Looking for the wisdom of the more experienced. I have what I think is pest damage on my alocasia. I was suspicious of spidemites, but haven’t visualized any pests on the plant. I have been showering it and treating with insecticidal soap. The last leaf came out facing upwards and bowed, and it’s working on a new leaf now. It’s been next to another alocasia (that I’ve also been treating), but I’m not having issues with it. I also did accidentally let its water reservoir go dry. I don’t think that helped anything, but I don’t think it was the cause.

  • Günther Unlustig 🍄English
    1•30 days ago

    Your routine sounds like it already is ideal, great! :)

    In my experience, flushing only often tends to remove residues not quite as well as it should be. Do you see those brown colourations on the pumice? Those are waste products of decayed roots.

    Maybe you could soak the whole pot for a few hours in lukewarm water. The minerals and exudate are often inside the substrate too, at least I had it in pon.

    Also, I now found the culprit of those spots:

    Do you see the ingredient list? It’s super short.
    It lacks all micronutrients. This fertilizer is trash. It isn’t “plant food”, it’s the equivalent of a slice of white toast.

    Definitely get a proper fertilizer, like the one you mentioned from GH.
    I personally like Masterblend, because I have a lot of plants and it’s super cheap compared to pre-dissolved ones, while being pretty much the same.

    Those “good” ones are usually two part systems. They include ALL plants need, including trace elements.

    I made a post over at [email protected] on how to make the mixing way easier, without having to measure volumes. Check it out to save some time ;)