Alocasia low rider is a short or dwarf form of the popular Alocasia plant. This beautiful dwarf with magnificent leaves is native to Asia and other nearby countries.
Growing it is super easy so long as you can mimic its natural habitat in terms of its lighting, temperature, and humidity needs.
Continue reading to have a great insight on all you need to know about low rider Alocasia plants.
What Is Alocasia Low Rider?
Alocasia ‘low rider’ is a fast-growing dwarf variety of the Alocasia plant. Even though it is fast-growing, this plant usually grows up to two feet and stops adding height. Just like elephant ears, it is naturally found under the canopy trees in the rainforest of Asia and other nearby tropical regions.
Alocasia Low Rider Care
As long as you can grow your low rider Alocasia in the right temperature, humidity, and light conditions, you can grow it without any problem and plant care should be super easy. Continue reading to learn the care tips and growth conditions of low rider Alocasia plants.
– Soil Requirements
This dwarf Alocasia plant is not so complex with its substrate or soil needs. Well, it needs soil that you can water regularly without encouraging the growth of root rot. However, the plant itself requires regular watering. This means that you must grow it in the right substrate to avoid a problem in the future.
You need to purchase any Alocasia-specific potting mix for your potted low rider Alocasia plants. If you cannot find any, you can opt for the potting mix of other potted plants. Make sure that you do not grow your potted Alocasias using garden soil as it can be too heavy for them. Only use garden soil when growing your Alocasia low rider outdoors.
– Water Requirements
Alocasia plants love when their substrate is moist consistently. In their active growing season (i.e. from spring to late summer), you should water them three or four times weekly and never allow the substrate to go dry. However, you do not want to overwater the plants in autumn and winter.
Remember that if you are not using an Alocasia-specific substrate, ensure that the substrate drains water quickly.
You can mix in some perlite to improve its drainage speed. When watering your plants, you can wait until the substrate’s top layer becomes dry before you water the plant again, so that you have a consistent moist substrate. Remember that your pots need three or more drainage holes through which water can leave the plant. Take your Alocasia low rider watering seriously.
– Light Requirements
As a dwarf plant, this Alocasia is well-adapted to growing under tree canopies as it can never outgrow them. This means that it naturally receives dappled sun or partial shade. Considering what it is adapted to, you should not grow your low rider Alocasia in direct sunlight. However, grow it under a shade or not too close to the window.
Your Alocasia should receive up to six hours of shaded light daily. If the amount of sunlight reaching the plant is not sufficient, you may want to install a fancy grow light above your plants so that they can continue growing with ease. Even though they are dwarfs, low rider Alocasia plants will grow slower if the light is not enough.
– Humidity Requirements
Humidity helps plants to regulate nutrients and water, so you must pay attention to the humidity of the room. Alocasia plants love high humidity, so you want to grow them in a humid room. If you can get humidity levels above 80 percent, your plants will thank you for it.
For the sake of other plants in the room, you must not grow your Alocasias at 80 percent and above humidity levels. 50 to 70 percent humidity is okay for your plants. Just make sure that the room is not arid. You may want to buy a little humidifier for your low rider Alocasia plants.
– Temperature Requirements
Temperature is more the first factor that you should consider before bringing any plant home as a plant will simply not grow if the temperature is not suitable.
A helpful tip for you is to use the recommended USDA hardiness zone as a guide when choosing your plants. As for low rider Alocasia, its recommended USDA hardiness zones in which it grows best are zones 7 to 11.
You should grow your Alocasia plants at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This is not a cold-hardy plant, so you have to take it indoors when winter is approaching to keep it safe. You should grow your low rider Alocasia in a room with a stable temperature.
– Fertilizing Requirements
Alocasia low rider plants love occasional feeding. You should feed them using a balanced plant fertilizer once or twice monthly, especially in the spring and summer months. You can also give them 2:1:1 fertilizer so that their leaves can become broader and greener because of the extra nitrogen in the fertilizer.
Try not to over-feed your plants. Over-feeding your Alocasias can burn their leaves which will make them unappealing to look at. If you can see that the leaves are getting dry and brown from their tips, you may be over-feeding the plant. You can help them by flooding their substrate with water.
– Pruning Requirements
How can you maintain your Alocasia leaves? Well, you can do so by pruning them regularly. If you see a weak, old or sick leaf, you should prune it off to maintain the plant’s beauty. Please note that before pruning any sick leaf, you must know what is wrong with your plant and how to fix it.
Another way to help your low rider Alocasia plants is by repotting them. If you notice stunted growth or you can see root tips emerging from the soil, it is time to change the pot to a bigger one. Repot your plants in later winter or early spring when they are just waking from their period of dormancy in winter.
Propagation
Now it is time to propagate your low rider Alocasia plants. You need to learn how to propagate the plants by yourself so that you can get more plants without spending an extra dime. Well, there are two easy ways to propagate your Alocasia.
Note that the best time of the year to propagate your low rider Alocasia plants is in late winter or early spring because those are the periods when your plants wake up from their dormancy phase.
– Rhizomes
The rhizomes of your low rider Alocasia plants are their internal horizontal stems. New shoots can grow from these rhizomes. Well, if you need a new plant, all you have to do is to collect a part of a rhizome. To collect your Alocasia plant rhizome, you will need to remove the plant from its substrate to reveal the rhizomes.
You should see parts of the rhizome that are growing away from the plant. All you have to do is to collect those rhizomes by using a clean or sterilized knife.
It would help greatly if you wait for the cut of your plant to heal (i.e. become dry) before you replant the plant and the rhizome. Subsequently, you should see a new shoot in the planted rhizome less than a month after planting.
– Cuttings
If you are not so comfortable with digging out your low rider Alocasia plants to reveal their rhizomes, you can easily propagate them by collecting their cuttings or shoots. When your plant has grown to maturity, it should produce shoots. You can collect these shoots with a sterilized tool and replant them.
As always, please wait until the cut spot is dry before you plant it. If you plant the cutting when the cut is fresh, it can lead to a bacterial attack, therefore, you should wait. The cut should become dry in less than 48 hours.
Common Problems
When growing your low rider Alocasia, here are some problems that you should watch out for
– Toxic Plant
Alocasia low rider is a toxic plant as it has a lot of calcium oxalate crystals within its stems and other parts of it. These crystals can cause irritation in the tongue and stomach of humans and animals that eat the plant. This is a very beautiful plant but it is not for consumption. Make sure that your pets and kids stay off the Alocasia low rider toxic leaves and stems.
– Not Watering Enough
Unlike other potted plants, your low rider Alocasia will appreciate consistent or regular watering. So long as the plant’s substrate is not waterlogged, you can water it. However, make sure that there are proper drainage holes in the pot.
Problems can arise when you do not give your Alocasia plant enough water. You should notice that the stems and leaves are weakening. You should also see the leaves becoming yellow. Please do not forget to water your low rider Alocasia.
– Insufficient Light
Even though these plants love dappled light or indirect sunlight, you should still make sure that they have enough light. Your plants can suffer from chlorosis (Alocasia low rider yellow leaves) or even die when there is not sufficient light. The best way to tell that your low rider Alocasia needs more light is when the plant is etiolated and stretching towards the sun.
Ensure that your low rider Alocasia has at least six hours of indirect light or four hours of direct light. If you are growing your low rider Alocasia off-season or do not have access to a lot of sunlight, consider installing a portable grow light.
– Sunburn
Always remember that your low rider Alocasia plants can get burnt if you grow them under direct sunlight for a long time.
These plants love indirect sunlight, so you should grow them close to a shade or not very close to the window. You should shade them from the sun, especially in summer when it can be too hot.
Remember to give them enough light even if they do not need too much. You should know that your plants have sunburn when you notice dry or brown edges in their leaves.
– Root Rot
Root rot is a common disease for indoor plants. It usually occurs when you overwater your low rider Alocasia plants.
Overwatering your Alocasia can lead to them dying from their roots and as the roots start to decompose, the harmful fungi can attack other roots which would lead to healthy roots and other parts of your low rider Alocasia plants rotting.
To prevent root rot, you only need to water your plants when you should and not too much. Make sure that their substrate can drain water quickly as well. If your plants have root rot, you may have to repot it. While repotting it, rinse the roots and prune off the dead ones.
Now you are ready to grow some low rider Alocasia plants.
FAQ
– What Are the Uses of Alocasia Low Rider?
The most common use of this Alocasia is as an indoor plant. As a dwarf plant, this special Alocasia can fit into any space in your office or room so long as there is sufficient light. It is also effective in purifying the air of a room with its broad leaves, so you get a plant that works for you while beautifying your room.
Alocasia low rider is a beautiful dwarf with broad wrinkled leaves. First sight of the plant might leave you wondering if the plant is sick, but when you realize that the leaves are naturally wrinkled, you will appreciate the beauty of the low rider Alocasia as it is second to none. The leaves are usually light to dark green and have a thick texture.
– Why Is Suitable Mulch Good for Alocasia Low Rider?
Mulch helps your Alocasia plants a lot. Protect your Alocasia from competing weeds: Unless you always remove weeds immediately you see them, you will see weeds growing around your potted plants if you do not use mulch. Mulch helps to prevent weed growth.
Helps to retain substrate moisture: Mulch products can block water vapor from evaporating from the substrate, so it helps to reduce your watering rate.
Prevents pests from reaching your Alocasia roots: Some pests such as fungus gnats and others that dwell in the substrate are resistible with mulch.
As you can see, you need to mulch your plants. You can use pebbles and other beautiful stones as mulch for your plants. However, if you want the mulch to serve as an extra source of nutrients, you can use organic products such as sawdust and wood shavings. Note that organic mulch products are not so suitable for indoor potted plants.
– Does Alocasia Low Rider Have Special Leaf Care?
Yes, since everyone loves Alocasia plants because of their beautiful leaves. Another important way through which you can care for your low rider Alocasia leaves is by dusting them or wiping them with a semi-damp cloth often.
Be careful so that you do not cut the leaves when wiping them. Gently do so and make sure that the leaves are dry as soon as you finish wiping them.
The leaves of this plant are extra special, so you need to care for them so that the plant can stay beautiful in the sight of people. Well, so long as you properly feed and water your plants, the leaves will grow green and broad. Just make sure that you do not stress the plant.
Conclusion
Alocasia low rider plants are super easy to grow and you are not capable of caring for them with ease; however, now you are completely aware of how to grow this beautiful plant at your home.
Just make sure that you remember the following:
- Feed your Alocasia with a balanced fertilizer for stable growth and green leaves.
- You can propagate your plants by using their rhizomes and cuttings easily.
- Remember that the best time to propagate your Alocasia is in late winter or early spring.
- Even though you can regularly water your Alocasia low rider, make sure that you amend the substrate so that it is well-drained.
- Suitable USDA hardiness zones for your Alocasia plants are zones 7-11.
Super easy, right? Remember to check back on this article if you get stuck on your Alocasia growth journey.
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