Propagating Alocasia is not difficult at all. All you need is a sharp knife or seeds. Then nothing stands in the way of new plants.
If the tropics have already found their way into your living room, you may not want to leave it at that and multiply your alocasia as successfully as possible. There are a few things to keep in mind. You can choose different methods of propagation and have to be more or less patient. In principle, treat the Alocasia to multiplication by root division and sowing. We would like to present both variants to you in more detail here.
Propagation by root division
In order to propagate the alocasia by division, the plants must of course have reached a certain size. The root system of young alocasia is not yet sufficiently developed and the intervention would not do the plant any good. Proceed as follows when dividing the root:
❶ In order to be able to make the division, you must carefully remove the arrow leaf from the planter.
❷ Now shake off the soil from the plant and divide the rhizome into several pieces with a sharp knife. Depending on the size of the plant, you can gain several new plants in this way.
Important:
Always use sharp cutting tools to create smooth sections and avoid unnecessary injury to the plant.
❸ You should first let the resulting fragments dry a little. You can then plant the rhizomes in a peat-sand mixture. Warm temperatures and high humidity favor successful propagation. If fresh shoot tips appear, you can assume that root division has been successful.
Propagation by seed
Alocasia can also be propagated by seed. You can trust that your older Alokasia will develop seeds or use the seeds available in specialist shops. Propagation by seeds can take place all year round. However, it is advisable to sow in summer. Then you can place the planter in a sheltered sunny spot outdoors on warm days.
The most successful turns out to bethis method, by the way, if you plant the seed in the ground as soon as possible, within a month of collecting the seed from an existing plant. Proceed as follows:
❶ To promote germination, you should pre-treat the seed. To do this, pour hot water over the seeds and let them swell for about two days.
❷ You can then plant the seeds. A high-quality seed soil usually contains all the important components that are necessary for successful germination. If you mix coarse sand under the substrate, the permeability of the soil is improved and the young plants are protected from waterlogging.
Insert the seeds about one centimeter deep into the soil. Then press the base down lightly. Then place the planter in a warm place. The optimum germination temperature is 25 to 30 degrees.
❸ Now you should always moisten the soil evenly, but never soak it. It makes sense to work with the plant sprayer instead of the watering can and only to moisten the substrate. You should not use tap water. Water straight from the tap is too calcareous. Use rainwater or distilled water instead.
By the way, don't forget to spray it with water every day. If the substrate dries out, this can already ruin successful propagation.
❹ Then it's time to wait. Alocasia germinate quite irregularly. This is not least due to the site conditions and the substrate used. The first shoot tips appear after two months at the earliest. However, the germination time can also be three months or more. When the first leaves appear, the planter can stand a little cooler. You can now continue cultivating the plants at temperatures of around 20 degrees.
❺ About a month after germination, it is time to carefully separate the young seedlings. You should select the strongest young plants and convert them into individual plant pots. The plants thrive best in high-quality potting soil, which you mix with gravel, lava rock or coarse sand. This improves soil permeability. The irrigation water can drain off better and the root system is better aerated.
❻ After the plants have been given their own planter, they are cared for like adult Alocasia. So you get a bright but not full sun location and are cultivated at room temperature. theYoung plants also have an increased nutrient requirement and should be watered a little more in the first few months than older specimens.
If you have enriched the soil with compost, no fertilization is necessary. Otherwise, you can give liquid fertilizer in a low concentration every two weeks during the growth phase.
Advantages and disadvantages of root division and sowing
Root division:
+ This method is not very time-consuming and has a fairly high success rate.
+ Several plants can be obtained, which can be planted immediately.
+ There are no costs necessary and also the amount of work is quite small.
- A sufficiently developed plant is required to be able to divide the rhizome.
- The intervention is not always successful and can damage the plant.
Sowing:
+ Anyone who owns an alocasia can obtain the seeds from the existing plant.
+ With a little patience and luck, numerous new plants can be obtained.
- Since alocasias are quite rare seeds develop, it is often necessary to buy the seed.
- Sowing is not always promising and requires several months of patience.
- The seeds must be watered and require consistently high temperatures.