Oh how I love my lush Alocasia black velvet plant! This gorgeous dark black-green is a trendy addition to any indoor garden and joy to care for. And for a good reason, these plants offer bright, bold foliage that can brighten up any house room. They also provide a touch of tropical flair to your space, and they grow well in artificial light.
The black velvet plant is relatively easy to take care of. It grows well in various conditions and is aesthetically pleasing with its large leaves and dark green-black markings. This plant is also known as Black Velvet Elephant Ear or just Alocasia “Black Velvet.”
If you’re thinking about getting an Alocasia plant, we have all the information you need to know and how to care for it right here. Read on and learn all about how to take care of this gorgeous plant.
Overview of the Alocasia Black Velvet
Its validity as a cultivar is widely debated. However, some people are still unsure about the plant’s ancestry. Nonetheless, some experts believe it is a species collected in Borneo, East Asia, in 1860.
This plant has gained many nicknames, including Dwarf Black Queen, The Little Queen, Queen Alocasia, Alocasia Velvet, and Jewel Alocasia. Silvery veins cutting through velvety black leaves stand against a traditional green backdrop, making Alocasia’ Black Velvet’ an ideal feature piece for plant shelves.
Alocasia is a genus with around 79 species. These plants are native to Asia’s tropical and subtropical regions, including East Australia. The bulk of these black velvet plants are rhizomatous perennials with broad-leafed foliage that bloom. The majority of the roots are in the shape of rhizomes or tubes.
These are perennial flowering plants yet will rarely flower while indoor. This genus and family members are cultivated and hybridized considerably to create new plants with intriguing and appealing characteristics.
Alocasia Black Velvet Characteristics
This exotic black velvet plant is a beautiful indoor plant that provides many benefits for your home. It can grow up to 8 feet tall, but it is more common to see them grow to about 2 or 3 feet in height. Indoors the plant will stay more compact, not likely to reach over twenty inches. The leaves are soft, velvety and dark green on top with a light green underside.
The leaves in different shapes and sizes, but most are thick and somewhat heart-shaped. They have silvery veins that make the coloring stand out even more. This plant has thick roots and will require a pot at least 12 inches deep.
It thrives well in high humidity and bright indirect light; however, do not expose this plant to direct sunlight as it will burn the leaves. The black velvet plant needs moist soil that has been heavily watered beforehand.
Comprehensive Alocasia Black Velvet Care Requirements
Because alocasia ‘black velvet’ is a tropical plant, it needs to be kept warm and humid in your home. These conditions will help prevent any diseases or pests from attacking your new houseplant.
Alocasia ‘Black Velvet’ likes to be watered every day when the top inch of soil dries out, but make sure to avoid over-watering. Give it enough so that its root system can grow deep into the pot.
If you would like alocasia ‘black velvet’ to bloom, cut back on watering during the warmer months as well as decrease fertilizer consumption for about two weeks before blooming starts.
After blooming has started, increase the amount of water and fertilizer needed for about two weeks before decreasing until flowering stops. The plant is a perennial and will still grow well in both containers and in the ground.
It’s important to note that this plant does not like to be moved much, so you may want to consider this before planting it into the ground. Keeping it in the proper environment, the Black Velvet is sure to thrive and grow beautifully. Here are some ways you can take care of your new Black Velvet plant.
Light Requirements
ALOCASIA ‘Black Velvet’ is a type of indoor plant that thrives in medium light conditions. It’s not hugely demanding; however, you should know the right lighting conditions to maintain it well. It needs bright, indirect light.
That means either natural or artificial light (not direct sun) coming from an angle; think fluorescent, incandescent, or LED light bulbs. An ideal location for this plant is around 6 hours of indirect sunlight per day or in a brightly lit area that has 2-3 hours of shade during the day.
Watering Requirements
The plant is quite sensitive to too much water or too little moisture, so it’s essential to water the plant regularly, but not too often. Allow the soil to dry out between the times of watering. This means it does best when the soil is constantly moist.
The best time to water the plant is in the morning to allow it to slightly dry throughout the day before nighttime arrives. If you are looking for a way to keep your soil moist, you can use a spray bottle to mist the soil every day.
You can also add mulch around your plant to help retain moisture in the soil. Mulching your plant with bark chips or pebbles will help maintain an even moisture level, keeping it from drying out too quickly.
Plant Soil Requirements
Alocasia is a plant that needs moist, well-drained soil. Its roots require a rich, organic substrate and should be kept moist to prevent root damage. If the soil in your garden becomes too dry, it can cause damage to the plants’ roots, which can lead to wilting or death.
The potting mix should be light to provide excellent aeration and drainage, but it should also be rich in nutrients to provide the plant with plenty of sustenance. To help the soil stay moist while the plant is growing, use a soaker hose or other irrigation system.
Location and Temperature Needs (Please include US Zones)
The plant can live in various temperatures depending on where you live. If you live in an area with hot summers, it should be kept in temperatures between 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit. If you live in an area that has colder winters, the Black Velvet should be kept at 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit.
The best zones for Alocasia’ Black Velvet’ is Zone 11-12. This includes parts such as California and east of the coastal range. This zone offers ample sunshine during the day and has some shade during the hottest part of the day.
If you live in Zone 11-12, there are some things to consider before planting your Alocasia’ Black Velvet’: Make sure that you have good drainage near where you plan on planting your Black Velvet plant. Otherwise, your velvet plant may suffer from root rot or other issues with its roots. Be sure to keep your plants watered regularly in this zone.
Watch out for spider mites. These tiny bugs can do a lot of damage to plants and will likely ruin Alocasia’ Black Velvet’ if they find their way into the soil around your plant.
Humidity Requirements
Alocasia plants do require a humid environment to thrive. The humidity requirements for this plant are 50-60% relative humidity and no more than 30°C (86°F). One of the reasons Alocasia plants thrive in humid conditions is that they like to absorb water vapor from the air.
This is why you’ll often see Alocasia plants growing near water sources, such as streams or ponds. Alocasia care can be either really easy or really complicated, depending on your environment.
If you keep it in an appropriate climate, then there’s nothing else to worry about. If you don’t, then it might need more frequent watering or even grow moldy.
To make sure your Alocasia plant stays healthy, try to maintain a humid environment with a temperature between 65-77°F (18-25°C) all year round. You should also monitor the soil’s moisture levels and make sure that they’re damp at all times.
To counteract periods of low humidity, mist your Alocasia plant daily with water until the air becomes more humid again. It also requires a pH between 5 and 7. If these criteria are not met, this plant may not be suitable for your home.
Air circulation
If you want your velvet plant to thrive well, it’s important that it has good air circulation. When planting Alocasia, please place it in a container that is at least six inches deep so that it can get plenty of air circulation.
You can also place your plant on an elevated surface like a cinderblock or on top of bricks so that air can circulate around its leaves. This helps prevent root rot from occurring.
Alocasia Black Velvet Feeding/fertilizing Requirements
Most plants need a certain amount of nutrients to grow and thrive. The Alocasia Velvet is no different, but it’s a low-maintenance plant that doesn’t need much in the way of fertilizing.
The best time to fertilize your plant is when they’re in their dormant period, which is late fall through mid-winter. This is the time when they won’t be growing and using up all the nutrients they’ve collected from the soil.
You can fertilize your plant either by adding fertilizer pellets to the soil or by adding slow-release fertilizer granules around the base of your plant. This plant requires a fertilizer that provides 30-10-10 NPK. It would be best to fertilize these plants every 2 weeks to maintain their health. Remember never to fertilize more than once a week.
The Epsom salt is a great option if you want to add magnesium to your plants’ diet. Magnesium is important because it helps with root development and stomata openings in the leaves.
Compost also provides a wide range of micronutrients essential for plant health, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Compost is a naturally occurring fertilizer that most people have in their homes already.
Bone meal has a high nitrogen content, increasing chlorophyll production in plants and reducing stress from heat or drought conditions.
The liquid fertilizers that you should avoid have high nitrogen levels, which can lead to the health of your Alocasia plant deteriorating. If you’re looking for a liquid fertilizer that will last a long time and won’t cause problems for your Alocasia plant, it is good to use liquid kelp or liquid fish emulsion.
Bugs and Disease- Prevention
Unfortunately, Alocasia black velvet is one of the most common houseplants to get pests and diseases. It’s important to care for your plant to avoid getting infected with pests or diseases. And if you notice any bugs or other signs of illness on your plant, there are a number of things you can do to try to save it.
One of the most common pests is spider mites. These pests are small arachnids attacking plants by sucking sap from their leaves. This will cause yellowing, leaf drop, discoloration of the leaf’s veins, curling of leaves, and stunted plant growth. Spider mite infestations can be found on any part of the plant.
Mealybugs look like waxy white powder with spikes on them; they suck sap from your plant’s stem or roots. They thrive in hot, dry conditions where they can feed on the plant for months before you notice them.
Thrips feed on this plant by inserting their mouthparts into leaf cells; this will cause wilting of the leaves and distortion in shape. Aphids feed on the plants by sucking out their juices; this causes curling of leaves and spiky edges to appear around the edge of the leaves.
There are a number of ways to care for your plant. For example, if your plant gets a spider mite and thrips infestation, you can use a pesticide product like Neem oil or insecticidal soap. If you notice mealybugs and whiteflies on your plant, use a pesticide product like Malathion to control the problem. For leaf spot disease, use a fungicide like Nolotil along with a deep watering twice a week for four weeks from October to March.
Additional Tips For Success with the Alocasia Black Velvet:
Potting Plants
The first step in growing any potted plant is to find a pot that will work. It would be best if you found something that is around 24 inches deep and has drainage holes at the bottom. You also need to ensure that the pot has a hole at the top for water to flow out.
1) The next thing you want to do is fill your pot with soil and make sure it’s moist before you plant. Insert the plant’s roots into the soil and cover them up with more dirt, making sure there isn’t too much or too little soil on top.
2) Fill your planter with water and let it soak in, then slowly pour it out of the bottom hole after 10-15 minutes. This will help remove excess salts from tap water and also aerate the soil.
3) Put your planter somewhere where it can get plenty of sunlight, but not directly in a window or under a lamp. You should only need to water your plants once every week or so, depending on how often they are getting watered by rain or sprinklers.
This plant can grow well in any soil type, but they do need to be repotted every year. If the pot is too big for the plant to reach all the sunlight it needs, it will not thrive.
This plant likes high humidity and moist soil, so make sure that it is not drying out at any point. The planting depth should be about twice as deep as the height of the plant’s roots. This ensures plenty of water for this plant to thrive on.
Pruning
When you’re growing this plant, one area that you’ll need to pay attention to is how often to prune them. You’ll want to be sure that you’re doing pruning every 3-4 months. Ensure that you are not over-pruning your plants because they can’t handle that level of care.
However, if you don’t cut the plant back enough, it will become leggy and look unhealthy. When you’re pruning it, make sure to use a sharp blade so the cuts are clean.
You can then select new stems that have grown from the center of the plant and cut them back to a height of two inches. This pruning will help your plant grow fuller and more robust.
If there are too many leaves on the plant, you will want to trim them so that the plant can get enough sun and air circulation.
You should also thin out the leaves if they are touching each other so that the plant gets enough air. It is also important to keep in mind that your plant may not need as much water during the winter months when they are dormant as it does during the summer months when the days are longer and warmer.
Once Black Velvet plants have grown more roots, this becomes easier to know how much water they need during different times of the year.
Propagating
Propagating Black Velvet is a good way to create additional plants and save money. A newer and more beautiful plant can be created for your garden without having to spend any more money on the plant. This will ensure that the Alocasia doesn’t become extinct.
This is especially helpful for people who live in places too cold to live outdoors. When you propagate your plants, you also have more control over how the plant grows, which helps maximize potential growth potential.
There are several different methods that you can use to propagate this plant. Which one you will use will depend on how much effort you want to put in and the size of the plant. Here are different ways of propagating it:
Propagation Method 1:
This method uses a cutting from the tip of a healthy Alocasia plant to propagate.
- To begin, remove an inch-long piece of stem from the plant.
- Cut it off at a 45-degree angle by holding it between your thumb and pointer finger.
- Place it in moist soil or compost in a pot.
- Fill the pot with peat moss or other material until the cutting is covered by at least 1/4 inch (6 mm).
- Gently press down on the cutting with your fingers. Moisten thoroughly and cover with plastic wrap to ensure good air circulation.
- Place container near a natural light source, but not direct sunlight
- Covering will also help prevent new growth from coming up through the plastic wrap.
- You can also control what cuttings take root and grow into a healthy plant.
- Just make sure to choose shoots with healthy leaves and stems.
- Once roots start growing, wait two weeks before transplanting them into their own pot.
Propagation Method 2:
This method uses rooting hormone to help speed up development time while maintaining good airflow to prevent rotting and disease issues. To begin, place your cutting in a container filled with moist potting soil, sponge, or compost mixed with rooting hormone powder for about 48 hours before planting in its final location.
Method 3 is the use of offsets. This involves planting sprouts from the rhizomes. You can simply take the sprouts and plant them in a small pot.
Re-planting
When you transplant your Alocasia plant into its new pot, make sure the root ball is at least 1 inch below the top of the pot. You can keep the old potting mix around the base of the root ball to give it stability and support until it can grow roots on its own.
Toxicity (to pets/kids,etc)
Alocasia is highly toxic and even more dangerous for your pets and children. The toxins in this plant cause vomiting, ringing in the ears, and even drowsiness in animals. This plant contains oxalic acid, which is highly toxic to people and animals.
As a result, keep your children and pets away from the plant at all times. Before you commit to buying an Alocasia plant for your home or office, be sure you understand the risks associated with this popular houseplant. In the event of an emergency, take the patient to the nearest medical facility as soon as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions about Alocasia Black Velvet.
Some of the biggest questions surrounding Alocasia are how to grow it, what it needs for optimal growth, and when to harvest. Read on for answers to those frequently asked questions about this plant.
Q: How do I grow Alocasia Black Velvet?
A: Alocasia is an herbaceous perennial plant that grows from tuberous roots. Alocasia Black Velvet needs a warm, moist environment and well-drained soil. It can tolerate high humidity levels but should never be allowed to sit in water. It also doesn’t need much sunlight, so you can leave the plant in partial shade or grow it indoors if necessary.
Q: What is the minimum temperature that Alocasia Black Velvet likes?
A: The minimum temperature for Alocasia Black Velvet is 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius). It will not tolerate freezing temperatures, as this would damage its leaves.
Q: Does Alocasia Black Velvet like high light?
A: Yes. It prefers bright light but can be grown in low light conditions as well.
Q: Why are my Plants Leaves Dropping?
This is usually due to a watering problem. You may need to add to stop the watering depending on the schedule and intake. Do not stress your Alocasia Black Velvet with high heat, direct sunlight or freezing temps either as this can cause leaves to droop or burn.
Q: What are similar plants to the Alocasia Black Velvet?
A: The Alocasia Wentii is similar with more glossy than velvety leaves but similar temperments and needs. Its a great companion plant and helps to add humidity to the area.
