Alocasia pink dragon is one unique plant with leaves that resemble dragon scales. The pink undersides of the leaves also give it a most striking appearance.
We have compiled one of the best care guide tips from seasoned experts worldwide. Jump down below to learn what those tips are and how to implement them practically.
What Is Alocasia Pink Dragon?
Alocasia pink dragon is a plant with the most stunning foliage. It has large, pointed leaves with a pattern of veins that give it the appearance of a dragon’s scales. The undersides of the leaves are burgundy, whereas the stems of this plant are a pretty pink color.
Alocasia Pink Dragon Care
The plant care for this Alocasia variety is very simple and easy to maintain on a day-to-day basis. All you have to do is give it plenty of bright shade, warmth, and humidity to grow it to its full potential.
– Water Requirements
The ideal Alocasia pink dragon water type is distilled water. Unlike tap water, it is free of any mineral or salt content that might be potentially toxic to your plant.
This plant needs frequent watering up to one inch per week. We have found out that the soil is ready to be watered when its top two inches become completely dry. You must manually check if these two inches have dried by sticking your fingers in the soil to the knuckle.
Pour distilled water slowly with a steady hand over the soil while sparring the plant itself. Water splashing on the plant parts can lead to a fungal infection called powdery mildew.
Keep pouring water into the soil until you see it coming out of the drainage hole. This means the soil has been soaked through and through by your watering. After collecting and draining water in a tray, drain the tray out promptly to prevent root rot.
– Light Requirements
This plant grows in both partial and full shade conditions equally well. It only takes a little time to adjust to the changing light conditions.
What it cannot tolerate, however, is direct rays of sunshine. This will most definitely cause its dragon leaves to turn yellow and dry.
Outdoors, it would help if you had a proper shaded spot to grow your Alocasia under. Otherwise, this ornamental plant is best grown indoors.
Look for windows in your living room, washroom, or kitchen to keep them near. The light from the southern-side facing windows is just as harsh as the light outdoors, so you will want to provide some shade.
If natural Alocasia pink dragon light is unavailable, you need not fret. Artificial grow lights are equally effective, if not better, than natural light. Just buy a few LED grow lights and install them above where the Alocasia is kept. The good news about LED lights is that they are economical and will not overburden you with extra expenses in contrast to fluorescents.
– Soil Requirements
The soil needs to be well-draining, loamy, and quite loose. Ditch the ordinary gardening soil and make your soilless mixture. You can mix equal parts of perlite, peat, and sand into the mixture.
Perlite is a non-renewable resource, so if you want a more sustainable option, you can use homemade compost instead. Because these organic substances are quite compact, you must add sand and perlite to loosen them and add porosity.
– Temperature Requirements
A range of 60 to 85 degrees is the ideal temperature for this rare plant. This is because it is a native of the tropical farmlands. You will have no problem raising this plant during spring and summer time.
Trouble happens when temperatures start dropping around fall time. Indoor plants have a better outlook because you can maintain their temperature better. We suggest you move the outdoor kept Alocasia indoors during this time.
If cold drafts of air repeatedly strike this plant, then this could also cause the plant to experience cold shock. Never keep the container of your Alocasia directly underneath an air conditioner or a vent.
– Humidity Requirements
The Pink dragon plant has very high humidity needs, about 60 to 70 percent. Most outdoor and indoor spaces in the US are not more humid than 40 percent. You can use a hygrometer yourself to check how humid your house is.
There are a couple of hacks you can employ to improve humidity artificially. One is by regularly misting the plant using a small amount of water.
However, misting is a bit risky because a lot of times it ends up causing powdery mildew. A shallow tray filled with water near the pot is a much safer and more effective alternative.
Nothing is better than a humidifier to maintain the right air moisture levels. Plug it in a socket and raise the humidity to the required levels. If you feel like 60 percent is too much humidity for a living room, you can move your plant to the laundry room or the bathroom.
– Fertilizing Requirements
Your Alocasia’ pink dragon’ likes to be fed regularly. You need a liquid fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 10:10:10. It contains an equal quantity of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium along with small quantities of the other essential nutrients.
You cannot just pour the liquid fertilizer on the soil as it is. Firstly you must dilute the fertilizer to half or one-third of its original concentration using water. A fertilizer is meant to be poured only on the soil near the pot’s rim and not at the center.
When pouring, ensure it does not come in contact with the plant parts. Fertilize only once per month from March till September. Before feeding, it is a safety hack to first water the soil deeply.
You can also use organic fertilizers in addition to a chemical ones. Whether you opt for manure or compost is up to you. All you have to do is to take only a fistful of this organic fertilizer and mix it within the top few inches of the soil. This will also help with water retention in the long run.
– Pruning
Pruning is most effective when done during early spring, just before the start of Alocasia pink dragon’s bloom. Because this plant has relatively thin stems, you can prune it with only a secateur.
One aspect of pruning is trimming off one to two inches from the growing ends of stems and branches. Don’t worry; this promotes further growth of these stems and branches.
Another aspect is to look for problematic parts of the plant. Old, deformed, discolored, or diseased leaves and stems are better off pruned. You can add them to your compost pile or mulch unless they are infected with a disease or an infestation of insects.
Propagation
If you own a pink dragon plant, why not use it to propagate more of it? You can gift each of your friends and family their own cute Alocasia to look after. Spring is the ideal time of the month to carry out such an endeavor.
– Propagating Alocasia Through Rhizomes
You cannot see the rhizomes of a plant as these are stems growing underground. These rhizomes store water and food for the plant. They are excellent to use to propagate this plant further.
- Water your Alocasia’s soil generously the day before taking it out of the pot. This way, you can seamlessly take the plant out without causing much damage to the roots.
- Wash the roots gently using tap water to look at the rhizomes better.
- Cut off one to two rhizomes using well-sharpened and disinfected knives.
- For starters, you must buy a small-sized container and fill it with a properly mixed growth medium.
- You need not bury the rhizome completely into the soil mix. If your rhizome is particularly large, you can cut it into three to four inches long sections and plant each in separate pots.
- Keep the soil moist constantly during the first two to four months of propagation. Take care that your container is placed somewhere warm and humid.
- In a few weeks, you will be able to see leaves sprouting out of the soil. This is indicative that your propagation has been successful and the new plant has taken root.
– Propagating Alocasia Through Stem Cuttings
If you don’t want to take the plant out of the soil for propagation, then using stem cuttings is the right option.
- Take a pair of sharp cutting instruments and ensure it has been disinfected. Then cut three to five inches off of a healthy and pest-free stem. While cutting, it is better to make a diagonal cut instead of a straight one.
- Then wrap this cut stem piece in a paper napkin and store it somewhere dry and dark. This helps dry the cutting out and form calluses on the cut end.
- Although it is optional, we suggest you dip the cut end in liquid or gel form of rooting hormone. This not only helps keep pathogens at bay but also promotes more growth.
- This point should prepare your soil and container. Place the cutting vertically in the soil one-third of the way in.
- Water your soil then, and then keep it moist by sprinkling water regularly for the next two weeks.
- As per Alocasia’s needs, the container needs to be placed someplace partially bright, warm and humid.
- In two weeks, the cutting should produce new leaves. If it has not, try gently tugging it upwards to see if roots have formed.
- Once new leaves emerge, you must start a watering regime appropriate for Alocasia.
Problems
The Pink dragon alocasia is not a plant that gives its owners too much trouble. However, it would be best if you still learned what to do if you find it turning yellow or the plant being attacked by common household pests.
– Yellowing Leaves
One reason why the Elephant ear leaves often start becoming yellow is overwatering. Despite being a vigorous drinker, if you keep on watering without giving the soil the time to dry it will end up causing water logging. Similarly, if the size of the container is too small or its drainage is compromised somehow, this will cause water to build up and eventually cause leaf yellowing.
Underwatering is the second reason why these leaves turn yellow. Alocasia finds it hard to survive in poor water conditions. Their leaves soon become dry, wrinkly, and yellowish. It would help if you worked on improving your watering habits to eliminate this problem.
A plant overgrown current pot is also at risk of developing yellow leaves. You may need an upgrade if you haven’t repotted your Alocasia in a long time. One hard-to-miss sign of an overgrown plant is that roots will begin to grow out of the drainage holes. For your next pot size, go only two to three inches larger.
– Aphids
Aphids can be a real nuisance when it comes to growing this plant. They are very small and often go unnoticed by plant parents until significant damage has been caused. As sap suckers they naturally eat up all your plant’s food and produce malnutrition.
Look closely under the leaves if your Alocasia has begun to droop its leaves or develop yellow spots on them. You will most likely find a large colony of this pest growing there. Take a toothbrush and scrape them off your plant by hand.
You can also apply neem oil to these colonies to kill aphids. Neem oil is the best natural substance that acts as an insecticide and a fungicide. Alternatively, mix up a neem oil foliar spray by adding a teaspoon of this oil to one gallon of water. Store this mixture and use a little of it every week to ensure those pesky aphids never return.
– Spider Mites
Mites, just like aphids, feed on your plant’s sap to multiply to a large number. Because they belong to the spider family, they also tend to form spider web-like strings around the leaves and stems.
If you don’t get rid of them, they will cause the plant’s growth to slow. Your pink dragon Alocasia will produce fewer leaves that will be smaller than usual and deformed. The older leaves might become spotted with yellow or brown spots.
Give your plant a good and thorough washing with a mild soap. Ensure you wash carefully under the leaves and stem sheaths, where most of the pests will hide. Then you can use the neem mentioned above oil foliar spray weekly to ensure the infestation is properly eliminated.
Conclusion
Pink dragon is also known as the Alocasia baginda plant.
Here is a brief recap on how to look after it like a professional gardener.
- This is a plant that grows well in shaded conditions, whether it is a partial shade or full shade.
- The safest thing for this plant is to water it using distilled water instead of tap water.
- You must maintain high temperature and humidity around this plant throughout the year.
- A range of 60 to 85 degrees is the ideal temperature for this rare plant.
After reading this comprehensive guide, you can grow your Alocasia pink dragon rare species into a glorious ornamental houseplant. Trust us; it will bring your house the freshness and serenity that nothing else can.
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