The hardy but elegant Alocasia Regal Shield is widely growing from home to office and also garden. Besides simple care requirements, the fast-growing nature of this plant also helps a lot with bringing a fresh green look to your space.
This article will shed some light on this alocasia care, propagation, and tips for the best growth.
What Is Alocasia Regal Shields?
Alocasia Regal Shield, often called Alocasia Elephant Ear, is a cultivar originating from Africa. It has large foliages with heart-shaped and light veins on the deep green background and looks like the elephant’s ear.
The plant is grown for leaves, but some white or yellow long inflorescences may come on warm days. The mature Elephant Ear can reach 6 – 8 feet tall.
Would you like to grow your own Regal Shield? This video discusses watering, soil, and lighting conditions for Alocasia Regal Shields:
Alocasia Regal Shields Care
Soil
Alocasia Regal Shields thrive in rich, well-drained, and slightly acidic soil. For example, a potting mix includes peat and perlite for indoors and moist-retentive ground with active earthworms outdoors.
The ideal pH is around 5.5 – 7.0, and you can check it with a soil test kit. Then, adjust the pH by adding some sulfur to lower or lime to increase.
Watering
Alocasia care requires moist but not soggy soil. The plants may tolerate slight nonconsecutive drought, but it’s better to water them weekly or when the top 1-2 inches of the ground gets dry.
Slowly hydrating is recommended to let the water spread into roots evenly and gradually. Water the plant more in the summer and less in wintertime.
Light
Do Elephant Ears like sun or shade? The answer is both but except for intense light sources. These plants love bright indirect sunlight.
For Alocasia care indoor, put them near a south or north-facing window and rotate the plant regularly since they tend to thrive toward the light direction.
Outdoors, grow them under large plants or a 40% shade cloth so that the plant can get some shade or filtered light.
Humidity
As a tropical cultivar, Alocasia Regal Shields prefers consistent moisture with high humidity of up to 80%.
How to keep indoor Elephant Ear plants moist? You can mist, use humidifiers, or add pebbles to keep the plants hydrated.
Temperature
Alocasia Regal Shields thrive at a temperature around 68 – 86°F (20 – 30°C) for daytime and not lower than 60°F (16°C) for nighttime. The best condition is 77°F (25°C), while the weather under 60°F may make them turn dull and fall off leaves.
Common Problems With Alocasia Regal Shields
Why are my Alocasia Regal Shield leaves curling?
The significant reasons here are underwatering and low humidity. You should check the soil moisture regularly and maintain a hydrating routine.
My Alosia Elephant Ears is wilting and drooping leaves. What to do?
The most common reason here is waterlogging, resulting in root rot. Identified by the roots are no longer white and firm but brown and slushy.
Now, check if you are overwatering or your pot is poor-drained. If excess water is slow-released, consider changing the soil or adding drainage material like activated charcoal to consume surplus water.
Why do my Alocasia Regal Shields’ leaves turn yellow?
A significant cause for yellow leaves is salt buildup from over-fertilization. The solution is to water the ground 3 – 4 times deeply to wash off the salt.
Remember to drench the soil until the water drains out. Rainwater is the best way to go, but overnight freshwater is still sufficient to support the plant.
Propagating Alocasia Regal Shields
The best way to spread a rhizomatous plant is to divide its rhizome. Spring or early summer is ideal for distributing Alocasia Regal Shields, thanks to the great light and weather conditions.
Steps on how to transplant Elephant Ears
- Gently dig the plant out of the ground or the pot.
- Separate the plant into parts so that there are roots and at least 1 – 2 shoots attached to each.
- Place the divided pieces into a moist potting mix, ideally an organic one such as peat and perlite with equal parts.
- Place the pot in a warm space and regularly moisten the soil with warm water.
How fast do Elephant Ears grow?
- 2 – 3 weeks is enough for the plant to establish in the soil and generate new roots.
- 14 – 20 weeks is ideal for a baby plant to achieve full maturity.
Top Tips For Growing A Healthy Alocasia Regal Shields
Repotting Alocasia Regal Shields
Typically, you would need to repot the plant once every two years or more. It will take 2 – 4 weeks for the plant to return to normal growth.
There are 3 cues to change:
- The roots go out of the pot’s holes.
- The plant is so big that the container can’t hold it firmly anymore.
- The soil becomes poor-drained or low in nutrition after a long period.
Fertilize Elephant Ears Plant
Elephant Ear is a heavy feeder. Support the plant monthly with a water-soluble fertilizer with an N-P-K ratio at 20-20-20 or any homemade organic compost during spring and summer.
Pests and diseases
The plant can attract mealybugs, thrips, aphids, and scale. If you see any, separate the plant from others to avoid spreading the pests and discard them with insecticidal soap and water.
Toxicity
Alocasia is toxic for people and pets. So, keep it away from children and pets to avoid harming their mouth and digestive system from eating the plant.
Frequently Ask Questions (FAQ)
Can Regal Shield Alocasia take full sun?
No.
If you want alocasia to be happy, find it shade! Alocasis are considered far more of an indoor plant than outdoor one, and can not grow well in full sun or hot locations.
They demand moist soil (even boggy soil) with lots of humidity to thrive (high humidity around the house is never a bad thing).
Is Alocasia Regal Shield poisonous?
Yes.
Alocasia is a member of the Araceae or “Arum” family that are all are poisonous. They produce an irritant called calcium oxalate that can cause excruciating pain in the eyes, mouth, throat and stomach if ingested.
All parts of the plant including seeds, roots, leaves and flowers are toxic to humans so great care needs to be taken when handling Alocasia plants at home or in gardens with children or pets.
Does Alocasia purify air?
Yes.
Air filtration plants are used to purify the air in hospitals, nurseries, and corridors.
Though Alocasia are not typically marketed as “air filtering plants,” they DO filter out high levels of pollutants from the air including toxins like CO2 which is linked to global warming.
They also produce oxygen making them user-friendly for people who suffer from asthma or other respiratory conditions that require clean constant oxygen flow.
Conclusion
By the end of this article, we hope that you have grasped more valuable tips and advice on how to grow the plant successfully. Don’t forget to share with us your experience in the comment section below!
