A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 alocasia polly

I am working with my SECOND alocasia polly right now. I have had it for nearly 3 months and all has been well. It has recently started dying, the same as my last. The stems begin to turn a little soft and the leaves start to spot yellow and then just fall. I have not changes the watering, location, or anything else. I need help. I love this plant, but I just can't keep them alive.....HELP!!!!!!!!!

try less water & more fertilizer

I do not know if you realize some of them do rest. It will lose all the leaves cut back the watering to about a few tablespoons of water a week. You do not want the soil dry or too moist just damp. In about 2-3 months it will start to grow again.

If you want to check to see if you have watered to much and if it is dead. Take it out of the pot you will see a hard as a rock bulb. If it is soft and rotten looking you know you watered it too much which rotted the bulb.

Is this the plant?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v107/marquest/Cal-Zeb-EE.jpg

I just got this plant and it started doing the yellow spotting and falling of the leaves... you're sure I don't have to worry about it?

Once all the leaves have fallen, do I still water it about 2 TBLSP of water a week, or should I lesson it?

The same exact thing happened to my African Mask. All of the symptoms point to overwatering, although I remember when it happened to me, I was very careful to let it dry out thoroughly. (With all due respect, Rugby, it is never a good idea to fertilize an ailing plant. Only plants that are growing vigourously should receive fertilizer, and at half strenth, IMHO.) I just thought I got a bunk plant, and although I love them, never tried another.
Where did you get the plant? If it is from an independent nursery, you might inquire directly with the personnel on how to best care for your new plant. All of them go through a acclimation period, so perhaps it is just adjusting???

Mich in your area it should be ok and it should not loose all its leaves. Mine does wonderful in the summer when the weather cools it starts to loose its leave. Is it in a cool area 50-60 or may be to dry in your area.

For moisture..Get tray and fill it up with pebbles and fill it with water that will get the humidity level up.

Warmth...70+

My alocasia polly, and I have 2, keeps getting white flies, (or I think that's what they're called). I just washed the whole plants, stems and bulb too, with a mild mixture of Dawn Dishwashing liquid/water, using a cotton ball. We'll see. Though mine have also done this dying thing, I still have about 3 leaves on each. I've read that they're very suceptible to this white fly thing. It looks like little wads of fluff, then you'll see little spots, babies, i guess, on the leaves. I'm hoping mine make it because they were beautiful when I bought them from Home Depot.

stetsonlily,
Those little wads of white fluff might be mealy bugs, not whitefly ... do they look like this:

http://images.google.ca/images?q=tbn:za1elqXu1e7gOM:http://www.uky.edu/Ag/IPM/sponsprj/county02/02marshall/mealybugs.JPG

If so, you may want to try dabbing the bugs with a q-tip dipped in an alcohol-water solution.

i agree, wads of white fluff indicate mealy bugs and the best way to treat them is a q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol. either straight or mixed with a bit of water.

Oh, I just figured out how to find my mail and reply! DUH!
Yes, I think those bugs/fluff look like Frann's pic, tho it's too small to be sure. In the meantime, I used a cotton ball soaked with Dawn & water solution and washed the leaves and stems. I haven't seen any since, but neither has it put on more leaves yet. It's just crippling along. I keep it moist, but on the dry side of moist and in a north window where they (I have 2) get indirect light in the winter. I sure miss the beautiful plants I bought last spring.

I have an alocasia polly for about 1 month. I noticed that there are "mealy bugs" inside the base. They haven't quite gotten up to the upper stems and leaves. Best remedy?

welcome to the forum!!

you can treat the mealy bugs with a q-tip dipped into rubbing alcohol...then dab the bugs with the q-tip. gets rid of them quite nicely!

Thank you- I will it a go.....