Alocasia Scalprum care, propagation, leaves problem [All you need to know]

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Alocasia scalprum, commonly known as Samar lance, is a tropical ornamental plant whose extremely beautiful foliage can make you choose them as your houseplant.

You can maintain them by providing bright and indirect sunlight, 50°F to 75°F temperature and more than 50% humidity. Again, you can solve problems like yellowing, browning or dying by checking nutrient deficiency, over watering, over-fertilization and pest attack.

Thus, by judging their characteristics, you can get a perfect houseplant to decorate your house.

Alocasia scalprum
Alocasia scalprum

 Overview 

Scientific nameAlocasia scalprum
Other namesSamar lance
FamilyAraceae
OriginSamar island, the Philippines 
Plant height12″ tall
Plant typeTropical perennial plant
LeafDark green leaves which are narrow and broad
StemTuberous stem
SunlightBright indirect light
WateringWater after the two inches of soil gets dry
Humidity At least 50%
Temperature 55°F to 75°F

Where to buy alocasia scalprum

Alocasia scalprum may not be available at all localities. As this cultivar grows in tropical regions, you may hardly find it in temperate areas or remote places. But if you don’t get it in nurseries, you can order it from websites.

Alocasia scalprum plant care guide

Now, I will describe to you the care guides of this plant. To avoid some plant physiological issues, you need to follow these criteria for your better plant population. 

Alocasia scalprum light requirement 

First of all, you have to concentrate on the intensity of light that you are making available for your plant. Scalprum plants love to be nourished in bright and indirect light. As excessive sunlight can burn their foliage, try to maintain indirect light. You may do it by keeping near a window where the shadow will not affect the plant.

Watering guide for alocasia scalprum plant

Next, the second mandatory thing is water. You must check the water quality and handle the watering procedure in the right way. They don’t need flooded conditions. The better way is to water them once a week when the 2 inches of soil gets dry with a watering hose. Make sure of the best drainage procedure too along with watering.

The best soil for alocasia scalprum

After that, I am going to talk about the soil medium where they will remain. Loose soil having a moderate textural bond is perfect for them. That means sandy loam soil where moisture and nutrients will be held but water should be drained out is perfect for them. You can use perlite, coco coir, moss etc. for better nutrients. 

Temperature and humidity for alocasia scalprum

Therefore, you should be conscious of the available temperature and humidity. Don’t forget that they love to remain at 50°F to 75°F. Temperature fluctuation creates a detrimental impact on them. Again, they can suitably grow in more than 50% humidity. Hence, observe your weather condition and make the proper availability of these factors.

Best fertilizer for alocasia scalprum plant 

Finally, come to the fertilizer requirement. Commonly, they are not much bothered by fertilizer. You can apply liquid fertilizers once in spring. But be alert to this factor so that the plant should not re-fertilized.

Alocasia scalprum plant propagation

As it is hard to manage an alocasia scalprum plant, you may manage it from your neighbors or friends by propagation procedure. Let’s go through the system.

Mother plant

A healthy mother plant is the most important precaution for propagation. As the part of this plant is used as propagation material, it is called a mother plant.

Healthy scalprum plant
Healthy scalprum plant

Propagule dividing

The plant you have chosen for propagation should be detached from the soil and thus you will get the stem to be divided by a knife. 

Propagule
Propagule

Pot selection

After dividing the propagule, you will have to place it inside the previously prepared soil mixture. 

Prepared pot for propagation
Prepared pot for propagation

How to repot alocasia scalprum plant 

Repotting alocasia scalprum plants is similar to the propagation system. It is done in case of root rot, overwatering and pest infestation problems. The activities are-

  • Uprooting the plant from the old pot.
  • Preparing a pot with soil mixture consisting of soil, coco-peat 
  • Planting the seedling in the new pot.

Why are my alocasia scalprum leaves turning yellow?

Alocasia scalprum leaves may turn yellow due to nutrient deficiency or virus attack. If you notice an intermingled color of green and yellow, then it is a virus attack. Apply insecticides to sort out this problem.  You may need to use fertilizers if it is caused by nutrient issues.

Why is my alocasia scalprum curling?

Have you seen any curly leaves in your scalprum plant? I experienced this topic in my plant. That was for over-watering of which I was ignorant. Then, I researched and found that over-watering creates root rot which is harmful to the plant. So if you are in the same position as me, then stop watering your plant and repot it if needed.

Alocasia scalprum vs alocasia heterophylla plant 

Are you getting confused between alocasia scalprum and alocasia heterophylla? Well, let me clear it up. Both of these plant leaves are narrow and large, having so many veins. But the leaf color makes the difference as scalprum has dark green leaves and heterophylla consists of greyish green leaves.

Alocasia heterophylla
Alocasia heterophylla

Alocasia scalprum vs alocasia longiloba plant

Another doppelganger of my favorite scalprum is alocasia longiloba. They resemble scalprum in size, shape and leaf color. But the veins are moderately fewer in longiloba than in alocasia scalprum and this is how you can differentiate them.

Alocasia longiloba
Alocasia longiloba

Does alocasia scalprum have any variegation? 

Yes. They have some variegated hybrid varieties. These may be combinations of light and dark green or combinations of white and dark green. Bright sunlight is important to retain this variegation.

Is alocasia scalprum rare? 

Alocasia scalprum plant is still not found in some temperate localities. As they are habituated in tropical climates, they can hardly survive excessive frost which makes them rare in those areas.

Final thoughts 

I have reached the last point of my detailed information about alocasia scalprum. Though this is a flowering plant, people have demands on them for their extraordinary foliage plants. 

 Meanwhile, I have discussed their appearance, caring guides, propagation system, repotting procedures, some common problems of them and some plants that are confusing with them. So, if you are interested in this plant, go through these details and bring your one as soon as possible to make your home garden unique.

 

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