I have a love / hate relationship with Alocasias. If you have one or more of them, then you understand what I mean.
This plant, Alocasia micholitziana ‘Frydek’ is beautiful and striking and I wanted one before I even saw it in person. When I did see it in person, I didn’t even think twice. I also hate this plant, and by extension all Alocasias of which I now have five.
Tantrums. No plant throws a tantrum like an Alocasia. Wrong water, too much water, too little water, dry air… The list is endless, and it will go from looking stunning to a crispy brown mess in an instant.
Spider mites. I can deal with fungus gnats, but spider mites are the devil’s bug. If you have an Alocasia you have experienced spider mites. You can’t catch them in time, they can do a lot of damage very quickly, and Alocasias seem to come pre-loaded with them. All you can do is fight back and cross your fingers and hope they don’t spread.
But when all is going well, you get amazingly beautiful plants that delight the eye. So, I’m appreciating these Frydeks now while things are going well, and everyone is happy; and I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I’ll keep you posted.
