root rot on Alocasia Portei
Quick answer
If your Alocasia Portei has root rot, the most likely cause is: Alocasia portei, sold in the trade as the Portadora elephant ear, is a tall, large-leaved Alocasia variety that, like the rest of the genus, comes from dark and damp rainforest floors where heat and light evaporate moisture quickly; in a typical indoor pot the substrate stays wet far longer than in its natural habitat, so the fine roots and rhizome suffocate and turn to rot under home watering volumes.
Start here:
- 1. Let the top 5 cm (2 in) of a chunky, free-draining aroid mix dry out before each watering, because the Alocasia genus profile in The Houseplant Handbook warns that too much water will cause root rot, particularly in shadier indoor spots where the substrate dries slowly.
- 2. Move the plant to a brighter spot with bright but indirect light so it transpires faster, and switch to a pot with drainage holes filled with a chunky, free-draining aroid mix so excess water can escape the root zone rather than sitting around the rhizome.
Why Alocasia Portei gets root rot
alocasia portei
Alocasia portei, sold in the trade as the Portadora elephant ear, is a tall, large-leaved Alocasia variety that, like the rest of the genus, comes from dark and damp rainforest floors where heat and light evaporate moisture quickly; in a typical indoor pot the substrate stays wet far longer than in its natural habitat, so the fine roots and rhizome suffocate and turn to rot under home watering volumes.
How to reverse root rot on Alocasia Portei
- 1
Let the top 5 cm (2 in) of a chunky, free-draining aroid mix dry out before each watering, because the Alocasia genus profile in The Houseplant Handbook warns that too much water will cause root rot, particularly in shadier indoor spots where the substrate dries slowly.
- 2
Move the plant to a brighter spot with bright but indirect light so it transpires faster, and switch to a pot with drainage holes filled with a chunky, free-draining aroid mix so excess water can escape the root zone rather than sitting around the rhizome.
- 3
Pair any added humidity with heat and airflow, since Not Another Jungle reminds growers that for Alocasia, 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 Portei
Match indoor watering to the actual indoor light and heat rather than to the wet tropical habitat alocasias come from; keep the substrate drier than the rainforest floor by letting the top of the mix dry by at least 50 percent between waterings, and never let the pot sit in standing water.