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Alocasia robusta

I ordered an A. robusta (largest undivided leaf on the planet... gotta like that) on ebay a while back. The existing leaf promptly shrivelled, and I waited about a month for new growth to show up. Now, I have three new sprouts coming up at the same time.

My question is, does anyone know when I should consider dividing this thing? I can wait as long as I need to, but I'm wondering if there's a point when the three plants will impede each other by sharing the same root system? Might one become dominant and halt the growth of the others? Or should I wait as long as possible so the plants can get nice and strong? Or will it simply divide itself as it grows?

Probably a very basic question, but I've never been in the sprouting stage with an Alocasia. Normally I'd just let it do its thing, but I like the idea of getting three $20 plants for the price of one.
 
Hello Endparenthesis! You can divide the rhizome in anytime, as long as warmth and humidity is right in your place. If these 2 conditions are present you can divide it. IF not, wait untill temperatures are 75F or up and give it good humidity, so you can prevent that the growth will keep on with its process and and avoid rot of the rhizome.

It is better to divide an Alocasia rhizome, before it produce new roots and leaves. That way you encourage a good growth.

Other thing is that if you have 3 growing points, only 1 will develop, the other 2 will become dormant and wait until the grown one desappears. So, you better divdide them if you want to havemore than 1 plant.

How big was the leaf , when yo urecieved the plant? I have seen A. robusta that have leaves that messure more than 6 feet.

Well if you have any other questions, you can contact me.
 
Excellent info, thank you. I was afraid of the dormancy thing, though I don't know why it occurred to me. Maybe I read somewhere that that happens and forgot about it. Already one leaf is growing much faster than the others.

The plant was just a baby when I got it. The leaf was about 3"x5", and there was only one.
 
Hello! Well yes, the dormancy of several sprouts appearing atthe same time it is something that you must always be watching, since 1 rhizome is not enough to support many growing points at the same time, but if you divide it, it will produce independent rot systems that can support each individual.

So, your plant was a baby, ok. Wheredo you live? Because if you have at least sub-tropical conditions be prepare to se your plants growto monstrous sizes. It is very cool. I have a large collection of Alocasias, Colocasias and Xanthosomas, and even though I do not have A. robusta, I have seen it in the Bothanical Gardens od University of Puerto Rico, and believe me it is amazingly huge, it is even scary;0)

Enjoy them
smile.gif
 
I haven't grown any of them outside yet... I'll be putting them outside for much of the spring and summer probably. Right now they're in pots that get too small too quickly. The monstrous sizes are exactly why I love these plants, and I'm disappointed the botanical garden closest to me doesn't have any of the huge species.

I actually have about all the plants I've had my eye on (except for Xanth). There's the robusta, a portadora, a macrorrhiza "rubra" (another baby plant that wilted and I'm hoping for growth with), and a C. esculenta 'Black Magic', which hasn't been a very strong grower so far. The leaves start to brown on the edges within a week of maturing and though the stalks are getting a little taller, the leaves keep ending up about the same size.

I'd offer you one of these baby robustas, but I take it you're in a different country from me.

Anyway, thanks again for the advice.
 
Hello Endparenthesis! I know what you say about monstrous size, that is also, what I like most fo this plants, and since I am in a tropical-sub-tropcial region they can get really huge. About the brown or burnt edges that is becuase of low humidity, so, you should spray water o their leaves and stems more often. OR use water trays with some of them.

My freind, I am going to tell you something, that I am repeting on and on, here, and in other forums I am and almost everywhere in the web. Puerto Rico, is not a foreign country, Puerto Rico, is a Commonwealth, or territory of USA, so I am a USA Citizent like everybody that is born here. PR is within USA, the USPS service is our postal service, the Department of Agriculture of USA is our department of agriculture, and our president is the same than the other 50 states and the other 3 territories of USA. Keep in mind that USA, beside of having 50 states, it also includes 4 territories: PR, US Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa.

Now, you do not have to send me the robusta baby, do not worry about that. But I see, if I understood right, that you'd like to have Xanthosoma?
confused.gif
I have Xanthosoma violaceum, so if you want I can send to you 1, PM me if you are interrested. I also have Colocasia Gigantea and Alocasia cucullata. All of them are huge, since I cultivate them in the Plantation of my familly. I have others, but this ones I've told you are the ones that I have in enormous quantities.

Well, let me know if you are interrested in any of the plants.
 
I didn't know where you lived... I just got the impression you were in the tropics somewhere. Maybe I can trade a robusta for one of those plants? I do like the huge ones, but some of them have leaf shapes that either don't appeal to me or I feel are already represented in what I have (two plants that look kinda the same to me but that are called different things still feel redundant to me). So I'll have to go find some pictures of the plants you mentioned. Thank you for the offer.

I didn't try misting the 'Black Magic' because the leaves seemed to have a supernatural ability to resist the water (it will bead and actually sit there in a ball for days)... I didn't think it could possibly be absorbing it. But I'll give it a try. The humidity where I am will slowly be increasing anyway... it's just winters that are tricky for me.
 
Hello there!

Endparenthesis, we have spoken about this already, but for those that maybe need this info about the misting on Alocasias, Colocasias Xanthosomas, here is it.

These plants will repel water, this is why you mist water to their leaves and water fall from leaves or stay there as drops. And it would sem that the plant will not absorb water thru the leaves. But it will. While these water will start to evaporate, this water vapor will be absorbed for the leaves and stems of the plant.

Their leaves won't absorb lots of water as most plants do thru their leaves. But they will, little by little, from evaporated water. From the water-drops that are in the leaves, or form the one that have fallen into the soil. More than water, is naturaly porduced water vapor.

So if you have low humidity in your region, you should mist the leaves an the stems. As well you must keep the soil moist to help in this process. Here in PR, we have a humidity that is most of the time over 65%, and even so, I must mist my plants almost everyday, to avoid leaves edges or entire leaves to become dehidratate.

Obviously there are other factors that can burnt their leaves like very high light and hot temperatures. But those burnts are different, they look like of you have place a flame near the plant. When you see leaves edges most of the times it is low humidity.

Well, I hope this can help
smile.gif
 
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