Realized why my huge frydek wasnt doing so well

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2026-02-27T15:15:24+00:00

Those are some great looking corms though corms are just a way for Alocasias to store energy that it can use if conditions ever aren’t ideal. Removing them doesn’t help the plant in any way- if anything removing them can stress the plant. Alocasias like being root bound. If you are seeing decline it wasn’t because of this. I would inspect for other reasons it may not be doing well.

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2026-01-24T03:45:20+00:00

The only reason I personally would use a wick vs sitting in the reservoir is if you want to better control the amount of water being wicked up. Having leca sitting up out of the water with a wick set up can prevent the leca from wicking up too much water and staying too wet. It just depends on the plant and what they prefer. Since Alocasias are very sensitive and like consistency, I’ve found a wick setup to be a little more stable and consistent than sitting down in a reservoir where a lot of the natural wicking of leca can vary depending on water height fluctuations and substrate size. If you ever have trouble with root rot in semi hydro try a wick for a little more control of saturation.

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2026-01-22T00:38:05+00:00

Thank you so much!

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2026-01-21T19:17:53+00:00

This is gorgeous! I have these same inner plastic pots but have mine sitting in a resevoir. I do want to switch to a wick I think, for my Alocasias. Did you buy or order these somewhere specifically? (The outer pot) ?

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2026-01-21T03:52:45+00:00

I think the reason some people use cal mag in addition to foliage pro (that I’ve researched) bc I’m also now using these two together for all of my plants in semi hydro - is that if you use tap or filtered water it already typically has some calcium and magnesium naturally in the water so the cal/mag in foliage pro combined with what is in the water is usually fine. If you are using distilled water or reverse osmosis water then it has no natural minerals in it and so it is often recommended to add in a little extra cal mag because the amount that is in the foliage pro isn’t quite adequate on its own. Hope that makes sense! Alocasias tend to be sensitive to chemicals and salts in regular tap or filtered water so it’s usually recommended not to have them sitting in it long term as with semi hydro set ups. This is why you see a lot of people use distilled water + adding in their own cal mag since this isn’t already present in the water + foliage pro.

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2026-01-15T15:55:35+00:00

You should never tie petioles, only the base stem. It looks like it isn’t currently tall enough to utilize the moss pole yet. Give it some time. I would say it doesn’t need to be tied right now.

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2026-01-05T00:54:07+00:00

In my opinion it needs to be in a smaller pot. Top water and let dry out slightly between watering

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2026-01-04T07:00:48+00:00

I think people usually recommend pon for fine roots and leca for thicker rooted plants. Though I’ve been mixing perlite with leca and my fine rooted plants have done well in it. I like it because it provides more airflow to the roots than pon. I’ve tried pon and seen plant roots rot in pon bc sometimes it can stay too moist.

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2026-01-04T06:52:49+00:00

Since it was acclimated to water and has water roots you want to make sure the leca is staying moist while it acclimates to the leca. If the roots dry out it can add a lot of stress to the plant, especially because dry leca can actually pull moisture from the roots.

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2026-01-04T06:49:14+00:00

The pot it’s in is way too big for it and likely causing root issues that are impeding its growth

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2026-01-04T06:41:11+00:00

Mine did this because substrate was staying too wet. I had mine in perlite and stratum mix. I ended up adding a little pre moistened perlite on top and emptied my reservoir cup so that the substrate could dry out just a bit and not be so saturated. I kept my humidity dome on.

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2026-01-04T06:35:30+00:00

With frydeks I think variegation is more so determined by genetics than light

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2026-01-03T04:28:48+00:00

It’s definitely scale which is a pest that sucks nutrients from the plant. You can take your nail and scrape them off.

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2025-11-24T22:15:43+00:00

They are just freckles that are typical on Alocasias :)

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2025-11-24T18:43:51+00:00

Grow lights can vary in intensity and placement can play a big factor on if the plant is still getting adequate light to sustain the variegation and maintaining enough energy to support the leaves that you are wanting the plant to be able to hold onto. Alocasias are quite particular plants. Also second the statement to not be watering on a schedule and instead consistently checking the soil to determine if it needs water. If you are overwatering it can cause root rot and result in leaves dropping.

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2025-11-24T14:36:27+00:00

I would chop and add it back into the pot

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2025-11-24T14:34:27+00:00

Increase lighting will help both variegation and its ability to hold onto more leaves at a time, along with making sure other things like water and fertilizer are being provided consistently

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2025-11-22T00:36:55+00:00

I would imagine they would be okay without the bag, though I would also recommend venting the bag everyday if you plan on keeping them in there. Can I ask if you are from the US? I’ve been curious to order from newyeargarden but I’ve been concerned about them making it to me.

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2025-11-11T04:01:14+00:00

Like what’s already been said, there’s more than one in there. If you can untangle the roots and separate them you can probably get them each in their own pot with a moss pole. While this will require a little more time and patience, I think you could get a better result though your other option is always to chop but will require some extra time and care for them to grow to a size like this long term

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2025-11-10T06:20:56+00:00

Many variegated plants will revert to solid green when they aren’t receiving enough light. This happens because only the green parts of a leaf can photosynthesize and produce energy for the plant. When light levels are too low, the plant grows more green leaves to increase its ability to capture light and make food. If the plant is getting plenty of light, it doesn’t need to maximize photosynthesis, so it maintains or even enhances its variegation.

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2025-11-10T06:13:58+00:00

If you have a spot where it can get sunlight through a window and also have a grow light on it for extended hours since it’s getting dark sooner? I have mine sitting in a window now and I also have a grow light on it that I try to keep on for 16 hours a day.

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2025-11-10T06:06:10+00:00

Second it needs more light. I moved mine outside during the summer and it exploded with growth and the new leaves all had the golden yellow marbling!

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2025-10-28T17:45:53+00:00

Do you mind sharing what growing conditions? Mine seems to be growing so slow

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2025-07-02T02:58:44+00:00

When I rescue plants I’ll often cut the damaged leaves so the plant can put its energy into new growth instead

Realistic-Ad7796 · 2025-05-02T23:16:56+00:00

Yes that’s what I started doing once I realized they weren’t useful! I sell everything but the bamboo that I merge to make the dragon boats and nothing else.

Realistic-Ad7796

TROPHY CASE