Alocasia Macrorrhiza Care - Teak And Terracotta

Alocasia macrorrhiza care is all about high humidity and checking the soil weekly to see if it needs watering…

Alocasia Macrorrhiza Care Summary

Light needs:	Bright indirect sunlight.
Watering needs:	Water it if the top inch or 2 cm of soil is dry.
Fertilizer:	A balanced plant feed once a month in the summer months.
Soil:	Check the soil once a week, water if top 50% is dry.
Humidity:	60%.
Temperature:	15-30°C (59-86°F).
Where to buy:	Try our list of Rare Plant Shops.
Common issues:	Over and underwatering.

Introduction

The alocasia macrorrhiza aka the giant taro is a gigantic-leaved monster of a plant! It is originally from the Pacific islands, but can do well in most homes…

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Light Needs

Bright indirect sunlight is best, don’t let them get direct midday sun or they will burn.

How Often to Water

Check the soil once a week, but only water if the top 50% is dry.

Tip: they can drip quite a lot of water form the ends of the leaves, especially once they have been watered. This is called ‘guttation’ and is a natural process and nothing to worry about.

Fertilizer

Feed your macrorrhiza a balanced fertilizer every month in spring and summer. Do not feed in the winter months.

Soil

A rich well draining potting compost is ideal. Some added perlite will help drainage too.

For more on which soil to buy or how to make your own see our guide: Alocasia Soil.

When To Repot

So when should you repot your alocasia macrorrhiza? The short answer is to repot them when they outgrow their current pot. But always check the roots in Spring to see if they need to go up a size, this will make sure they have plenty of room to grow in the hotter months.

Humidity

60% humidity is best for optimal growth, but they will be ok with a bit less.

Temperature

15-30°C (59-86°F), they’ll do ok outside too as long as it does not get too cold at night in the winter.

How To Propagate Alocasia Macrorrhiza

Propagate an alocasia macrorrhiza easily by splitting it at the tuber. You need to take the plant out of it’s pot and remove as much soil as possible. Then split off smaller plants from the main plant. Each small plant grows out of the tuber, so you need to make sure you get the plant above the soil together with the tuber and some roots too. Be careful when splitting the tuber to cause as little damage as possible. Once separated you can wait an couple of hours for the wounds to heal before potting them all back up.

Is It Toxic To Cats?

It is toxic to cats and dogs if ingested, so seek vets advice immediately if you think your pet has eaten any.

Alocasia Macrorrhiza Vs Odora

The odora is smaller with more rounded leaves, and the macrorrhiza has pointier leaves.

Alocasia Macrorrhiza Vs Frydek

These two are easy to tell the difference as the macrorrhiza has ‘elephant ear’ style leaves, and the frydek has smoother more velvety foliage.

How Fast Do Alocasia Macrorrhiza Grow?

They can grow very fast if given the correct care.

Can Alocasia Macrorrhiza Grow In Full Sun?

They can be gradually acclimatized to more sun by moving them gradually each day or so out of shade a bit more. Then they can take full sun.

Alocasia Macrorrhiza Variegata Care

Care for the variegated macrorrhiza is very similar to the standard plant, just be more careful of the light it gets – it needs a lot of indirect sunlight to grow as the leaves will not grow as quickly in lower light as they do not produce energy as well as they’re is less green chlorophyll in the leaves. At the same time, the variegated leaves will burn if given too much direct sun. So be careful to give it lots or indirect, but not direct sun.

Alocasia Macrorrhiza Black Stem

The alocasia macrorrhiza black stem is a dark green leaved alocasia, but with striking dark black stems. It is rarer and costs more too.

Where To Buy

Try our list of Rare Plant Shops.

Other Names

Giant Taro.

Alocasia Macrorrhiza Care FAQs and Common Problems

Over and underwatering.