The Alocasia Black Velvet is a popular plant due to its beautiful large dark, green, velvety leaves and piercing white veins. It has a compact growth habit, but it's regal appearance makes it very soft after. It can be a bit tricky to care for, so it tends to be for more advanced plant parents, however once situated in water this plant does great, which is why we love growing the Alocasia black velvet plant in water.
Native to Southeast Asia
Araceae
Alocasia reginula, Blak Velvet, Miniature Jewel Alocasia, Dwarf Alocasia, Black Velvet Alocasia and Alocasia Black
Some popular types of Alocasia plants are: Amazonica Poly, Zebrina,reginula ‘Black Velvet’, Dragon Scale, macrorrhiza ‘Stingray’, Black Velvet Alocasia, Baginda ‘Silver Dragon’, macrorrhizos ‘Giant Taro’, cuprea ‘Red Secret’, cucullata ‘Hooded Dwarf”, Longiloba, lauterbachiana ‘Purple Sword’, Alocasia Black Micholitziana Frydek, Alocasia Reginula and Alocasia Melo
Toxic to cats and dogs if consumed.
For a healthy alocasia 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 water or filtered waters are recommended if available.
We recommend adding 1-2 of liquid nutrients to your philodendron'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.
Alocasia's love bright indirect light! As an indoor plant, they prefer areas in the home like a brightly lit corner or across a window that receives a lot of sunlight. Make sure its not too much direct bright light as that can be harmful.
For Alocasia's, 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'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 Black Velvets easily propagate in water through most of the year. To do so, take a cutting from the mother plant 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. Propagate alocasia black velvet and have fun seeing it develop roots and grow into a beautiful tropical plant.
Identification: Brown holes in the leaves, browning tips that are crispy to the touch
Cause: Overexposure to direct sun light or lack of nutrients or root rot.
How to treat:Simply move your plant away from any direct sunlight or places with too much sunlight. Try placing your philodendron 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.
Adding a few drop of nutrients can help as well, you can find our favorite hydroponic nutrients here. For root rot, remove any brown or squishy roots.
Identification: Bugs crawling around your alocasia black velvet
Cause: Fungus gnats and spider mites develop in potting soil where the larvae can grow.
How to treat: We recommend transitioning your plant to growing in water as fungus gnats can't develop there. Some people are concerned as it's standing water, but we've had no issues. The yellow sticky traps are an option if you prefer to continue to grow your alocasia black velvet in well draining soil or a potting mix with coco coir or orchid bark. Although it grows well in moist soil, you may have to deal with bugs, neem oil is another great option to get rid of gnats.
Identification: Yellowing leaves are curling at the ends or dropping, leaves also may turn yellow or brown on your Alocasia Black Velvet
Cause: There are multiple causes for this issue. One, the air in your environment is too dry. Two, your Alocasia Black Velvet is not receiving enough oxygen from the water. And three, your plant is experiencing extremely cold temperatures. One can also get it from having too much fertilizer, which is called fertilizer burn.
How to treat: To fix this issue, move your plant 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.
