Alocasia black velvet is also famous as little queen. This plant has green velvety leaves with silver veins. This plant is easy to grow and maintain. If you like to add this plant to your indoor plant collection. Then you need to read our ultimate Alocasia black velvet care guide. Follow the steps and have healthy black velvet Alocasia.
Grow it in well-draining soil, keep the soil moist, set humidity to 60 to 75 %. The temperature should be between 55 to 85 degrees F. Fertilize it only once a month.
Now let’s discuss every single point in detail.
About the plant
Velvet black Alocasia is native to Southeast Asia. There it is naturally found in jungles. The plant has velvety dark green heart-shaped leaves with white lines on them. Leaves can grow up to 6 inches long and 2 inches wide.
Quick Care Guide
| Common Names | Black velvet alocasia, Alocasia Reginula |
| Humidity | 60 to 75 % |
| Light | Filtered bright |
| Soil | Well-draining |
| Temperature | 55 to 85 Degrees F |
| Watering | Moderate |
| Toxicity | Toxic to humans and pets |
| Pests and Diseases | Fungal leaf and Spider mites |
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Light Requirements
Whereas other alocasia plants need bright light to grow. This plant only needs low bright light. Because it uses every light particle to make its food. Too much sunlight can damage its leaves.
It has soft tissue in its leaves, they cannot handle the highly intense rays. Therefore, you need to find a suitable place for it.
Any place in your house where it can get indirect light is perfect for it.
On the other hand, if you are using grow light. Then keep some distance between it and overhanging grow light. The distance should be 2 feet minimum.
NOTE: Black velvet can handle low dim light. If you have 50 watt normal ceiling light. This will be enough to grow it from a seedling.
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Soil
Alocasia soil should be well-draining and well-aerated. It needs good airflow in its root area. The pH of the soil has to be slightly on the acidic side (5.5 to 6.5 pH). If you want you can add organic substances but only in limited quantities. Because the high amount of them can disturb the pH of the soil.
Following are the top formulas of Alocasia black velvet soil.
2 parts perlite + 1 part orchid bark
Equal parts of coco coir, peat and perlite.
Or you can buy the ready-to-use commercial potting mix. If you have good knowledge of peat, perlite, and coco coir. Only then try to make potting soil at home. Otherwise use the ready-to-use soil from the garden centers.
We have many articles on grow mediums. Read them and gain full knowledge of different growing mediums.
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Watering
Many so-called garden Gurus said water the plant regularly to keep the soil moist. But this is not true at all. You should check the soil condition and also inspect the plant before watering it.
Only overwatering is the root cause of many plant diseases in Alocasia black velvet care. Do not water the plant until the top 2 inches of soil become dry.
Water the plant thoroughly so that the extra materials in the root area come out through the draining hole. This method is good for succulent watering.
Do not use cold or warm water. The water sitting at room temperature is best used.
The last thing is a type of water because it directly affects plant health. Tap is not recommended. The water you use to drink is suitable for watering plants.
Temperature
55 to 85 degrees F is the best temperature range to grow and care Alocasia black velvet. In this range, it grows faster.
You are in USDA zones 10a or above you can grow this plant outdoors. Then you do not need to worry about the temperature and its effects on plant growth.
In indoor gardening protect your plant from sudden high or low temperatures. And do not change its place frequently. This will also affect its growth and health.
The best practice is to install a room temperature and humidity monitor. You can also use a light meter to measure the amount of light this plant receives.
Humidity
60 to 75 % humidity is required for perfect growth. On normal days we have home humidity between 40 to 50 %. This means you need to increase it. There are many methods that you can use to increase it.
Many professionals advise using humidifiers. But there are other traditional methods that are cheap than humidifiers. They also do not increase your electric bill like a humidifier.
First of all, bring all plant pots together. There should be 12 inches distance between them. If you have more than 7 pots. Then grouping them will create a small jungle effect. This act will surely increase the moisture around the grouping plants. You can use any type of plant for grouping.
The second-best method is taking a tray that can hold the pot weight. Then fill it with small equal size rocks. Then add water to it. After that put the plant pot over it. When the dry air touches the water, it gets evaporated. This creates a moisture bubble around the plants.
Fertilizer
Fertilize it once in 30 days only in its growing stage. If you are using fertile soil rich in the organic matter then no need to fertilize the plant. Organic matter releases slow nutrients. They are enough to grow and maintain this delicate plant.
Do not use synthetic fertilizers because they come in highly concentrated forms. Little overdosage can damage the plant roots. This effect will get visible on plant leaves. They turn brown in color.
Note: Always fertilize plants only in their growing season. Cold weather is the dormancy period. Plants take rest on winter days.
Pruning
Pruning means removing the dead parts of the plant. If you see dead leaves then remove them right away. For pruning wear garden gloves and use sharp shears or pair of sterilized scissors.
To sterile, your pruning tools use rubbing alcohol.
Take it on the cloth and wipe the tools. Then leaves them for 2 minutes to work the alcohol.
Repotting
For the best Alocasia black velvet care use small-size pots. It likes to grow in root-bounding pots. Using a large pot will only cause problems.
The good news is,
You can use any type of pot. Plastic, clay, and terra cotta are equally beneficial for Alocasia black velvet care.
The little queen needs repotting only once in 2 years. Spring is the perfect time for repotting.
Propagation
Propagation is required when you need to multiply your plants. In this technique, you use seeds, leaves, stem cuttings, and root division of old plants to grow new plants. All the plants you grow with propagation will grow the same as their mother plants.
Seed Propagation
Growing a plant from seeds is slower than growing it from stem or seedlings. But sometimes you only have a single option and that is growing plants from their seeds. When it grows large then you can use cuttings for further propagation.
Soak the seeds in distilled water for 24 hours before plating them. Then the next day plants them in good potting soil. Put the plant pot in high humidity and a warm location until the seeds sprout.
Root division
Divide the plant roots also called rhizomes into different sections.
Spring is a good time for the root propagation method.
Plant each division in a different pot
Place the pots in a high humid location
Each pot will grow like the mother plant
Pest and common diseases
Aphids and leaf fungi are the two common problems in Alocasia black velvet care. Otherwise, this plant is not prone to common pests and common diseases. Spider mites are not common they only attack unhygienic Alocasia black velvet plants.
Whenever you see plant pests take quick actions to get rid of them. We have many articles on plant pests. Read those articles if your plans are suffering from any pest or plant disease.
Rubbing alcohol, neem oil spray, insecticidal soap, and pesticide sprays are the common solutions.
Leaf spot is another fungal disease after root rot. It is only possible if you mist water on plant leaves and put your plant in sunlight. Secondly, if other plants are infected by leaf spot, then they can also infect this plant. This is the reason we always advise you to separate infected plants from healthy plants.
You have to use fungicide spray to get rid of the leaf spot. This is the only professional and proven solution.
I hope you fully understand the Alocasia black velvet care guide. If you have any confusion or your plant is suffering from some disease that is not listed here. You can write us and send us pictures of your infected plant.
One of our team members will contact you shortly and help you to grow Black velvet successfully. Our help is totally free. Because our aim is to motivate people to grow plants and make our planet pollution-free.
