How to Care For Alocasia Amazonica | A Guide With (Images)

The Alocasia Amazonica is a beautiful indoor or semi-shade plant. It deserves to be planted in a prominent place due to the beauty of its foliage. This Perennial herbaceous plant also has rhizomes that can reach up to 1.0 m in height and 0.65 m in diameter. Its large leathery leaves also grow up to 0.60 cm long in the shape of a heart with the edges cut out in undulations. In this guide, I will discuss how to care for Alocasia Amazonica.

The upper page is dark green with large, well-marked whitish veins. The flowers are white spadix, similar to the lily-of-peace (Spathiphyllum), but rare to flower in the winter periods. Of the genus Alocasia, there are about 70 species of Asian and South American origin. Alocasia amazonica comes from cultivars and is very similar to Alocasia sanderiana, one of the plants that gave rise to it.

Furthermore, the Amazon Alocasia, also known elsewhere as “Elephant ear,” is a houseplant of outstanding beauty with its fleshy, large, and glossy leaves. It attracts attention by presenting a dark green crisscrossed by green ribs clear or silver, which gives it an elegant and unique look.

Most Alocasias share the nickname “elephant ear” due to their leaves’ shape and because they can reach extraordinary dimensions. It is precisely the question of the size that suggests that a plant from this family could not be used to decorate an interior space; however, Alocasia amazonica has smaller foliage, which makes it suitable for growing in a room.

Characteristics of Alocasia Amazonica

Native to Southeast Asia and introduced more recently to Madagascar, Alocasia is a tropical rhizomatous plant. Like arum, it is part of the Araceae family.

It sometimes has bulbous roots, which is why it is possible to get seeds and alocasia bulbs for spring planting.

Its spectacular foliage is its main asset. Gigantic leaves, up to 1 m long when grown in a container, attach to long, fleshy petioles. Depending on the species, this highly decorative foliage adopts a colour ranging from light green to green-black, sometimes with a purple reverse. More or less shiny, it is covered with large veins of various colours. The border of the leaves can be regular, wavy, cut, or crimped.

In individuals grown indoors, flowering is quite rare and ultimately less impressive than its foliage. You may see pale green spathes (a sort of large bracts) appearing with a white, green-yellow, or purple spadix (inflorescence) in their core, similar to arum flowers.

Non-hardy, Alocasia, or elephant ear thrives in warm and humid atmospheres. Often cultivated in a veranda or a heated greenhouse, some species have appeared in homes, where their cultivation is more delicate.

Alocasia Amazonica: Cultivation Mode

This Alocasia needs places without direct sunlight but with good lights. 

For interiors, its cultivation is only recommended next to windows where it can receive natural light. Cultivation soil must be very rich in organic matter, porous and loose.

For beds, open a hole with twice the clod to be planted. Put sand on the bottom for the water to percolate. Mix in a well-tanned animal manure bucket, an organic compound of leaves and sand, in a ratio of 1: 4: 1, mixing well.

Place part of the mixture at the bottom of the hole, accommodate the clod and fill the side voids with the mixture—water well.

It can also be grown in large pots or planters of good depth and width. It is necessary to protect the container walls, brush asphalt water proofer and let it dry for a few days for evaporation.

Place a handful of gravel or fine gravel at the bottom of the container to ensure watering drainage. You can choose to place a piece of geomantic.

Place construction sand over the protection and part of the planting mixture above. Pack the root ball with the plant and fill the rest with the mixture. Water and leave in protected cultivation and away from the sun.

How to Care For Alocasia Amazonica

Illumination

Alocasia Amazonica loves light. It prefers well-lit environments but never direct sun. Please place it in a place where it can receive a lot of light, avoiding direct sun that could burn its leaves. Remember that it comes from a tropical forest, where the tallest and most lush trees protect it, so try to keep it in semi-shade. To ensure proper growth, rotate it from time to time to avoid all leaves facing the same direction. This will make it grow evenly and look leafier. You can take it outside (as long as it does not receive direct sun), but the winter must be spent indoors. The lack of light, heat, and humidity can cause it to enter a state of dormancy, in which it loses all its leaves.

Keep in mind that the light intensity during winter is very different and may need a change of location. While it accepts a little more shade in summer than other plants, it may be necessary to place it much closer to winter windows. In all, they can survive in 80-per cent shade but prefer about 60-per cent shade.

Irrigation

The Alocasia Amazonica likes to have the substrate wet but without flooding it. It is best to water in the morning to dry during the day and have time to drain the water from the roots. It would help if you watered generously in spring but start to decrease the frequency and amount of watering around fall and winter, as these seasons are more prone to excess moisture while rotting the rhizome. In these seasons, allow the substrate to dry between each watering. 

Temperature

The elephant ear is a tropical plant, so if it is exposed to too low temperatures, it can die or, in the best of cases, enter a period of rest. Avoid giving temperatures below 18 ° C. It is better to leave it indoors in winter to receive a stable and warm temperature. 

Humidity

The Alocasia Amazonica requires a humid environment to grow happy, contented, and with lots of shiny leaves. For them, you can spray the leaves with fresh water a couple of times a week and keep it grouped with other plants, as having it with its green friends will create a moisture bubble in the area. Another trick is to place it on a plate full of pebbles, where you will put a little water.

The objective is that the heat evaporates the water without it touching the roots. It is worth recommending that you keep it away from the radiator and air conditioning so that they do not steal its moisture. In all, the Alocasia Amazonica requires at least 50 percent humidity to grow properly indoors. You can also boost humidity levels by harnessing a humidifier to get at least 50 percent humidity.

Substrate and Fertilizers

This plant is not too demanding with the type of substrate you provide. A universal organic substrate mix with a little peat and sand to facilitate drainage will do very well. It is vital to put a layer of terracotta, pebbles, or similar so that the irrigation drains’ excess water very well.  

As for the fertilizer, you must apply it in spring and summer, every three weeks. You can use a balanced NPK fertilizer too. Avoid fertilizing in winter, which in its time of rest. Alternatively, you can make your soil mixture using the following materials; 25% Fir Bark 25% Perlite 30% Coconut Coir 10% Horticultural Charcoal 10% Worm Castings

Pruning, Transplantation, and Propagation

Never prune your Alocasia; you don’t have to. Yellow leaves, burned, or deteriorated can be easily removed with a little tug. You can change your plant pot every two years, if possible, at the end of February. Done in early spring, it will have time to grow and expand in its new pot. 

How to Care For Alocasia Amazonica: FAQ Section

How often do you water alocasia?

Tropical plant par excellence, Alocasia amazonica likes humid and warm environments. Make sure to keep the soil moist always but not soggy. Like most houseplants, Alocasia amazonica hates being in the water. You are advised to water a little but regularly. In summer, during hot weather, moderate watering every two days will undoubtedly be essential. Be careful never to let water stagnate in the saucers.

It is also recommended that you place your alocasia amazonica on a saucer filled with clay balls. Choose a saucer that is larger than your pot. This technique has two advantages:

It limits the risk of root rot by raising your pot and isolating it from excess watering.

It increases the humidity level all around your plant, which so-called tropical plants love. Indeed, the clay balls located in the saucer will absorb the excess watering and slowly release them by evaporation all around your plant, thus increasing the humidity level. This prevents and limits the drying of the leaves of some tropical plants. 

Should I Mist my Alocasia?

Misting your Alocasia would encourage plant diseases.

Why my Alocasia is leaves turning brown?

If the leaves of your Alocasia are turning brown, it must have caught a little cold. In this case, above all, do not throw away your Alocasia: its leaves will undoubtedly fall, but it will give spring up again if the rhizome has not frozen.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Alocasia Amazonica is a beautiful indoor or semi-shade plant that requires adequate care. This can be perfectly done upon using tips on how to care for alocasia amazonica highlighted above.

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