Alocasia Black Velvet – Plant Care Tips

Alocasia Black Velvet Lighting & Position

These indoor plants thrive in a warm, humid and well-lit position with indirect light. Keep them away from open with cooling units as they are very sensitive to cold drafts and sudden temperature fluctuations.

Alocasia Black Velvet Watering

 It’s important to keep up a regular watering routine. In summer you want to keep the soil moist but not soggy. To monitor this, you can use your finger to poke into the top 5 cm of potting mix and feel the soil moisture level before watering. If it feels particularly wet, let it dry out for longer. Overwatering can lead to fungal issues or root rot. Try watering once a week, using just enough water to start to see some draining from the bottom of the pot. During winter, when the plant isn’t in an active growing phase you should reduce watering frequency.

As with all plants, drainage is essential. Ensure that whatever vessel your plant is in, there are sufficient holes in the bottom to allow excess water to freely drain from the pot and away from the plant’s roots. 

These tropical plants don’t do well with long periods of dryness, they express this through dry, brown leaf tips and margins. They can also experience moisture stress from a lack of watering routine, they express this through yellowing leaves. Keep monitoring them to ensure the happy balance of moisture within the soil.

Alocasia Black Velvet Humidity

Being tropical rainforest plants, Alocasias thrive in high humidity environments. Some tips for increasing humidity include grouping plants together, placing pots on a pebble tray or – if you want to go all out – buy a small humidifier online and place it in amongst your rainforest friends! 

N.b. misting with a spray bottle will only improve humidity temporarily, and if done excessively can lead to fungal issues. Misting should only be done occasionally and is most effective as part of your leaf cleaning routine (mist and then gently wipe leaves with a cloth to clear away dust from the leaf surface.

Alocasia Black Velvet Fertiliser

Feed with liquid fertiliser monthly over the warm, growing period and not at all over the cooler winter months.

We recommend using our Plant Food available here. 

Alocasia Black Velvet Extra Tips

Once a month you can wipe down the plants leaves using a damp cloth to clean away any dust that has collected and may be preventing the leaves from breathing. You can also prune off any damaged or dying leaves using a sharp pair of scissors or secateurs.

Alocasia Black Velvet Toxicity

This plant is toxic if ingested for both humans and animals so keep it away from kids or your furry friends!

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