Your plant started as a corm, a little bulb that sprouted roots and leaves here at Nature House. It is growing in Pon, a mineral substrate that soaks up water from the bottom of the cup and keeps air around the roots. That means less guessing and less risk of rot. Each corm comes in a clear 4 oz cup with drainage holes about halfway up the side, so the bottom half of the cup works as a water reservoir.
Watering
- Pour water slowly into the cup until it starts to run out of the side holes, about halfway up. Now the reservoir is full.
- Let the water at the bottom go down until the reservoir is empty. You can see it through the clear cup.
- Wait 1 to 2 days, then refill. Always mix plant food into this water (see Feeding below).
- Never fill above the side holes. The corm should sit above the water, not in it.
Light and comfort
- Bright, indirect light. A spot near a window without harsh afternoon sun is ideal.
- Keep it warm, between 65 and 85°F. No cold drafts or AC vents.
- Alocasia love humidity. Grouping plants together or setting the cup near a humidifier helps a lot in Tucson.
Feeding, made simple
Pon has no food in it, so your plant only eats what you put in the water. The easy rule: feed weakly, every time you water.
- Use a fertilizer made for semi-hydro or hydroponics, like SUPERthrive Foliage-Pro (formerly Dyna-Gro Foliage-Pro). Mix it at the rate the bottle gives for hydroponic or semi-hydro use.
- Mix one gallon jug and use it for every refill. No measuring each time.
- Less is more. A weak mix every watering is better than a strong dose once in a while.
Check the SUPERthrive label
SUPERthrive makes more than one product. The original SUPERthrive in the small bottle is a vitamin supplement, not plant food, so it cannot feed a plant in Pon by itself. Make sure your bottle says Foliage-Pro, or use another complete fertilizer made for semi-hydro.
Monthly rinse
Once a month, fill the cup with plain water and let it drain out the side holes. Do this twice. This washes away mineral buildup. White crust on the Pon is normal and a sign it is time to rinse.
Growing up
- When roots fill the cup, it is time to move up a size in Pon (see below).
- An older leaf may yellow as a new one comes in. That is normal.
- In cooler months, Alocasia can slow down or drop leaves to rest. Keep the corm in its cup, water less, and wait. New growth comes back with warmth.
Moving up a size in Pon
- Upsize when roots fill the cup or circle the bottom, or when the plant starts to tip over.
- Move it into a self-watering pot (coming soon at Nature House) or a clear cache pot or vase, 1 to 2 inches wider.
- Rinse your new Pon in a strainer to wash off the dust.
- Fill the bottom third of the new pot with Pon.
- Ease the plant out of its cup, keeping the old Pon around the roots. No need to clean them off.
- Set it in so the corm sits at the same height as before. Fill the rest of the way with Pon and tap the pot to settle it.
- Add your fertilizer water until it fills the bottom third of the pot. That is your new reservoir.
Nature House Pon Fine and Pon Chunky are available at hollysnaturehouse.com.
Prefer soil? Here's how to switch
- Wait until your plant is actively growing, ideally in spring or summer.
- Gently rinse the Pon off the roots under lukewarm water.
- Pot into a small pot, no bigger than the root ball, with an airy mix like Nature House Chunky Mix.
- Keep the soil lightly moist, never soggy, and humidity high for 2 to 3 weeks while new soil roots form.
- Losing a leaf during the switch is normal. The corm will push out a new one.
Tip from The Plant Lady: If you can see water at the bottom of the cup, no need to add more.
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