Alocasia Black Velvet is also known as Alocasia Reginula, a species of Alocasia that is smaller in size and is often grown in pots in the home or office. The beauty of this plant is its green, healthy, and lush leaves with prominent white veins.
Alocasia Black Velvet is a difficult plant to care for, and you need to learn some basic information when growing this plant. Alocasia Black Velvet brown tips are probably the most common problem that you will encounter regularly if you do not know how to take care of them. In this article, I will mention the causes and solutions to overcome the condition of the leaves of Alocasia Black Velvet turning brown, brown spots, or yellow spots.
Alocasia Black Velvet Brown Tips: The Most Basic Causes
There are many reasons why leaves of Alocasia Black Velvet appear brown spots, and yellow spots, and turn brown. Some of the underlying causes are involved in taking care of this plant on a daily basis. Reasons include waterlogging, lack of water, low temperature and humidity, too much sun exposure, or dormancy of plants.
Flooding Due To Too Much Watering
Waterlogging is the most common cause of leaves of Alocasia Black Velvet turning yellow and brown. Overwatering coupled with poor drainage will cause the soil to become oversaturated. Waterlogging causes the root system of plants to not be able to transport enough nutrients and substances needed to nourish the plants. Instead, the root system will provide too much water to the leaves and stems of Alocasia Black Velvet. As a result, the leaves will begin to appear yellow, brown, and droopy due to excess water content.
Alocasia Black Velvet is a plant that is particularly sensitive to excessive moisture in the soil. So the leaves of this plant will have a quick reaction like the appearance of yellow and brown patches. This is because plants are weakened, leading to favorable opportunities for fungi and pests to thrive. A humid environment will encourage fungal diseases to develop and attack the leaves of plants. Therefore, you need to stop watering immediately and prune diseased leaves to avoid spreading to other healthy leaves.
Lack Of Water Leads To Dry, Brittle, And Brown Leaves
Lack of water is also a common cause for the leaves of Alocasia Black Velvet to turn partially or completely brown. The reason is that the root system cannot provide enough water to sustain the life of the leaves and plant stem. Meanwhile, leaves are the part directly exposed to the sun every day with the largest area. So, a lack of water will cause the leaves of Alocasia Black Velvet to have brown spots appear or the leaf edges to turn brown.
The part that is prone to excessive stress is the leaf margin. As such, they often tend to dry out and roll up to reduce the area exposed to the sun. Leaves that are already dry and brittle will not be able to recover because the cells of the leaf have been broken and deformed. Therefore, you need to add the right amount of water to nourish the entire leaves and stem of the plant.
Low Temperature And Humidity
Alocasia Black Velvet is native to tropical forests with high humidity and cool temperatures. They usually live on low floors and under large trees. So the light and heat they received were filtered through the large trees above. Therefore, Alocasia Black Velvet can only tolerate cool temperatures with high humidity for best growth.
If the humidity is too low, this plant will not be able to grow healthy and grow well. So their leaves will start to show signs like yellow spots and brown spots, and then the whole leaf will turn brown. With a lack of water plus dry air and low humidity, the leaves of plants turn brown and curl.
Plants roll their leaves to reduce the area exposed to the sun to prevent water evaporation. In addition, the root system does not transport enough water making it difficult for plants to photosynthesize to maintain the green color of their leaves. Therefore, you need to place the potted plant in a location with warm sunlight and high humidity to stimulate plant growth.
Too Much Sun Exposure
The leaves of Alocasia Black Velvet are usually very dark green and dark in color. The reason is that this plant is native to tropical forests. Therefore, the light they receive is usually indirect sunlight and is filtered through the large foliage above. If you place the potted plants in direct, intense sunlight for many hours, their leaves will begin to scorch.
When leaves are exposed to intense sunlight, water escapes from the stomata on the leaves. The cells of the leaf will be deformed because there is not enough water in each cell. From there, the leaves will dry out, become brittle and turn brown due to sunburn. You should place the pot in a cool and shaded area to limit sunburn in Alocasia Black Velvet.
Excessive Fertilizing
Over-fertilizing can also cause leaves to dry out and turn brown. In particular, if you plant Alocasia Black Velvet in containers, the excess fertilizer will not be able to escape and affect the health of plants.
If you have just fertilized plants and noticed signs such as dry leaves, black spots, and brown spots appearing, you need to remove the excess fertilizer in the soil. You need to drain a large amount of water into the soil and let the water drain outside from the drainage hole to remove excess fertilizer and salt.
Leaves Turn Brown In Dormancy
When winter comes, Alocasia Black Velvet will enter hibernation. The leaves of this plant will begin to wilt and change color. This condition usually appears with old leaves and on the bottom of the potted plant. Plants may even shed their leaves in preparation for hibernation.
The reason is that during this period the root system will transport less nutrients and water to the plant parts. Therefore, plants will shed leaves under the harsh effects of weather to nourish the plant stem. When spring arrives and humid temperatures return, the stem will sprout new, healthy leaves.
How To Prevent The Leaves Of Alocasia Black Velvet From Turning Brown
As I mentioned above, Alocasia Black Velvet lives in the tropical forests of Asia and is used to rainfall in nature. The raindrops will filter through the large foliage and fall on the plants. Therefore, waterlogging will rarely occur with this plant in the natural environment.
To prevent waterlogging and create the best environment for Alocasia Black Velvet, you need to simulate the natural environment they prefer. Here are a few ways you can help maintain the healthy growth of this plant.
- Water properly with the right amount of water. Watering into tiny drops of water like rain in nature.
- Water only when the ground is 2-3 inches dry. Do not water in the evening and water the leaves because the humid environment will create favorable conditions for the growth of fungi.
- Place the potted plant in an area with cool shade and indirect sunlight. A location about 1-2 meters away from a window with a curtain would be ideal.
- You should not place the pot in direct sunlight for many hours as the leaves will be scorched.
- Give preference to organic fertilizers or slow-release liquid fertilizers to avoid undue stress on plants.
- Regularly clean the two sides of the leaves to remove white patches from fungi and insects.
- Sanitize to remove the eggs of mosquitoes that attack plants.
- Use a well-draining potting mix that includes perlite or gravel at the bottom of the pot. These materials will create openings for better drainage and air circulation.
- You should use soil-based pots and avoid using glass or plastic pots because the drainage capacity of these materials is less than that of soil.
- Self-watering cans are not recommended for this plant, as waterlogging can also occur.
- You need to remove the diseased leaves to avoid spreading to other healthy leaves when plants are infected with fungi or pests.
- Use neem oil or a specialized fungicide to kill fungi and insects.
Summary
The leaves of Alocasia Black Velvet turning brown have many different causes. One of the most common reasons is watering too much leading to waterlogging or too little water causing the soil to dry out. In addition, some other causes such as too much sun exposure, over-fertilizing, pest attack, or hibernation.
You need to water the plants properly and according to their actual water needs. You should limit watering according to the available schedule because waterlogging will often occur. In addition, you also need to regularly clean the two surfaces of the leaves to remove fungal spores and insects attached to the leaves.