Couldn't pass this up - so pretty!!! Was labeled an A. 'Polly' Looks to be in a 6" pot for $9.99...wasn't sure if that was a good price or not but "had" to take it home with me!!!
Pretty find from HD
It's beautiful, Chantell. It looks like Alocasia amazonia or sanderiana. I don't know if these are two different alocasias, or just different names for the same plant.
Shirley
Beautiful Chantell ... I bought one just like it a few years ago, but unfortunately it doesn't do well for me ..... Don't know why! I think there may still be a little shoot of it coming up in a pot in my screen room .... maybe I need to baby it for awhile to see if I can resurrect it.
Lin
Thanks Shirley and Lin!!! Just recently have discovered all the beautiful varieties of EE's!! Hope these aren't too difficult to take care of...yikes!
Chantell,
I have one that looks like your plant. In the summer I set it outside in a shaded area and keep it moist. I keep it in a pot rather than plant it in the ground. In the fall when the foliage begins to die back, I withhold water and let it go dormant. Then I place the pot in a dry, cool area in my plant room. One winter I placed it in a bathroom window above a baseboard heater and watered it when the soil began to dry out. It kept its foliage all winter and did well. I treat it somewhat like I do amaryllis bulbs.
Hey Shirley!! My plant guru...thank you so much for some suggestions!! I actually have it in my bathroom!! :)
Polly is an A amazonica selection
http://www.agristarts.com/aloc_polly.htm
I bought a tiny plug (read miniscule) plant of A amazonica Purpley from ebay which didn't grow again this year until autumn (after going dormant in late winter to spring), when it started to grow and went dormant. It's still small, the corm feels hard, and I have it inside now but it was in a fairly shaded spot in my garage. We had a very hot summer for here, I perhaps should have brought it inside before the nights got too cool, they go dormant once below 45F but I think mine did before that, it only made a couple of short roots and a small shoot!
You might want to read some experiences
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2574/
Ever hopeful......
Thanks Wallaby - I'll continue reading up on its care...in the mean while I make sure that the receipt doesn't get misplaced....LOL :)
I think 'Polly' is also known commonly as African Mask Plant. I've had a few and they all did fairly well. They like water and bright light. Oh, and be careful with spider mites during the dry winters inside. Mine got a case last winter, but was remedied with several applications of Miticide and Neem. Anyhoo, I gave my last one away to a neighbor in September. I'm sure it's probably dead by now. I'll ask him next time I see him. LOL
GH
Seems the winter foes are: Mealies, Mites and Fungus Knats...ugh...dislike them all!!
Guess what? I just picked one up from Walmart for a great price too! It was in the reduced plant section in the outdoor section with the house plants. It is a little ragged but it has 3 strong plants in a gallon pot.
I could get used to this mid-winter "dumpster diving"..... I also picked up a nice dieffenbachia for $3.
ROX
Ah....Rox....must be nice!!! I have one leaf of mine that I keep finding a "dribblet" of clear fluid on...???? No one's showered in that bathroom yet today...wondering what's causing it. Didnt' see any visible damage (i.e. break etc.) on that leaf - noticed the leaf below it had a mini puddle of the fluid. Wondering what it could be from???? Even looked up to make sure my ceiling didn't have issues.... thoughts anyone?
I think if you keep it warm, good light, good draining soil. ( Most plants coming from Nursery's soils are heavy or not correct for growing in our homes as the plants were grown in control enviroments .
You may have to re-pot , place the pot on a tray of moist pebbles for humisity. Mist daily onece or more as the air inside will be too dry for a happy plant and will also help it from getting pest that come when it's too dry. Keep the soil evenly moist with warm water. Me I water everything with hot water in the winter and my plants love it.
I have some small ones in our home that I got from a trade . It has one small muched leaf I cut off now it's two plants each with 3 leaves and new ones coming ! I got it a couple months ago. Have another EE trade doing the same ! On warm days I keep it on the sun in our screen porch that stays really warm. Next two nights go to 41 will bring them back in our home .
Happy Growing this is an awesome plant !
Thanks for such great tips - it really is a beautiful plant!!
I have this same plant and the thing that I have found to be the most important is to keep it somewhere where you have high humidity. Mine is in the greenhouse right now but when I kept it inside, I kept it sitting on a humidity tray. I just put it in a tray with small pebbles and kept the water level up even with the pot. Just keeping the water around the plant does a great job. I hope this helps.
Oh one other thing that I learned is this. If it does happen to start looking bad, or like it is dying, I have in the past cut it all the way down to the soil level and it will eventually start to grow back again.
Jesse
Jesse,
Thank you!!! Mine seems to be absolutely thriving in my bathroom...can't believe the height it's put in a couple weeks time!! :)
Can anyone tell me what type of soil mixture these plants prefer? I've kept it in the pot I puchased it in b/c the soil actually looked good for change!! LOL
I just bought one of these beautiful plants from Secret Gardens it should love Florida right out in our Garden bed !
Jesse yes they do love Humdity. I have fount that most plants like good humdity and great air circulation . We are blessed with this in Florida !
Chantell bathrooms are great for plants !
Happy Growing !