Alocasia Polly

The Alocasia Polly, also known as the Alocasia Amazonica, African Mask Plant, or Elephant Ear Plant, is a very trendy lil plant that you’ve probably seen all over social media. Its large and odd-shaped leaves with bright nerves will jump out at you from a distance. Like other Alocasias, the Alocasia Polly is a tropical plant that has very particular wishes in order to thrive and might not be the best plant for beginners. However, if you master the finicky Alocasia Polly, you’ll be able to take care of other, more advanced plants as well 😉

Watering

Alocasias are tropical plants, which means they need quite a bit of moisture. However, most Alocasias, including the Alocasia Polly, have thick stems which they use to store moisture. They use the moisture stored in their stems to feed themselves, so they don’t have to rely on moisture in the soil. Therefore, you should only water when the soil is dry.

The Alocasia Polly is quite sensitive to overwatering. We’ve already seen that it stores a lot of moisture in its thick stems and that it likes it’s soil to dry out. The Polly has soft roots, so they won’t survive as easily. Letting the soil dry out is the best way to prevent any problems and won’t put your plant at risk of root rot.

Light

The Alocasia Polly should be kept in a bright area, but shouldn’t be exposed to direct sunlight. Adult leaves can tolerate this harsh light for a little while, but this bright sunlight will burn new leaves and dry them out. It’s best to avoid this situation altogether and put your Alocasia Polly in a space where it won’t be exposed to direct sunlight.

As the Alocasia Polly still wants to be in a bright environment, it will like many other plants, grow towards the light. To make sure your Alocasia Polly grows straight, you should rotate your house plant by 90 degrees every week. By doing this, you expose all sides of your Alocasia Polly to the same amount of sunlight exposure and it’ll grow straight up.

Care

• The Alocasia Polly needs well draining soil to make sure it’s roots aren’t moist for too long. You’ll also want to plant in a pot with drainage holes. This is the best way to prevent root rot.
• If the leaves start to brown on the edges, they are getting burned from too much sunlight. Move your plant to a spot with less direct sunlight.
• The Alocasia Polly is toxic to pets. If you notice your cat or dog eating a leaf call the vet immediately. Best bet is to keep out of reach of all pets and small children.
• When the winter gets closer and it’s getting colder outside, your Alocasia Polly will start its dormancy period. This means different things for different plants, but for the Alocasia Polly it means that it will slow down it’s growth and it might even stop growing altogether until the spring. During this dormancy period, you should water your plant less and also fertilize your plant less. Your Polly won’t need as much energy as it’s not growing any more.