root rot on Alocasia Polly
Quick answer
If your Alocasia Polly has root rot, the most likely cause is: Alocasia polly's fine, dense feeder roots suffocate when the substrate stays waterlogged for too long because, as Tony Le-Britton's houseplant manual states for the genus Alocasia, 'many Alocasia grow in very wet or damp conditions in their native habitat, but there they also have high light levels and more intense heat' — and most homes sit well below those light and heat levels, so the same watering volume that would be fine outdoors sits in the pot and rots the roots at home.
Start here:
- 1. Cut back on watering volume so the substrate dries between drinks, since the book warns that 'we must reduce the volume of water given to a plant, too, to protect them against rot' when indoor light and heat are lower than outdoors.
- 2. Improve drainage and airflow around the root zone, because the same source reminds growers that 'ensuring there is sufficient drainage to prevent roots becoming waterlogged and then rotting as a result' is essential to keeping an aroid like Alocasia alive indoors.
Why Alocasia Polly gets root rot
alocasia polly
Alocasia polly's fine, dense feeder roots suffocate when the substrate stays waterlogged for too long because, as Tony Le-Britton's houseplant manual states for the genus Alocasia, 'many Alocasia grow in very wet or damp conditions in their native habitat, but there they also have high light levels and more intense heat' — and most homes sit well below those light and heat levels, so the same watering volume that would be fine outdoors sits in the pot and rots the roots at home.
How to reverse root rot on Alocasia Polly
- 1
Cut back on watering volume so the substrate dries between drinks, since the book warns that 'we must reduce the volume of water given to a plant, too, to protect them against rot' when indoor light and heat are lower than outdoors.
- 2
Improve drainage and airflow around the root zone, because the same source reminds growers that 'ensuring there is sufficient drainage to prevent roots becoming waterlogged and then rotting as a result' is essential to keeping an aroid like Alocasia alive indoors.
- 3
If you raise humidity, pair it with added heat and airflow, because for Alocasia the author writes 'If humidity is added, heat and airflow must also be increased to avoid problems such as rot' rather than running humidity alone in a cool, still room.
Keep root rot off this Alocasia Polly
Let the top of the substrate dry before rewatering, use a free-draining aroid mix with chunky bark and perlite, and never let the pot sit in standing water — the book's recurring message for Alocasia is that matching water volume to the actual indoor light and heat level (rather than to the plant's wild habitat) is what keeps the root system from turning to rot.