When Alocasia leaves collapse out of the blue, there is a solid reason behind it. This guide explains the most common causes of a bent arrow blade. You can find out how to prevent the unsightly bend in the leaf stem here.
Why do Alocasia leaves break and how can you prevent this?
Alocasia leaves often break due to lack of light, root rot, pest infestation or drought. To prevent this, the plant should be placed in a bright location with 800-1,000 lux and sufficient water supply, dead roots should be removed and pests should be controlled.
Why do Alocasia leaves break?
The most common cause of broken Alocasia leaves isLack of light In a location that is too dark, long shoots grow towards the light. Over time, these elongated leaf stalks are too weak to support the majestic leaf blades and they break off. Other reasons for bent Alocasia leaves are:
- Root rot: rotten roots no longer transport nutrients to the leaves, causing the weakened leaf stems to bend.
- Pest infestation: Spider mites deprive an arrow leaf of its lifeblood until it hangs limply and bends over.
- Drought: dried out substrate stops the water supply to the leaves, which then wither and break.
How can I prevent Alocasia leaves from breaking?
So that the leaves do not break due to lack of light, alocasias need abright location with five hours of sunlight. The lighting intensity at the location should be at least 800 to 1,000 lux so that an elephant ear does not allow unstable fear drives towards light to grow. You can fix other causes of bent arrow blades like this:
- Cause of root rot: Unpot alocasia, cut off rotten roots, plant in a loose, permeable substrate mixture, water more sparingly from now on.
- Cause of spider mites: Rinse leaves thoroughly and spray regularly with soft water.
- Cause of dryness: Immerse the root ball in rainwater until no more air bubbles appear.
Tip
Don't cut off broken Alocasia leaves too quickly
Brunched Alocasia leaves continue to make an important contribution to photosynthesis and nutrient supply. For this reason, you should only cut off a bent arrow leaf when it has completely yellowed and died. Until then, the remaining nutrients are transferred from the leaf into the tuber as a valuable energy reserve for the sprouting of new Alocasia leaves.
