Hi all. I'm really frustrated here. I can grow nearly anything that will survive in zone 9. Period. (Well, except azaleas - we have a love/hate relatioship, and they agree not to die if I agree not to buy them). Anyhow, I bought about 4 different alocasias this summer (A. cuprea, A. 'White Knight', A. zebrina reticulata, A. 'Polly', and another unnamed). All died - fairly quickly. I tried sun - they burned. I tried shade - they rotted. I tried less water (not dry, just less) - they wilted. I tried more water - they rotted. I also have A. 'Borneo Giant', which grew incredibly well last year (went from pup to HUGE over summer), but then I nearly lost it over winter (rot). All I've got left of it is one tiny bulblet which is [deleted] near refusing to grow. I've also got one tiny 'White Knight' which came back. I left it alone, but the first time I watered it, the one leaf that had come out rotted. I don't mean they're getting tons of water. I'm talking, once - maybe twice - a week (with 85°F+ temps and no rain). I've used regular potting soil, regular potting soil with extra perlite, and regular potting soil with extra perlite and vermiculite. All of these have been potted. Might that have been the issue?
Wussup?!?!? I don't think my ego can stand another entire genus not liking me!! EE grow well all over the place here!
thanks!
EE woes...
You might need to get your water tested,sounds like they don't like it.
Don't feel too bad Carter, I'm just south of you, close to Galveston and this has been the worst summer for plants for me in a long time. Very hot & so dry all summer!
I know that our water here is sooo high in chlorine that I have to use the de-chlorinator for my pond water on a lot of plants I grow. I also have had to remember to check the water temps before I water my plants outside & inside...if the water is too hot it just boils them.You know our Texas heat makes a hot water heater almost over kill in the summer.
Another thought is were all the plants you bought from the same source? Maybe they had a virus? Were they very small plug starter plants? Did you have spider mites? They totalled one of my EE's before I could get them treated.
I have had the same trouble with growing them too so don't give up .
I have had luck using baled peat moss, perlite and adding some orchid mix to that, then top water it well when you pot it and then bottom water it from there on. That way the plant can take up the amount of water it needs. It might not be the perfect solution but it has worked for me. I keep mine in pots too in dappled shade under an old ash tree... I wish you better luck next go.
MsC
I have several that you mentioned. I read that they don't like hose water. They like rain water or distilled water so I just fill a few watering cans with tap water then let the cans sit for a couple of days and then the water seems to be OK.
I have all of my alocasias except A. mac in the same bed. It is composed of garden soil/dirt, Scott's garden soil and composted soil-conditioner worked about a foot deep. It is part sun, no hot sun and I do like Liz said, only rain water. Before I started using the rainwater, I was killing them pretty fast. Mine are all under two talll Washingtonia palms, so they don't have much chance to stay wet for long because the palms suck the water right out of the soil. Oh yeah, I worked some azalea timed release food into the bed too.
Carter, do like I do. Give them a silent threat that you'll yank them out if they don't shape up and they well start behaving LOL. Seriously, though, I planted young plants of Black Magic and Polly and they didn't make it. I couldn't decide if too much/too little water; too much/too little sun, etc. etc. I pulled them out, planted them in pots, put in a shaded area and they seem to be coming back. I'm sort of leaning to the conclusion that maybe I planted them inground too young because my older ee's didn't seem to be bothered by the weather and did as expected.
I guess they'll go dormant in pots but 'll keep this way til next spring. I am applying my "wait-and-see" gardening technique on these pups.
Vossner, Alocasia Polly and Colocasia Black Magic have completely different requirements for water. Black Magic loves wet feet, needs lots of water and sun while Polly won't tolerate wet conditions and likes well drained soil and some shade.
Cuprea too.
I'm glad I saw this before I planted my new EEs!
So, is sprinkler water OK? It is really dry here in California during the summer, so it's either sprinklers or letting some water mellow out in a bucket for a while. I think I will plant them in pots for now, since I am worried about rot this winter.
Thanks everyone. I'll have to try the rain water. That's still a little weird, though - most of mine I bought locally from several different nurseries. I'm sure they use hose water and not collected.
I'll try anything, though, at this point!!
Thanks!
Carter,
I have a few different EE. here in Clear lake area. I keep my plants on a deck .They are watered by rain and city water(hose). The darker leaf Ee. I keep them more protected from the sun , and heat, so I put them in more shaded area on my deck. . I haven't lost one yet. In the winter they stay outside . I do cover them with old bed sheets when and if they talk about a frost. If the weather has low temps for any lenght of time . I will take them in the gargage for a few days ,but that is it ,and back out they go. I am learning through trial and error. I hate to lose plants,but I am learning from the process. It is not a entire loss. We learn from our mistakes. Heck , I make allot of them. LOL I hope this helps.
Rose318