Is my Alocasia salvageable?!

Either I didn't read enough about my Alocasia, or was given incorrect info... b/c now my "Kris Plant" Alocasia sanderiana 'Nobilis' is dying. I had bought it off eBay and it was very healthy... but now it's starting to die off. One stem is dead and the other is drooping with a really faded leaf; if only I'd looked in PFiles earlier, I would've known it was because this Alocasia "likes it on the dry side"!!!

Can someone tell me if the bulb can be saved? I guess I should start by taking it out of it's damp soil... Put it in another pot w/ dry soil, maybe?
Please help if you can! I promise that I'll read more about each of my particular species in the future... I can only kick myself so many times... (although I wouldn't care to bet on that!)

I can probably even take the bulb out tonight, but wouldn't be able to repot until daylight... whatever is best for my plant!

Thanks in advance,
~Gina

Gina-
I amcertainly not an expert, but I have had some success with the following method.

I suggest you unpot it and look for rot.

If it is partially rotted, remove that section with a knife. Often only the roots are rotten. Remove them by gently scraping with a knife.

Some people then dunk the corm in a solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water for 30 seconds, RINSE, and then dunk in hydrogen peroxide (never tried it but just read use 3 ounces of 3% solution in 1 gallon) for another 30 seconds to kill off microbes and stimulate root growth.

I then coat the corm in rooting hormone and repot.
Remember not to water too much until you see new leaf growth.

ROX

Thanks Rox!!!

(I may have to take a pic and post it here in the morning... I mainly know rot only through smell! Once, after digging up some bulbs, I could tell which were good or bad by smell- and my instincts were confirmed minutes later when the flies started landing only on those bulbs, lol ;) )

~Gina

Feel for soft spots.
ROX

Here are some pics... I felt it and smelled it and gave it an all-around physical exam... couldn't find anything to explain it's appearance...

#2

And overall:

Gina-
Looks like the root is fine. Seems like it might be going dormant. So I suggest you repot it without doing the bleach or root hormone treatment. WHAT DO OTHERS THINK? AGREED?

Here's some info I found:
Culture: Alocasia sanderiana need a compost of equal parts of peat moss and loam with sand and crushed charcoal added. Warm, humid, shady conditions are required throughout the grow summer and plants need an abundance of water when growing.* When the leaves fade in fall, less water is required, and when they have died, the soil is moistened once in a while. Care should be taken when planting rhizomes, the top of rhizomes should be planted above the soil line or the leaves could decay at the base.

*Rox note: Even if it does like water, don't let it sit in soil that is too moist! Definitely back off on the water until you see new growth.

ROX

This is my first year growing this species.

Mine went dormant a few months ago. The tuber is still firm and I am barely watering it.

It is planted in composted pine bark, peat moss, sand mix. I was told to also make sure the roots had plenty of aeration. I found an orchid pot at lowes and re-potted it in that so the roots would have enough air circulation.

Hope this helps a little,
John

That does help, John!
Thanks again, ROX :)

I really have to get used to this "dormancy" thing, LOL... Everything is so green down here that anything brown makes my heart race!!!
~Gina

Here is a pic from a month ago, of my Alocasias waiting to be planted... in the background, you can see the A. sanderiana is happy then.

Roots look viable to me too .... I would just repot in dry soil and keep it on the dry side. I have that same exact plant in a couple of pots and they are totally dormant right now. I'm surprised yours went dormant down in Broward County, but maybe it's just the nature of the plant for this time of year. Weather patterns are really weird everywhere.

Lin

Gina, Hi,

I bought a Devil's some-thing-or-other and it about died on me. I stuck it in the garden and forgot about it. (Heavy shade) Low and behold, I saw it several months ago and it is alive and well, albeit small. My sprinklers go on 3 times a week in the summer and 2 times in the winter if that helps.

See you on Sat?

Hap

Lin- thanks, and I hope you're right that it's dormant; the thought hadn't crossed my mind until someone mentioned it, because I'm as surprised as you are that it would go dormant down here!
Before I could get to it today, a torrential downpour occurred! Luckily, I do have a spot that doesn't get hit with more than sprinkles so I'll tuck it in back there after repotting.

Nancy- the sprinklers don't reach all of the house... the system never extended onto the front porch area. And I only recently discovered evidence that there was once a backyard system as well! ;)
So most things still get watered by hand, which definitely leads to my over-watering...

I hope to see you then! I still have to see if the family had b-day plans for Saturday first; if not, then I will be seeing you :)
~Gina

Gina, I meant that it gets plenty of water.

Well, I just went out and checked. It's either dead or dormant. We'll see what happens in the spring.

Hap

That makes me feel better that yours is going dormant, too... lol, hopefully not just our plants coincidentally dying at the same time.

2 times a week is plenty... but I water more often than that b/c of the cuttings. And I think my anxiety is transferring to gardening: it's like when I'm anxious, I'll overeat... so if I'm feeling anxious, I overwater the plants. :P

Also, I will make it on the 13th. :)
~Gina