u/ShoddyProfiles

Look at my rare "fenestrating Michelle" its really getting those nice jagged holes and crumbly edges we all seek out! Sure you can buy it, but hurry before shes so fenestrated it gets hard to find!

Really? NONE of my other anthurium OR even alocasia have this trouble, even my stupid pink princesses dont need more humidity. She is supposed to be easy to keep, but its slow, weak and just ugly. Supposedly room humidity is enough.

Her roots are perfect. Perfect. She her watering has been perfect. I've met all the requirements, but it's ugly crap.

Ive kept it in an Ikea cab at 60%, 74f day, 70f night. I've kept it in room ambient. Ive given it from 20ppfd to 300ppfd. None of these changed anything, it didnt care about light or humidity. Its in ambient now and if her next leaf isn't perfect, shes gone.

Truly, i find genetics from grocery store plants to be healthier and stronger than the big name growers offerings these days. Michelle should be rock solid.

When bringing in a new species, its nice when it comes with a few 'backup' copies in case I kill it! When I repot this, I'll have at least 3 longiloba, not including corms.

Substrate experiments commencing...... 🥼🩺

Here is an Alocasia 'red imperial' that seems to like me, lol. I picked it up a few months ago and its one of my favorite today.

I keep like 12-15 species of alocasia and 4 or 5 i call my 'tall' alocasia. Those include red imperial, zebrini, hilo beauty, longiloba and sometimes Polly types. This one just thrives, while others tall ones struggle.

I know extreme variegation jewel alocasia are all the rage right now. But look how lovely!! The reliable, rich green of the leaves contrasts so nicely with the long slender smooth red-pink petioles, I feel variagation would be a distraction from it's simple elegance.

I have struggled a bit with the taller ones. Since I live in a winter desert, the indoor ambient humidity going below 15% for a couple months a year. I have to use grow tents and my Ikea cabinets as 'humidity hospitals' in January. Otherwise the tall ones live where I can look at them.

This baby has been so happy here! I cant bring myself to repot it because its so happy. Its one of the few living in straight cococoir, most are in my superchunk mix, adjusted with coir for moisture retention. I just got a longiloba in cococoir too and its happy. I may rethink the medium i use, chunky and leca dont seem to keep them as happy as cococoir.......but i'm afraid of rot!

My hilo and zebrini struggle along and wont look good anywhere! In a tent, cabinet, or ambient, they just limp along with 1-3 ugly leaves. I need to learn why.

Anyway, hope you like the photos. I have 'cooler' alocasia, but not more loved!