Re: Alocasias

Dear Peter,
 
Thank you much for posting this!  I have two that I just
re-planted per your below Rx.
 
I knew they were alive but I had not seen much improvement
using the method I described, at least they were not continuing
to decline.
 
I don't know what happened to them.  All of my other Alocasias
are thriving.  One, a zebrina got knocked over and the stems
bent and would not straighten; the other a cuprea just randomly
began to droop until nothing was left but the tuber.
 
At least now I have some hope.  The pots do look funny though;
all that leaf litter.  But now I have real hope.
 
One question - about watering this.  Do you guess at it?  Feel
the loam to see if it is damp?  Go by the weight of the pot?
 
I wondered about leaving the loam only damp and moistening the
leaf litter on the top?
 
 
Alison
 
In a message dated 6/29/2009 9:38:06 A.M. Central Daylight Time, phymatarum@googlemail.com writes:
Hi Tsuh Yang,

Many Alocasia literally 'climb' through layers of leaf litter, rooting as
they go, with the older parts of the elongated rhizome gradually senescing
and eventually dying. After much experimentation, and not a few deaths, we
have settled pots half full of a mineral soil (locally produce red topsoil
mixed with river sand in 1:1 mix), with the rhizome at most half buried, and
the remained of the pot filled with leaf litter. The root growth at the leaf
litter/mineral soil interface is extraordinarily vigorous and with the loose
leaves the problem of bacterial rot is resolved. I would suggest that you
try planting our dormant rhizomes in this manner and see what happens.

Peter
 
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