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One of the only plants I’ve grown from corm is the Alocasia Zebrina. I got this plant as a simple corm, it was the size of a 1cm ball, planted it and now it’s got 3 leaves! This is a must-have plant as it’s super easy to grow and you can easily share it with others.
Alocasia Zebrina main care directions.
- Water. It’s time to water Alocasia Zebrina when the soil is almost dry – or dry when you stick your finger in about one inch deep into the soil. This is not a plant that likes to stay dry for too long.
- Light. Place in a spot getting bright indirect sunlight or under plant grow lights (which is what I do).
- Fertilizer. Feed Alocasia Zebrina a high quality fertilizer like Dyna-Gro. Feed every watering, bi-weekly, or once a month. Pause fertilizer feeding during the winter months (when plants are dormant).
- Humidity. Alocasia Zebrina thrive in high humidity in the 50%+ range. I keep mine right at about 50% and it’s loving it.
Here’s what to know to keep Alocasia Zebrina thriving in your home.
Light
Alocasia Zebrina thrive in bright sunlight or under plant grow lights. The best place for this plant is in a spot near a south, east, or west facing window. South facing windows get the brightest, most intense sunlight of the day, so if you place your plant here, make sure the plant gets some dappled sunlight. This plant can handle a little bit of direct sunlight, but not too much.
My Alocasia Zebrina is sitting under T5 Barrina plant grow lights which are on 12 hours a day from 8AM-8pm. I have this plant in an IKEA cabinet that I turned into a greenhouse cabinet.
I would not place this plant in a spot getting low light as this can lead to the Alocasia Zebrina falling to pest pressures or leaves dying off from low sunlight.
Water
If you give your plant a ton of sunlight (say, near a south facing window), expect to water your plant more often than you would if you placed this plant in a dark corner of your house (which you wouldn’t want to do anyways!).
I water Alocasia Zebrina once a week and find that’s all it needs, but this could be different for you depending on how much sunlight the plant is getting, the humidity, and how big the plant is.
You may also notice you don’t need to water as much in the winter as you do in the summer. This is because plants are generally in their dormant phase in the winter and aren’t actively growing.
You can also use a moisture meter to determine your soils moisture level. I personally love using a moisture meter but I know it’s a controversial tool. People are split – either they really love this tool or think its entirely inaccurate and a waste of money.
Soil
Alocasia Zebrina thrive in well-draining soil that have good air flow moving throughout the roots. These aren’t the kind of plants that thrive in compact, dense soil (most plants don’t for that matter), so make sure to use a chunky soil.
You can make your own soil blend with an easy recipe like 25% coco coir, 25% perlite, 25% orchid bark, and 25% worm castings.
You can also buy a pre-made potting mix like Fox Farm Ocean Forest. This stuff contains a blend of worm castings, forest humus, moss, and other high quality ingredients.
If you have a ton of houseplants you need to repot, it’s most likely cheaper to buy everything separately and make your potting mix yourself.
Temperature
Alocasia Zebrina do well in any home that is between temperatures of 60 degrees F to 90 degrees (15 degrees Celsius to 32 degrees Celsius).
fDo not place this plant in a drafty area like a window, vent, or door.
Fertilizer
Alocasia Zebrina thrive when fed fertilizer during the active growing season which is typically March through September. Your plants go dormant in the winter season and you don’t need to worry about fertilizer during this time.
You can buy a houseplant fertilizer at any store that sells plants, but an important tip to know is that you should always dilute any fertilizer recipe in half. This is because most fertilizers are way too strong and can actually kill your plants if the recipe is not diluted in half.
One of my go to houseplant fertilizers is Dyna-Gro. To use this, I simply mix about a teaspoon into a gallon of drinking water and use this drinking water to feed my houseplants.
Humidity
Alocasia Zebrina are one of those plants that definitely thrive in high humidity. If you don’t give this plant high humidity, you may notice the leaves start to shrivel up or turn yellow and fall off. You may even notice your plant falls to pest pressures.
This is why high humidity is so important for this plant. Give this plant at least 50%+ humidity either by placing it next to a humidifier or under some kind of plastic or glass dome. You can also place this plant in some type of greenhouse which is what I do.
My greenhouse cabinet sits at about 50% without any humidifier inside – instead all of the plants work together to create a microclimate of higher humidity. Plus, it’s not safe to put humidifiers in cabinets. As you can see below my humidity reader is saying the cabinet is at 54% humidity.
Propagation
You can propagate Alocasia Zebrina either by division or corm.
If propagating this plant by division, here is what you need to do:
- Gently remove the mother plant from the pot and divide the plant at the base/roots.
- Plant the division’s into new pots to create more plants.
If propagating this plant by corm/bulb, here is what you need to do:
- Place the bulb/corm in a small plastic container with a little bit of water.
- Do not let the plastic container dry out, there should always be a little bit of water on the corm.
- Eventually the corm will take and roots will form on the corm.
- Once the roots are visible, you can move the bulb to soil by gently pressing the corm into moist soil.
- Place in a spot getting bright sunlight and mist every 3-4 days.
- Ideally the corm should grow in a spot getting high humidity in the 50%+ range.
- You should see a leaf grow in a few weeks.
Below is a picture of a corm in a small plastic container with water. It’s not the clearest photo, but you can see that the roots are starting to form. I was getting really excited at this point!
Alocasia Zebrina Common Questions
Is Alocasia Zebrina rare?
Alocasia Zebrina isn’t a rare houseplant as you can find this plant at most plant stores. You probably won’t find this plant at any big box stores that sells plants.
How much is a Alocasia Zebrina?
Alocasia Zebrina cost less than $20 for a 4 inch pot.
How do you care for Alocasia Zebrina?
Alocasia Zebrina are pretty easy to care for. Just remember these things:
- Water when the soil is almost dried out
- Place in a spot getting bright indirect sunlight or under plant grow lights
- Fertilize during the active growing season
- Give at least 50%+ humidity
Is Alocasia Zebrina a fast grower?
Alocasia Zebrina is a medium-speed grower. It’s not super fast like a Philodendron Brasil but it’s also not as slow as a cactus. This plant is so satisfying to watch go from corm to plant with foliage.
How big do Alocasia Zebrina get?
Alocasia Zebrina can get up to 3 feet tall, so it’s definitely a plant that takes up some room and makes a statement in your home.
Is Alocasia Zebrina toxic to pets?
Yes, this plant is toxic to pets. You can get more information on toxic and pet-friendly plants at ASPCA here.
Why is my Alocasia Zebrina getting spider mites?
Spider mites love Alocasia’s and that’s something you need to know before getting this plant. Spider mites thrive in dry, warm conditions, which is why you need to have this plant sitting in high humidity.
These little suckers can completely destroy a plant in days (as well as the plants surrounding it). This is why pest prevention is key and I talk about this more below.
Common pests
Alocasia Zebrina is prone to getting pests like aphids, mealybugs, scale, and spider mites. To avoid pest pressures, I recommend using a pest preventive like Bonide and Azamax.
Bonide Systemic Granules are small tiny pebbles that you sprinkle on top of your plants potting mix. This is one of the best products you can use to avoid getting fungus gnats and other annoying pests. You only have to sprinkle this stuff on your plants soil once every two months or when you notice your plants are getting gnats.
I also like using Azamax on my plants as an extra pest preventive. This is because once pest pressures get out of hand, it’s really hard to get rid of them. So I use both Bonide and Azamax as a safety measure. I’ve never had any pest pressures on my 200+ plants.
How to get rid of spider mites
Here are my best tips to get rid of these annoying little mites:
- Gather all of the plants that have spider mites on them (if you have a room full of plants, you’ll likely want to treat all of the plants).
- Rinse the foliage with water and a rag. Cut off all leaves that are yellowed or dying off.
- Make a mixture of soap and water in a spray bottle. I squeeze about 1 tablespoon of Dr. Bronners into a spray bottle and fill the rest with water. Then spray each leaf (backside and frontside) as well as stems, soil, everything with this spray mixture.
- Instead of the soap mixture, you can also use Azamax, which works wonders for getting rid of spider mites. With Azamax, you mix 1-2 oz per gallon of water and spray the plants every few days with this mixture.
- Keep a close eye on your plants and once the spider mites are gone, get on a regular pest preventive schedule.
Key Points To Remember
Alocasia Zebrina is a stunning plant with unique foliage and spotted petioles. While Alocasia are known for being more difficult plants, this particular plant is easy and has given me zero problems, which is why I recommend it to people new to Alocasias.
Here are the key things to remember for Alocasia Zebrina.
- Place in a spot getting bright indirect sunlight (south facing windows is best)
- Water once the top inch of soil is dry
- Fertilize during the active growing season with a high quality fertilizer like Dyna Gro
- Place in a spot getting at least 50%+ humidity
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