Alocasia is one adorable genus giving us plenty of uniquely beautiful plants. The big and bold leaves are all enough to make us fall in love with them. Let us introduce you to an evergreen exotic hybrid, the Alocasia Polly plant. This peep gets up to 20 inches tall with densely growing foliage. The shiny dark-green leaves have prominent veins and borders in white to greyish shades. Moreover, the specific scalloped edges and pointed tips of these elephant-ear-shaped leaves make them look attractively mysterious.
This native of the Asian region is a nice choice for indoor plantation in pots and containers. Additionally, you can grow it outdoors in partial shade in USDA zones 3 to 11. Interesting? We are sharing a guide about the care and propagation of this tender perennial, the Alocasia amazonica Polly Plant.
Alocasia Polly Classification
Family: Araceae
Genus: Alocasia
Species: A. amazonica
Hybrid: Polly
Genus Alocasia:
Alocasia is a genus of about 70 tuberous perennial flowering plants. The species are famous for their large and bold leaves. These plants can survive both indoors and outdoors while being popular for indoor plantations. They produce typical Alocasia flowers. However, they bloom rarely, especially in the indoor atmosphere.
Alocasia Polly Common Names
- Kris Plant.
- Elephant Ear Plant(Common Family name of the genus).
- Amazonica Elephant Ear ‘Polly’.
- African Mask ‘Polly’.
History
Many experts believe that Poly and amazonica are entirely different species. However, this is not reality. Amazonica plants got popular in domestic plantations in the 1950s. After a few years, the variety Poly came into the limelight with slight variations from the parent plant. With the popularity, the name ‘Poly’ was changed into ‘Polly’. The main difference between the variety ‘Polly’ and its parent Amazoncia is the slightly smaller size of the former one.
Features of the Alocasia Polly Plant
Size:
The plant can grow up to 18 inches (45 cm) tall on maturity.
Leaves:
Mature leaves are about one to two feet or more in length.
Flower:
The plant rarely blooms, especially on the indoor plantation. The Alocasia Polly Flower is typical with a long stalk-like inflorescence. The light yellow spathe is covered by a large leaf-like spadix making it look like a giant flower.
Toxicity:
The foliage is toxic just the like majority of Alocasia plants. Ingestion can lead to serious health issues like irritation in the eyes and throat. So, keep the plant out of the reach for kids and pets.
Dormancy:
On cold days like fall and winter, the plant drops some leaves and shows poor or minimum growth. Don’t panic about this. Some people try to ‘over care’ for the plant by excess watering and fertilizer. Howbeit, this is what destroys the plant. Just water once in 2 weeks while keeping the plant at some warm spot. Moreover, never fertilize these days as it may kill the plant.
Just wait for the spring and you will see your plant flourishing again pretty soon.
Resilience and Alocasia Polly Plant Problems:
It would not be wrong to say that the Kris Plant is virtually resistant to the majority of the common diseases and pests. Howbeit, over-watering, and wet foliage may lead to issues like root rot and fungus. Additionally, poor ventilation may lead to the attack of pests like Aphids and Mealybugs.
Make sure you do a bi-monthly or weekly check on your plant baby. This will help you to observe and combat any issue at an early stage. Chances of water contamination in cities may lead to spotting on the foliage. It is better to let the water stay uncovered for 2 to 3 days. This will let the toxins evaporate leaving behind healthy water for your plant.
Alocasia Polly Care
Quick Guide:
Water: Water frequently to keep the soil moist in the growing season.
Light: Partial shade.
Humidity: Average to high.
Fertilizer: Mild dose in the warm season.
Let us have a deeper look into the requirements of the plant.
Water Requirement of Alocasia Polly
These plants love to stay in moist soil especially in spring and summer. The Alocasia Polly watering depends on the weather and changes accordingly. You need to understand the drying pattern of the soil and create the frequency accordingly. Water the plant about once to thrice a week on warm days. Whereas, in winter, allow the upper 2 inches of the soil to dry out before you water again. About once in ten to fourteen days is usually enough to keep the Polly plant alive in fall and winter.
Over-watering is harmful in all seasons. Wet or mucky soil can lead to different issues like fungus or root rot.
Sunlight Requirement:
Partial shade is ideal for the plant. It can stay in full shade as well. However, longer periods of full shade may cause a loss in pigmentation or make the foliage leggy.
The delicate foliage cannot withstand direct exposure to sunlight. Make sure you keep them away from windows or spots in contact with the fierce sun.
Temperature Requirement:
54 to 85 °F is the ideal temperature range for the majority of the Alocasia plants. These peeps have poor tolerance for low temperatures. Make sure you transfer them indoors to some warm spot before the weather gets cold.
Soil Requirement:
The Alocasia Polly soil should be rich and well-draining. You can use a quick-draining houseplant growing mixture. Moreover, a mixture of coir fibre and perlite is a good choice. Peat moss is also a cheaper option to replace coir fibre. However, the latter one is richer in nutrients and made up of coconut bark.
Humidity Requirement:
The natives of tropical lands love to be in places with high moisture. They can live happily in the average humidity levels of the zone. However, a moisture level of around 80% is ideal to keep the foliage happy and fresh. On dry days, you can raise the humidity level of the plant by different measures. Placing the plants in groups raises the collective moisture level of all of them. Secondly, you can use a humidifier in the surroundings or place a pebble-water tray under the pot.
People usually inquire about misting Alocasias. You can mist the foliage mildly. Howbeit, make sure the plant is kept in a well-aerated place. The water on the foliage should dry out quickly. Any standing water for longer hours in routine may invite issues like fungus and leaf rot.
Fertilizer Requirement:
The majority of the alocasias are heavy feeders. Give a monthly dose of general houseplant fertilizer with iron in spring and summer. It is always better to use a milder or half of the stated dose to avoid over-fertilizing.
Just like the majority of the plants, the nutritional requirement decreases on cold days. No need to fertilize in fall and winter.
Pruning Requirement:
Pruning is not essential as the plant is not a vigorous grower. Meanwhile, you can remove the old, damaged, or unhealthy leaves. This will ensure a healthy outlook and good growth for your plant baby.
Repotting Requirement:
The initial two years will be good without any repotting, provided the pot size is suitable. It’s time to repot when the plant looks considerably bigger than the current pot.
Growth Zones:
USDA growth zone 3 to 11 allows the majority of the Alocasias to stand hardy outdoors throughout the year.
Alocasia Polly Propagation
The ideal method to propagate this plant is by plant division. A mature plant will produce tiny clumps of baby plants attached to the parent. These clumps are also known as puppies. You can simply divide it into smaller portions by the clumping or rhizomatous plant structure.
Season:
The best time to divide your alocasia starts in the middle of the spring. You can make new plants up till the end of the summer. However, the ideal period ends around the middle of the summer season.
Method:
- Just select a well-grown plant and loosen the soil around it. Ideally, you can divide the plant during repotting a mature plant.
- Now, gently take out the plant from the soil without damaging the roots.
- Shake the plant gently to shed off the soil.
- Use your fingers to divide the plant. Separate about 1/3rd of the roots and the foliage.
- Plant both of the parts to their desired places.
- The baby plant should be watered mildly by spraying the soil. Place it in a warm and humid place in partial shade.
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Growth-Timeline
Let us have a look at an estimated growth pattern of the plant along with the necessary care requirements.
Day 1 to Day 60: Use a spray to water the soil mildly. Let it get around 90% dry before you water again. Avoid keeping the soil dry in the same way as you would avoid over-watering.
Day 60 onwards: The new plant will adapt to the new soil up till now. You will observe the growth of new shoots leading to a flourishing Alocasia Polly plant.
Summary
The Alocasia Polly known as Alocasia x amazonica Polly is a tender perennial plant from the family Araceae. This short peep can grow up to 20 inches and is popular for indoor ornamental plantations. The large and pointed elephant-ear-shaped leaves are dark green in color. Moreover, they have white to greyish patterned ribs, veins, and borders with scalloped edges.
The Alocasia Polly Care includes partial shade, high humidity, and moist soil. However, you need to reduce watering in winter and water after the upper soil gets dry. Although rarely, the plant blooms with typical alocasia flowers. These peeps grow great in pots and containers. Besides, you can grow them outdoors in USDA zone 3 to 11. This beautiful Alocasia is toxic in nature. So, make sure you keep kids and pets away from your Polly Alocasia plant.
