Alocasia Lauterbachiana
Alocasia,  Plant Care,  Rare Houseplants

Alocasia Lauterbachiana

In this guide you’ll learn all you need to know to care for your Alocasia Lauterbachiana, the main takeaway is to check the soil dryness once a week and to get the humidity right….

Alocasia Lauterbachiana Silver Sword Summary

Light needs:Bright indirect sunlight.
Watering needs:Check it once a week, water if top 25% of the soil is dry.
Fertilizer:A balanced fertilizer every month in Spring and Summer.
Soil:A well-draining peat-based potting compost.
Humidity:70%
Temperature:18-25ºC (64-77ºF).
Where to buy:Try our list of Rare Plant Shops or Etsy.
Common issues:Over and under watering.

Introduction

Welcome to our guide to the Alocasia Lauterbachiana a.k.a. the alocasia silver sword, known for it’s long, serrated, sword-shaped leaves. It looks a little bit like a rattlesnake plant (calathea lancifolia), and can sometimes be mistaken for it.

See also: Alocasia Cuprea Care, Alocasia Azlanii, Alocasia Wentii, Alocasia Calidora, Alocasia California.

Tip: we recommend Etsy for buying plants. Look for the best rated seller you can, and try to buy as close to your home as possible so the plant does not travel too far.

A note about affiliate links: when you buy a plant, pots, soil, or other goods through links on this article we sometimes earn a commission. It doesn’t cost you anything, but it really helps us out if you do use them. Thanks a lot! An example of this is if you buy a plant on Etsy using this link. Read our privacy policy for more information. Thanks again.

Alocasia Lauterbachiana Light Needs

Bright indirect sunlight is ideal, but it will tolerate less. You want to give it a lot of light to get the best out of those leaves.

How Often to Water

Check it once a week, water if the top 25% of the soil is dry. This way you will not over water it or underwater it, which is really important as alocasias can be a bit fussy in this regard.

Tip: when it comes to watering keep them moist but not soaking wet, tip out excess water after watering so they don’t get a soggy bottom!

Fertilizer

A balanced fertilizer every month in Spring and Summer is ideal to encourage growth. If you don’t feed your plant it will be fine, but it you do it will grow quicker.

Soil

A well-draining peat-based potting compost is ideal. The plants do not want to sit in soaking wet soil but like to keep damp. For more on which soil to buy or how to make your own see our guide: Alocasia Soil.

When To Repot

If it is quite root bound then pot it up a size in spring. The plat will grow better when the roots are given space. I check all my plants at Easter time to make sure the roots have space to grow in time for the warmer growing months.

Alocasia Lauterbachiana Humidity

70% is ideal. Make sure you give your plant a pebble tray under it with water to increase the humidity around the plant, or spray it daily. They will not do well if the humidity gets low, so this is a really important part of alocasia care.

Tip: keep them humid, at least 60% in the day and they’ll be ok with a bit less at night. You can buy a humidity meter (affiliate link) to keep an eye on maximum and minimum levels.

Temperature

18-25ºC (64-77ºF) is a good daytime temperature range. They’ll find most households fine, just don’t let them get really cold in the winter, aim for 12ºC (54ºF) as a minimum.

Alocasia Lauterbachiana Size

They can reach 1.5 meters high and 1 meter wide at maturity, which can take up tot 5 years of growth
(source).

Alocasia Lauterbachiana
Alocasia Lauterbachiana

How To Propagate Alocasia Lauterbachiana

You can propagate alocaisa lauterbachiana by dividing it at the base. Take the plant out of it’s pot and separate off any smaller plants around the base. It is a rhizomatous plant which means that the roots and the stems all grow from a rhizome under the soil. You might need to break this apart to split the plant, so be careful as you break the rhizome and make sure you get a good roto system with each plant.

Is Alocasia Lauterbachiana Toxic To Cats?

Alocasia can cause vomiting and oral irritation in cats due to insoluble calcium oxalates in it. Seek vets advice if consumed.

Alocasia Lauterbachiana USDA Zone

Zones 10 and 11.

Where To Buy

These are quite rare, so try one of these Rare Plant Shops. Or Etsy.

Locasia Lauterbachiana Variegated

There are occasional variegated varieties that have come on the market for sale. But due to the very small amounts I have seen I cannot vouch for the stability of the variegation to be honest, I would guess that they are not stable and are not mass produced.

Alocasia Lauterbachiana Yellow Leaves

The lauterbachiana can get yellow leaves, most likely due to under watering. It can in some cases also be due to overwatering. So make sure you check the soil weekly, but only water it if it needs it. If the water is soaking wet and you might have root rot, then take the plant out of it’s soil and et it dry out for a day, then pot it back up in dry soil.

FAQs and Common Problems

As with all alocasias you need to be careful with the problems of over and under watering. Pay attention to these and check the soil once a week, only watering if the plant needs it (the top layer of soil is dry).


Additional Resources

Links:

Other Articles You Might Like

You might also like our other articles on alocasiaas: Alocasia Wentii, Alocasia Sarian, Alocasia Frydek, Alocasia Zebrina.

Please follow us on Instagram and Pinterest for regular plant updates and occasional plant giveaways.

Alocasia Lauterbachiana
Image source: https://www.instagram.com/p/BpCRrv5AXQL/
Comments Off on Alocasia Lauterbachiana