The Alocasia Baginda is also known as the Dragon Plant, due to its exotic emerald-green leaves with prominent venation that reminds of the mythical Dragon scales. Along with being a stunning plant, its easy to take care of growing in water. Since the Dragon scale plant is so well loved, its been cultivated and there are multiple varieties such as the Alocasia Silver Dragon, the Pink Dragon and the Alocasia Reginula Black Velvet. Our favorite way to grow the Alocasia Baginda is in water, as it makes plant care simpler and you don't have to deal with issues like fungus gnats.
Native to Southeast Asia
Araceae
Dragon Scale, Green Dragon, Dragons Back Plant,
Some popular types of Alocasia's are: Amazonica Poly, Zebrina,reginula ‘Black Velvet’, Dragon Scale, macrorrhiza ‘Stingray’, baginda ‘Silver Dragon’, macrorrhizos ‘Giant Taro’, cuprea ‘Red Secret’, cucullata ‘Hooded Dwarf”, Alocasia Baginda Dragon scale, Longiloba, lauterbachiana ‘Purple Sword’, Micholitziana Frydek, and Melo.
Toxic to pets and humans if consumed.
For a healthy Alocasia Baginda plant, we recommend that you add water to the glass every 1-2 weeks (or if you see that water levels have lowered) to replenish the water that evaporated or absorbed from the plants. Then, replace the water every 2-4 weeks.
Most tap water works great but distilled or filtered waters are recommended if available.
We recommend adding 1-2 of liquid nutrients to your Alocasia's water every month. To further encourage and support leaf growth, we recommend adding an additional drop of nutrients if you see a new leaf forming. Our favorite hydroponic nutrients can be found here.
Dragon Scale Alocasia's love bright indirect light! They prefer areas in the home like a brightly lit corner or across a window that receives a lot of sunlight.
For the Alocasia Baginda, the ideal temperature range is 65-78 degrees Fahrenheit. A general rule of thumb for many tropical houseplants is that if you are comfortable, then they will be comfortable too!
Alocasia Baginda's prefer moderate to high humidity, but can do well in most home settings regardless of humidity level. We recommend that you spritz them with water every now and again to give it a bit of humidity.
Alocasia's easily propagate in water through most of the year and the Alocasia Baginda follows suit. To do so, take a cutting with one or more leaves and a node or two. Submerge the node in a cup with filtered water and find a bright, warm space with indirect light for the plant. Roots generally form in 2 to 3 weeks.
Identification: Brown holes in the leaves, browning tips that are crispy to the touch
Cause: Overexposure to sunlight
How to treat:Simply move your plant away from any direct sunlight or places with too much sunlight. Try placing your Alocasia Baginda in a nearby area with less light exposure or somewhere where it won't have any contact with the sun. You can remove any brown tips if you like, but it's not necessary to your plant's recovery.
Identification: color patterns in the leaves are fading, leaves becoming a solid green color
Cause: When your Alocasia Baginda is creating solid green leaves, this means that your plant is not receiving enough bright indirect light.
How to treat: Move your plant to an area where it would be exposed to more bright indirect light and wait for the leaves to recover their color. For newer leaves, they will gain their markings as they age.
Identification: leaves of your Alocasia Baginda are curling at the ends or dropping, leaves also may turn yellow or brown
Cause: There are multiple causes for this issue. One, the air in your environment is too dry. Two, your plant is not receiving enough oxygen from the water. And three, your plant is experiencing extremely cold temperatures.
How to treat: To fix this issue, move your Alocasia Baginda away from any AC vents, heaters, or open windows. Also, mist regularly if your environment is usually very dry. If the cause is a lack of oxygen, simply replace the water for the plant and then continue on a 2 week to monthly water replacement schedule.
