Herself's Houseplants

This does very well indoors. Place it in an east or north window and keep the soil moist.

If you are someone who over waters your house plants you’ll like alocasias. They love water. Just be sure to let all the water drain out of the bottom of the pot before putting it back in its saucer.

Protect them from the cold, keep it away from drafty windows and doors if you are in a cold climate.

This plant wants a humid location. Keep it in a bathroom or kitchen or some other damp part of your home if your home is dry.

Alocasia will reach 1′ to 2′ tall indoors.

If it out grows its pot you can easily divide it into more plants. Slice the plant into parts with a sharp knife, keeping some leaves and roots with each section. Or you can leave it whole and just put it in a larger pot when the time comes.

The only problem might be if your home is too dry. If it isn’t doing well it is likely your home has dry air. Take a tray that is a couple inch deep, fill it with gravel and water and use that as a saucer for your plant. Keep water in the tray.

If you are not planting it in potting soil that has time released fertilizer, fertilize monthly.

The correct name for this plant is Alocasia micholitziana but most often you’ll find it labeled Alocasia Frydek or Alocasia Fryder.

This plant is native to the Philippines where they are an important food crop. The starch from the plants is combined with coconut milk in several dishes. Don’t try this at home, improper cooking can result in illness.

alocasia amazonica

alocasia amazonica

I think this is my favorite of all the alocasias. It is certainly the most dramatic looking.  Leaves can reach 2′ long and it will bloom indoors when happy.

High humidity is the key for this plant to do well. If you are in a cold climate and the heat is on, or in a dry climate you need to supply it with humidity. A dish filled with gravel and water underneath works well.

In the house it should be happy in just about any window. Some people report it gets sunburned in southern exposures, others swear it loves the sun. Try and see what works for you.  Do keep it from cold drafts.  It does not like the cold.

Keep the soil moist. Many people treat this like an african violet. Sit it in a dish of gravel and water and let it soak up water as it wants from the gravel dish. Keep an eye on it however, some plants will rot if kept this way especially if they are not in a sunny location.

I find the water tray works for mine. I keep it in a shaded east exposure.

It has been known to suddenly drop all its leaves.  Not to worry, new leaves usually appear almost immediately.

Keep an eye out for spider mites they like this plant.

In the winter soil mealy bugs can be a problem for African violets.

The African violets get less light, the soil stays wet for longer times and it’s chilly by those windows creating conditions for soil bacteria and bugs to grow and attack.

The plants begin by wilting and the leaves appear to be thinner. This can mean root rot or soil mealy bugs are attacking your plant. Either way the best course of action is to repot your plant. It is the bacteria in the soil not the water that rots the roots. So either the bacteria or mealy bugs need to go.

Unpot the plant and check for mealy bugs, you’ll see little white spots in the soil at the bottom of the pot if you have them. If not it is bacteria that is the problem. When you unpot your plant gently remove all the soil from the roots, cut off damaged roots and rinse the roots thoroughly but gently in running water.

If when you unpot your plant you find the roots are short and all near to the surface that means you’ve been over watering your violet.

Buy some fresh soil at your local nursery and run your pot through the dishwasher if you wish to reuse it.

And remember as long as you have one healthy leaf you can root you have not lost your African violet.

Have you met this tiny beauty in your house? The African Violet is one of the nicest gifts from the garden because from each leaf you can get a new plant for free!Even if you have one African violet and want one more, take out an unused drinking glass and fill it to the top with water. Cover the top with aluminum foil. Make a hole in the foil to let the leaf stalk stand in the water while the leaf remains on the foil. Remember that if you get that leaf wet, it will be the end of your African violet. [ read more Write an African Violet Letter to a friend]

The article describes how to root an African Violet from a leaf. It also suggests that an African Violet leaf along with rooting instructions makes a great gift. I’m not sure wrapping it in cellophane and taping it to cardboard is the best shipping method however. Better to take some of those small boxes left over from the holidays and ship your already rooted leaf in one of those.  I’m thinking perhaps an  egg carton can be cut into nice packages for your African Violet leaves.