Alocasia Hilo Beauty
Alocasia Hilo Beauty also known as Hilo Beauty Elephant Ear is a beautiful foliage plant with long heart/arrow shaped leaves which is mostly grown indoors. It is an evergreen perennial plant. The leaves are beautiful and variegated with yellow and white spots which give camouflage like patterns. The plant is (2-4) feet tall and leaves can be 2 m long. The stalk/stem is bluish/black. If you are looking for the beautiful foliage plant to grow inside in a pot, then – What can be the best choice than Alocasia Hilo Beauty. It’s easy to grow a plant which doesn’t require much care and adds beautiful scenes inside our home.
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This plant wasn’t much popular earlier but nowadays, Many gardeners like me have included it in their plant collection after knowing its beauty. Admirers of this plant can go on explaining about it for hours. Hilo is the name of a place in Hawaii, So – Many people believe Hawaii as a native place of this Plant.
Botanical Classification
Alocasia Hilo Beauty is a tropical plant of the Philodendron family. Actually it is a hybrid plant. The plant has been considered Alocasia since the 1980s but now there has been discussion going on about its relation to Caladium. Its scientific name is, Caladium praetermissum. The botanical classification is given below:-
| Family | Araceae |
| Genus | Alocasia |
Care
For the optimum performance of any plant, Care and Management is important. Alocasia Hilo Beauty doesn’t require much time and care. However, There are certain things to know about the growing conditions of this plant.
Soil
Soil rich in organic matter with proper drainage facility and pH range of (5.6-7) is considered good for Hilo Beauty. The soil should be moist but not soggy. As they are heavy feeders, Fertilizer should be added in Soil. Soil mix can for Alocasia Hilo Beauty can be made as follows:-
Coarse Sand : Peat : Soil = 1:1:1
We can also add perlite which increases the water holding capacity of soil mix/Pot mix.
Light
As it is preferred indoors, Filtered or Indirect sunlight is best for its growth. South and West facing windows are suitable locations. Avoid keeping it under direct and intense Sunlight.
Temperature
Optimum temperature for the plant is (18-25) ° C. As it is a tropical plant, Warm environment is suitable for its growth. In cooler temperatures/Winter plants go dormant. Water it sparingly and it will again come back in spring.
Fertilizer
Alocasia doesn’t require much fertilizer. However, You can add vermicompost or Coco Peat while making soil mix. We can also add slow releasing fertilizer such as Osmocote. Half teaspoon of 10-10-10 fertilizer mixed with one gallon of water can also be given.
Water
Water should be given while soil gets dry. Too much watering should be avoided as it can cause rotting of the Rhizome. The soil should be moist but not soggy. Frequency of irrigation can be increased in summer.
Humidity
Alocasia Hilo Beauty prefers high humidity. So, You can either buy a humidifier or Mister. You can also keep water in a tray, put pebbles above it and keep the pot above the pebbles. This will maintain humidity around the plant.
Size Of Alocasia Hilo Beauty
The size of the plant is 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide with long leaves.
Propagation
The plant can be propagated during spring and summer. We can propagate it using an underground stem called rhizome. You can also cut the rhizome and plant it separately. It also produces offsets which are also the means of Propagation.
Is It Rare?
Yes – Alocasia Hilo Beauty is a rare and exotic plant which is now grown as an indoor plant by many people.
Conclusion
Thus – Alocasia Hilo Beauty is a beautiful plant to grow in pot. The leaves are very beautiful which surely adds to the good scenario. You can grow it indoors and make your house beautiful.
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