If you believe in good luck then you must grow Alocasia Cucullata at your home. It is called buddha’s hand and is believed to bring health and prosperity. The energy released by the plant changes the surrounding environment. You will feel full of energy and life. This is my own experience with this plant.
Do not expect any miracles from it. It only purifies the energy where it grows. And good energy is the source of every fortune.
Today I will show you how you can grow this plant at home and how to maintain its good health.
Let’s start our Alocasia Cucullata growing guide
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About Alocasia Cucullata
It is native to Thailand and under good growing conditions, it can grow more than 3 feet tall. Generally, when we grow it in pots it remains short and only achieves 1.5 to 2 feet height.
The heart-shaped leaves grow 5 inches to 10 inches wide depending on the Alocasia Cucullata care.
For best care only fertilize this plant in its active growing season. Spring and Summer are the two main growing seasons.
Avoid heavy watering in the winter season to protect your plant from unwanted root diseases.
Light Needs
To give it proper care arrange indirect bright light conditions for it. It cannot survive in bright sunlight. To protect it from direct sunshine, keep well distance between the sunny window and the plant.
Leaf burn is the main problem in plants that expose to direct sunlight.
In a sunny window, you can install a curtain to filter the sunlight. If there is stretchy growth then you can move it to a bit brighter location.
To grow it outdoors you need to look for a partially shady place. But in winter you cannot move the ground-rooted plants inside. Therefore, grow it in a pot and place it outside when the environmental conditions become comfortable.
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Alocasia Cucullata Potting Soil
Alocasia Cucullata likes to live in slightly acidic soil. Keep the soil pH between 5.0 to 6.5 pH.
Well-draining and soil fertility are the second most important qualities that it needs in soil. To make general-purpose houseplant potting soil useful for the Cucullata plant. Mixing organic soil amendments in the formula is the only option.
To increase fertility and to improve draining power add organic manure or compost. I prefer compost over other organic materials.
Because it contains all-natural plant ingredients and is derived from plant content and kitchen waste. Compost tea is also beneficial when growing Alocasia Cucullata indoors.
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Watering Alocasia Cucullata
Moderate watering is the secret to success and root rot is the biggest problem in these plants.
To avoid overwatering-related issues let the top few inches of the soil become dry before watering. This way your plants become strong and you prevent root fungus diseases.
For the best Alocasia Cucullata care and maintenance you must water your plant less frequently.
Never mist water on plant leaves even in a low humidity environment. Because it will result in leaf fungus. In this condition using leaf fungicide will solve the problem.
Fertilizing
In spring and summer, your plant needs little help to grow a little extra in size.
For that, you must use high-quality fertilizers that are mild on plant roots. Because it is a green color plant you must use fertilizers that are high in nitrogen.
Stop using fertilizers on winter days because these days all the plants take rest and do not grow. In botanical terms, we call it the dormancy period of plants.
Temperature & Humidity
60 to 80 degrees F is the best temperature for Alocasia Cucullata care and maintenance.
This clears that this plant-like to grow in warm conditions and it cannot tolerate the frost and cold winds of the winter season. If you are growing it outdoors bring the plant pot inside in September.
60 to 80 % moisture in the air is necessary for healthy Cucullata. The general home humidity is less than this range.
So, you need to use a plant humidifier to increase the grow room humidity.
The Pebble tray method will not work here because the plant needs constant humidity. Only an electric humidifier can give you the set humidity.
Pruning & Maintenance
Alocasia Cucullata is a fast-growing houseplant. Therefore, to keep it in good shape you need to prune it frequently, especially in spring and summer.
Pruning helps to keep the plant disease free. It also reduces the chances of fungal infection.
Most of the time you need to cut the leaves and vines that are at the bottom. Because the bottom vines and leaves are older and often turn yellow and brown.
A.Cucullata grows densely in ideal growing conditions. This reduces the aeration at the base of the plant.
Therefore, trim the large vines and cut a few of them from the base to increase aeration.
Use sterilized shears to prune it.
Do not prune it in the winter season even if you didn’t prune it for the last 6 months.
Toxicity
The body of this plant is toxic to humans and pets. It contains a harmful substance called calcium oxalate.
It can cause skin irritation and eye irritation in humans. Immediately wash your hands and eyes with normal tap water and visit the doctor.
To prevent toxicity always wear gloves before working on your plant.
Pets have chewing habits and they are more prone to its toxicity.
Drooling, Vomiting, Loss of appetite, and Nausea are a few early warning toxicity signs in pets.
Take your pet to the nearest animal hospital or call the poison control center. Also, wash the mouth and legs of your pet to reduce toxic effects.
Repotting
No need to choose any special type of pot. Select any pot for this plant but it must have 1 or more draining holes.
This variety of alocasia need slightly compacted roots. So, you do not need to worry about the slightly root-bounded plant pots.
For repotting it spring is the best time. Choose one size large pot and then transfer it to the new home. For the long life of your plant change the potting soil at the time of changing the pot.
Alocasia Cucullata Flower
Flowers of Cucullata are not beautiful they consist of white spathe with a green cover. They are visible for a week mostly in the last days of spring.
To encourage flowering, you need to expose your plant to bright indirect light. Also, give it proper food to support itself.
Alocasia Cucullata is grown for its beautiful foliage, not for flowers.
If your plant has some flowers and you don’t like them. In this case, no need to cut them because they are only for 5 to7 days.
Then they naturally fall off the plant or you can remove them when they look dead and turn yellow.
Type of Pots
Because it produces vines it looks amazing in hanging baskets. The material of the pot does not matter as long as you are growing it under ideal growing conditions.
It is best if you choose a fancy stylish hanging basket that is light in weight with some drain holes.
They are compulsory for growing any type of plant. Because draining holes allow extra water to go out of the pot. This way they save your plant from overwatering.
Alocasia Cucullata Propagation
To propagate the Alocasia Cucullata take the plant out of its pot. Remove the unwanted soil from the roots and you will see the rhizomes.
Divide the rhizomes into sections and separate them from the main stem.
Then take new pots filled with high-quality potting soil and plant each division in a different pot. Then fill the pot with soil and give some water.
For the first 7 days, you need to put the propagated plant pots in high humidity and also keep the soil moist.
Within a few days you will see well-established plants in the new pots.
Common Problems with Alocasia Cucullata
Mold on Soil
Mold on soil is triggered by low light and overwatering.
The overuse of water invites mold with some yellow leaves. It first attacks the top surface of the soil.
Generally, mold is harmless but it spoils the beautiful looks of a plant.
It also leads to root rot if did not fix on time.
To fix mold you should remove the top 2 inches of potting soil and add compost or fresh soil to the pot. Also, limit the use of water and you will never see mold on your plant soil in the future.
But if there is no extra water in the soil but still you see mold on the soil. The reason is the lack of bright light.
Because in low light plants start using less water for photosynthesis than normal. This result in mold in the soil due to extra moisture in the soil.
Yellow Leaves
Alocasia Cucullata yellow leaves indicate two problems with it. One is damaged roots and the second is lack of moisture in the air.
Bacterial infection and too much water in the soil lead to root rot. This is a fungus that attacks the alocasia roots and the roots start decaying
Damage roots are useless and cannot support the plant with water and nutrients.
In this case, you should immediately unpot your plant and cut the damaged roots. Then repot it in the new pot and fresh soil.
If the potting soil is perfectly fine then low air moisture can be the reason for yellow leave. Because Cucullata leaves absorb moisture from the air.
In the absence of enough air moisture, plant leaves start using stored water, and when they go out of water.
The green leaves start turning yellow. At first, they develop yellow tips.
Sudden Slower Growth
Lack of light and lack of essential nutrients results in sudden slower growth. To encourage healthy growth, expose your plant to indirect bright light.
Bright indirect light for 6 to 7 hours is necessary for perfect photosynthesis. Proper light energy is required to produce a sufficient amount of food for the plant.
If light energy is good then you must check the fertility of the soil. Add some nutrients to the soil and you will see nice growth in 2 to 3 days.
At last, root-bound alocasia also stop growing actively. Because there is hard pressure on the plant roots.
This pressure on roots damages their internal tissues and roots stop working properly. This results in slower growth than normal.
Burned Leaves with Brown Tips
Too much bright light or direct sunlight is the main cause of brown leaf tips and burned leaves. Because the extra bright light increases the transpiration and respiration in plants.
These processes use most of the given water and your plant easily become dehydrated. Dehydrated leaves turn yellow following brown.
Correct the light in the room and follow the correct watering technique to heal your plant in less time.
Black and Brown Spots on Leaves
Having black and brown spots on both sides of the leaves with a yellow circle around them indicates fungal presence.
Xanthomonas is the fungal bacteria belonging to the family Pseudomonadaceae that is responsible for these leaf spots.
This fungus is also a result of excessive use of water. Spraying too much water on leaves is the top cause of this disease.
Spray neem oil on infected leaves to treat them naturally.
Use fungicides in the worst conditions only when the neem stop working.
To prevent this problem, you should only water your plant when it is thirsty. To check it poke your finger in the soil and check the moisture.
Pest Infestations
Small pests like Aphids and Mealybugs are common on indoor plants. Dust and debris are responsible for pest attacks.
The best time to check for a pest infestation is while watering your plant.
Check the top surface and undersides of the leaves. If you see tiny insects immediately use soap and water to wash your plant.
If the infestation is served then use insecticidal soap and rinse your plant. It will kill all the pests at once.
After the treatment keeps the plant separate and sprays neem oil on it.
To prevent pest infestations, clean the plant leaves and spray neem oil once in 10 days. It is anti-bacterial and 100% safe to use on alocasia plants.
Conclusion
No doubt this alocasia is easy to grow and care for. But you still need to keep eye on the soil conditions. Overwatering is the main cause of plant deaths.
Waterless to reduce overwatering-related issues.
Give it proper light and it will thrive beautifully.
To prevent fungal diseases mist neem oil spray on plant leaves. It is safe to use on all types of plants. Dilute the solution in water before use.
