How to Care for Alocasia macrorrhizos in Winter? Care Methods and Precautions

Light

Alocasia macrorrhizos likes a warm, humid environment with slight shade, but during the flowering period it needs plenty of sunlight, otherwise the spathe will turn green, affecting quality. It needs 3-5 hours of light per day, otherwise the leaf stalks will elongate and reduce its ornamental value.

Note: Alocasia macrorrhizos is not very cold-hardy, so it should be transplanted into a greenhouse in mid-October. In summer, it needs to be shaded, with frequent water spraying to cool and moisturize.

Water and Fertilizer

Alocasia macrorrhizos likes moist, fertile soil, which is what is commonly called "heavy fertilizer and heavy water." During the growing period, it needs frequent watering; for topdressing, decomposed soybean cake water and other liquid fertilizers can be alternated with chemical fertilizers, applied once every 2 weeks. When applying liquid fertilizer, be sure not to pour the fertilizer water into the leaf sheaths to avoid rot. Ferrous sulfate used in potted Alocasia macrorrhizos: topdressing with ferrous sulfate can make the leaves larger, thicker, and greener, smooth and glossy, and the leaf stalks less likely to elongate, thus maintaining the beauty of the leaves. It can also promote flower bud formation and extend the flowering period.

Method: Dilute ferrous sulfate into a 2% solution and apply it once every month, watering thoroughly each time.

The above introduced how to care for Alocasia macrorrhizos in winter. We know that severe cold and intense heat are both tests for plants, so we need to do some things to help them get through these two tests safely. How should Alocasia macrorrhizos be cared for in summer? Let's take a look!

How to Care for Alocasia macrorrhizos in Winter

How to Care for Alocasia macrorrhizos in Winter: How Alocasia macrorrhizos Survives the Winter

Alocasia macrorrhizos is a common foliage plant, but how to care for it in winter is a worry for flower enthusiasts north of the Yangtze River. In northern China, indoor heating in winter means Alocasia macrorrhizos can grow normally, and the same is true in the south. Only in areas without heating is Alocasia macrorrhizos easily frostbitten or frozen to death. So how should Alocasia macrorrhizos be cared for in winter?

First, you need a basic understanding of Alocasia macrorrhizos. It is a tropical plant that likes high-temperature, high-humidity environments, and the minimum temperature must not be lower than 5°C, otherwise frostbite will occur. Otherwise, care methods are basically the same as in summer. Watering should be controlled, with no waterlogging. Indoors with heating in the north, be careful not to place it too close to the heater, otherwise it is easily scorched.

For open-field cultivation in the north, summer is manageable, but overwintering is difficult. However, because Alocasia macrorrhizos has well-developed rhizomes, sometimes even if the top freezes to death, the rhizome can still sprout the following year (this requires flower enthusiasts to boldly experiment; this has not been tried and is only theoretical). The image below shows Alocasia macrorrhizos grown in the open field in the northern Jiangsu area, and it already looks like this in early December.

For indoor potted Alocasia macrorrhizos in northern China, after all is said and done, temperature is the most important thing. If conditions allow for providing a stable temperature, that is the best choice for overwintering. If temperature cannot be provided, it is recommended to bury it deeper in soil, and even if the leaves freeze, ignore them; in early spring, new seedlings should still grow.