Cane) and Whether It Can Be Propagated in Winter

As a common houseplant, Alocasia (also known as dumb cane) helps remove dust from the air and is favored by many people. But because it is a tropical plant, it generally does not bloom in the north. However, if the temperature and other conditions at home are suitable, it will also bloom. How do you grow Alocasia? What are the things to watch out for?

1. Soil

Although Alocasia does not have very high demands for soil, I have tried ordinary garden soil, nutrient soil, and pure sand, and found that Alocasia grown in garden soil grows rather slowly, looks thin and weak, and seems malnourished; Alocasia grown in pure sand grows well during the seedling stage, but the results are poor later on, and the Alocasia stays relatively short; Alocasia grown in nutrient soil has sturdy plants, large leaves, and grows very fast. It took me about 6 months for my Alocasia to go from the seedling stage to over one meter tall.

Summary: If conditions allow, gardeners should choose a better soil. It does not have to be nutrient soil; you can mix your own soil that is relatively fertile and well-draining.

2. Choosing a flower pot

This varies from household to household. Some gardeners like to grow Alocasia in a small pot, while others prefer a large pot. It should be noted here that if a gardener wants to grow a small potted plant, then growing Alocasia in a small pot is no problem, and because the roots are restricted, the Alocasia will not grow very large. But if a gardener wants the Alocasia to grow very large and place it in the living room as a large green display, then a larger pot must be chosen. Based on experience, the larger the pot, the more robust and better the Alocasia grows.

3. Light and watering

Alocasia likes a semi-shaded environment, though some gardeners' Alocasia grows very well directly in the yard. Here I need to explain to gardeners why it is said that someone else's plant can grow very well in a certain environment, while your own cannot. Plants themselves have a process of adapting to the external environment. Although Alocasia likes a semi-shaded environment, in order to survive, it will also adapt to other environments, but this requires a process. That is why some gardeners say their plant just will not die no matter how they grow it: it is because that plant has already adapted to the environment.

Now let's talk about watering. Most plants grow fastest in slightly moist soil. Some gardeners very practically ask others how often to water, and if they follow what others say, the plant is basically doomed to die. Why say that? The reason you water a plant is that the soil has dried out and needs watering. But why does the soil dry out? Because plants absorb water and because of natural evaporation, with evaporation accounting for most of it. There are many conditions for evaporation, such as the breathability of the pot, air humidity, and whether there is ventilation. So every household's situation is different! Gardeners must decide watering based on their own actual conditions.

So how should Alocasia be watered? For those grown in small pots, water when the soil is dry, and make sure the water can drain out from the bottom of the pot. For large, deep pots, when the surface of the soil is dry, you can dig into the surface soil and look at the color (no need to explain how to tell dry soil from wet soil). If the soil below is moist or damp, then there is no need to water. Generally speaking, with that kind of deep pot, there is no problem going half a month or even a month without watering after one watering.

4. Pests and diseases

The most common pests and diseases on Alocasia are red spider mites and aphids. The symptoms are yellowing leaves, white spots on the surface, a thin and weak plant, and webbing on the leaves. To deal with this, you can wipe the leaves clean with a cloth dipped in mild soapy water, cleaning both the underside and the top, then rinse with clean water. For large pots, you can use a spray to clean them, once every two or three days, continuing for a week, and the effect will be fairly obvious.

5. Propagating Alocasia

Many gardeners have the idea that they like to propagate the plants they already have. After Alocasia has been grown for a long time, it will produce small bulbs and sprout on its own. Gardeners can simply transplant them out. In the early stage, they can be grown in pure sand, and once they are a bit bigger, transplant them into other pots.