Last Updated on January 6, 2023 by Admin
The Alocasia Jacklyn is a unique looking plant that’s very different from most alocasia varieties. As such, it is well-sought after by collectors.
Because it is distinct the plant has been falsely identified as some other alocasias. Some of these including to being though of as mutations of the Alocasia nycteris or even the Alocasia portei.
Others refer to the plant as the Alocasia Tandurusa as well. Although there’s confusion and uncertainty about this as well.
As a result, the plant has still yet to be formally identified as of this day.
What we do know for sure is that it originated from Indonesia, particularly Northern Sulawesi.
How do you care for the Alocasia Jacklyn? The plant enjoys a well-lit location with no direct light. instead, give it indirect or filtered light. Because it hails from Indonesia, the Alocasia Jacklyn enjoys warm to hot, humid conditions.
It is likewise susceptible to overwatering, so allow the soil to dry between waterings. Also use well-draining soil.
Alocasia Jacklyn Plant Care
Light Requirements
The Alocasia Jacklyn enjoys a well-lit location with indirect light. It will be happiest with bright, indirect light. But it likewise won’t have a problem with medium light.
It can take low light but only to a certain degree. Once you past a certain threshold, it will not get enough light it needs to do well.
As such, avoid very dim areas or dark corners.
A simple way to test whether a certain position has enough light for the plant is to take a newspaper or magazine and read exactly where you plan on placing the plant.
If you can read the text in the content without squinting or having to open a lamp or ceiling lights, then the illumination is sufficient to keep the plant happy.
Otherwise, choose a brighter location.
On the other hand, keep the Alocasia Jacklyn away from direct sunlight.
The sun’s rays from late morning to mid-afternoon is just too intense for the plant’s tender foliage. And if you leave it in this environment for more than 1-2 hours a s day, they will turn yellow or brown.
In the worst case, too much sun will burn their leaves leaving the foliage with brown or black scorch marks.
As such, an east or west facing window is ideal.
That’s because the plant will be happy with the gentle morning or late afternoon sun. Then one the avoid is the sun’s rays between 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Outdoors, place the sun under partial shade. It cannot tolerate full sun.
Temperature
The Alocasia Jacklyn is native to the tropical forests of Indonesia. The country is in Southeast Asia and very close to the equator.
Thus, it experiences warm to hot, sunny weather all year round.
Its high temperature means they do not experience winter there. Instead, the weather is consistently warm to hot depending on the time of the year.
As such, the Alocasia Jacklyn prefers temperatures between 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. While it lives in a sunny climate, the forest canopy covers the brunt of the sun’s rays.
So, the plant enjoys a moderate to warm temperatures.
This is also why it cannot tolerate direct sunlight.
That said, the Alocasia Jacklyn does not have any problems living in hot conditions up to 90 or 95 degrees temperature.
On the other hand, the absence of cold weather in its natural habitat means that it is not cold hardy. In fact, it has low tolerance to the cold.
It has a hard time in temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
This means that it is important to move the plant indoors come fall once the weather gets colder. Avoid leaving your Alocasia Jacklyn plant outside during the winter as it will not survive through the spring.
Humidity
Another aspect of Southeast Asian countries due to their proximity to the equator is high humidity. This is why the Alocasia Jacklyn prefers humidity of 60% and above.
At this level, it will grow at its best.
Not only will the plant grow faster, it will also produce more foliage. The leaves will likewise get bigger and have better color.
That said, it can tolerate humidity down to 50% or slightly lower.
However, if you keep it below this threshold, make sure to monitor it closely, especially its leaves.
When there is a lock of humidity, the plant’s leaves will turn brown on the tips and edges. It will also become crispy and brittle there.
This is your sign that the plant is struggling and needs more moisture in the air.
The simplest thing you can do to fix this is to increase humidity around the plant.
You can do so by moving it to a more humid location like the bathroom or kitchen. Alternatively, you can mist the plant. But you’ll have to repeat this 2-3 times a week since its effects are temporary only.
More consistent ways of suppling extra moisture in the air is to use a humidifier or put the plant on a humidifying tray.
How Often to Water Alocasia Jacklyn
The Alocasia Jacklyn likes consistently moist soil. However, try to adding too much water or watering too often that the soil becomes wet or soggy.
The plant’s roots are not resistant to excess moisture. And they will suffer from overwatering if you keep the soil wet.
Similarly, don’t allow the soil to completely dry out as the plant is not drought tolerant either. Lack of water will turn its lush green leaves brown or crispy.
On the other hand, too much water tends to turn foliage yellow, soft and limp.
This means keeping a balance of somewhere in between too much or too little water.
On average, a potted Alocasia Jacklyn needs to be watered once a week.
But this can go up to twice weekly during hot summers. In winters it will usually drop to once every two weeks.
As such, it is not a good idea to rely on a fixed watering schedule.
Instead, check the soil every now and then to tell when to water the plant. Also, make sure to always feel the soil each time before you add water.
If it feels wet or is still moist, wait a couple of days and test the soil again.
Only add water once the top two inches of soil feels dry to the touch.
This will allow you to avoid overwatering the plant.
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Alocasia Jacklyn Potting Soil
The Alocasia Jacklyn needs loose soil that can stay moist and has good drainage. I know that the features seem to contradict one another since drainage is the complete opposite of moist.
However, with soil, this does make sense.
And this is what well-draining soil means.
It means that the soil will stay moist when you water because it will quickly drain away excess moisture. As such, it still holds some water in the soil.
But it will get rid of the rest quite fast.
This way, your plant’s roots get the water they need and do not end up sitting in excess liquid. The latter part is what causes overwatering and waterlogging.
That’s because roots need oxygen just as much as they need water.
If it gets too much water, the roots will drown or be swimming in the liquid since the soil is wet. This prevent air from getting through to the roots since water is blocking all the tiny air pockets.
As a result, the roots suffocate.
This is when root rot occurs.
On the other hand, too much air means the soil is very dry with no water. Again, this is bad for the Alocasia Jacklyn as it will get dehydrated.
When this happens, it will wilt and its leaves will turn brown.
Luckily, there’s an easy way to achieve this kind of soil. In fact, you can make it yourself at home. All you need are 3 ingredients. Then combine them this way:
- 1 part potting soil
- 1 part perlite
- 1 part peat moss
You can also replace the peat with coco coir if you want to use something that is more eco-friendly and sustainable.
Similarly, you can use pumice in place of perlite.
Fertilizer
The Alocasia Jacklyn needs fertilizer. This will allow it to stay healthy, grow faster and produce more leaves.
You can use an all-purpose fertilizer of 20-20-20 N-P-K or 15-15-15. Apply during the spring and summer. Don’t feed the plant during fall or winter.
Dilute the fertilizer by half the recommended strength.
That’s because plants in pots don’t need as fertilizer as those that grow outdoors in the soil. Thus, diluting will help reduce the concentration (it also saves you money since you only use half the dose each time).
A once a month application is enough for the plant.
Avoid giving it more fertilizer than it needs because commercial fertilizers contain salt and plants don’t like salt.
Thus, the more fertilizer you give the plant, the more salt it gets (in addition to the nutrients). The problem is, after the roots absorb the nutrients and the sun evaporates the water in the soil, you are left with salt.
As the salt builds up in the soil, it becomes toxic the plant. This will eventually damage the roots and cause the leaves to either turn yellow or brown.
Therefore, avoid overfeeding the plant.
Additionally, it is good practice to flush the soil using water every few months to get rid of the salts in the soil.
Pruning
The Alocasia Jacklyn can grow into a big plant. It can reach 5 to 8.5 feet tall outdoors. Its leaves will also grow quite big, reaching a several feet.
Indoors, the plant will not grow as big. However, it will still reach a height to 3 to 4 feet tall, while its leaves will get as long as a foot.
Therefore, it will need some space. And it will likely sit in a pot on the fllor.
Also, the Alocasia Jacklyn is a fast growing plant.
And in a span of 6 months, it will grow quite a few leaves that grow in different directions. Thus, you do need to give the plant some space to its side to grow.
If you are tight or space, pruning is a good option to lessen the leaves or cut back the longer ones.
Pruning can also be used to encourage the plant to get bushier or grow more leaves. Just choose areas that look a bit bare and trim the stems there. They will soon grow more to fill up that location.
Of course, make sure to remove any leaves that are affected by infection. Cut off foliage that are old, dying and damaged as well.
How to Propagate Alocasia Jacklyn
The Alocasia Jacklyn grows from rhizomes. It will also produce offsets.
These are the two best methods of propagating this Alocasia plant.
- Divide the rhizomes
- Separate the offsets
The latter is by far the simplest.
Offsets grow from the roots at the base of the plant. This happens naturally. But the offsets also grow on the plant’s own timetable.
Therefore, you have no control over when they will appear or not.
Thus, while propagating from offsets is simple and straightforward, it is inconsistent and unpredictable. So, take the offsets when you get the opportunity.
But it is not a good idea to rely on them if you plan to propagate because they may not be there.
To propagate from offsets, simple remove them from the parent plant.
Then plant them in their own pots with well-draining draining soil.
Offsets will grow and mature into exact copies of the mother plant in time.
To propagate the Alocasia Jacklyn by division, you’ll need to take the plant out of its pot.
Remove excess soil so you can clearly see the roots.
Unlike tap roots or fibrous roots, tuberous look a bit weird and to some intimidating. But they are not.
The root system of this plant is made up of many rhizomes that are interconnected. And this is where the shoots and leaves develop from.
All you need to do is get a sterile knife and divide the rhizomes. Each will have their own root system which will allow the plant to survive.
In most cases, you’ll want to divide the parent once giving you 2 smaller plants. However, you can divide the mother plant to a few more sections if you wish.
It depends on the size of the plant and how many new Alocasia Jacklyn you want to propagate.
Once you have the divisions, pot up each of then in well-draining soil.
Alocasia Jacklyn How to Repot or Transplant
The Alocasia Jacklyn usually needs repotting every 12 to 18 months.
However, I don’t recommend following these guidelines strictly.
Instead, use them as estimates.
The best way to known when to repot the plant is when it gets root bound. Avoid doing so before then except for emergencies.
The plant does not like being moved. And moving it to another pot can cause stress or shock.
Thus, wait until you see roots coming out of the pot’s drainage holes before you repot.
The best time to repot is during spring to early summer.
When doing so, use a container that is once size larger or is about 2 inches bigger than the current pot. Avoid going much bigger as overpotting can lead to overwatering.
Also, it is a good idea to refresh the soil annually.
Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs
Yes, the Alocasia Jacklyn is toxic to people, cats and dogs. However, it only become toxic when ingested.
Therefore, touching, holding or move the plant does not expose humans or pets to the toxicity.
That’s because the plant contains calcium oxalate crystals. These get activated once ingested. And they can cause pain, irritation swelling in the oral area. It also causes vomiting, nausea and other side effects.
Alocasia Jacklyn Problems & Troubleshooting
Pests
Spider mites, mealybugs and aphids are the most common pests that will bother the Alocasia Jacklyn.
Because these are tiny, sap sucking insects, it is important to spot them early and get rid of them while they are few.
Individually, they don’t do damage due to their size.
But they populate rapidly which can turn a few bugs into a full blow infestation inside a week. Thus, regular inspection is essential.
Once you see any pests, wash them off using a garden hose or shower head. Use a gentle stream to wash the bugs off the plant.
Make sure to choose a location where the bugs go down the drain or away from your garden and other plants.
You’ll need to do this 2 to 4 times every few days and hope you get can them all.
Alternatively, you can also use neem oil on affected areas.
Diseases
Root rot and leaf infections are the usual issues here.
Root rot is very serious since it can destroy your plant. Therefore, avoid overwatering and soil that can get waterlogged.
Instead, allow the soil to dry between waterings and use well-draining soil.
Also don’t wet the leaves too much. Don’t water the plant late in the day when there is no sun to help dry the moisture.
