Corm babies
Reported my #AlocasiaPolly today for the first time. I found some beautiful roots, and found 7 corms. How do I go about getting these #corms to #propagate ? Also, what soilMix">#soilMix is best for Alocasia ?
5ft to light, indirect
7” pot with drainage
Last watered 1 month ago
4
First you'll want to remove the outer layer of the corm (your fingernail works best). After that, you have a few options. My personal favorite is placing it in a small plastic cup with some damp sphagnum moss. Keep it covered with either a lid or plastic wrap, but let it air out occasionally so it doesn't rot. Make sure the sphagnum moss stays damp but not sopping wet—aim for what a dish sponge feels like after you wring it out really well. A clear plastic cup works best so you can keep an eye on how things are progressing. You can also place it in a ziploc bag with damp sphagnum moss, following the same instructions for airing it out and keeping the moss moist, although I haven't been as successful with this method compared to the cup 😛
As for the best Alocasia soil, they'll really do fine in anything as long as it's chunky and fast draining. I use succulent soil as a base for all of my plants, then add other amendments depending on the plant. For Alocasia, I add orchid bark or coco chips (or both), perlite, and if I have any some horticultural charcoal. I've also done this mix with coco coir in place of the succulent soil, which works just as well but will need some added nutrients that would normally be entering the mix via the succulent soil. I also like to add a few handfuls/scoops of earthworm castings, which is a fantastic way to add organic matter to your soil. I always buy my coco chips and coco coir in the reptile dept of the pet store (much cheaper than getting it from a plant shop or nursery!).
3 parts soil/coco coir
2 parts orchid bark/coco chips
1 part perlite
A few handfuls each of horticultural charcoal and earthworm castings
As for the best Alocasia soil, they'll really do fine in anything as long as it's chunky and fast draining. I use succulent soil as a base for all of my plants, then add other amendments depending on the plant. For Alocasia, I add orchid bark or coco chips (or both), perlite, and if I have any some horticultural charcoal. I've also done this mix with coco coir in place of the succulent soil, which works just as well but will need some added nutrients that would normally be entering the mix via the succulent soil. I also like to add a few handfuls/scoops of earthworm castings, which is a fantastic way to add organic matter to your soil. I always buy my coco chips and coco coir in the reptile dept of the pet store (much cheaper than getting it from a plant shop or nursery!).
3 parts soil/coco coir
2 parts orchid bark/coco chips
1 part perlite
A few handfuls each of horticultural charcoal and earthworm castings
@stephonicle I guess I need to add sphagnum moss to my grocery list 🤣 thank you so much! I did use a mix premixed soil & perlite with orchid bark & some charcoal. Hopefully she holds well in there.
@ModestCoconut13 sounds like a great soil mix! You can also use just perlite for the corms, but it dries out much faster. Sphagnum moss is definitely a useful thing to have on hand. If you have a plant whose soil dries out too quickly, a layer of sphagnum on top of the soil can help. Besides corms, I also use it in my humidity box, which has my Alocasias and a few other potted plants, but is also where I toss any stem cuttings to get them to root.
@stephonicle I kind of jumped into this whole plant thing without thinkin about any proper set ups, etc. but I also didn’t think buying one pothos would lead me here. 🤣 so I definitely have a lengthy list of things I need. You’ve been very helpful thank you for all the extra tips!