Alocasia Safari Series

 Alocasia Safari Series Cultural Recommendations

Few plants offer the look of the tropics like Alocasia and we raised the bar a little higher with strong colorful petioles, tough durable foliage and the contrasting leaf colors of the Safari Series.

Take a look at Alocasia ‘Ebony’, ‘Ivory Coast’, and ‘Morocco’ where we took the best characteristics available and combined them into new varieties that will outperform anything on the market today. We selected varieties that are ideal for 6” or larger containers with grow times that will impress any tropical grower. Our newest introduction, ‘Velvet Elvis’ is our selection of a popular species with improved growth characteristics and the popular look of velvet. Your customers, as well as end users, will quickly find that Alocasia varieties are excellent interior plants that easily tolerate the common abuses of “going indoors”, low light, low humidity and periodic drying out.

All of the Alocasia Safari varieties perform well when grown under saran and/or greenhouse conditions. They show good resistance to spider mites, common Alocasia diseases and perform well in hot humid environments where other Alocasia cultivars fail.

IMPORTANT – IMPORTANT – IMPORTANT

Planting: Always plant the liner EVEN with the plant crown level or slightly above the surrounding media. Planting “high” will improve basal branching producing a fuller finished plant. Planting the liner deeper than the top of the original liner media will reduce natural branching and fullness of the finished plant. After planting, always water plants well, then keep media moist.

Media: Light, well drained media. pH 5.8 to 6.2.

Light: 50% to 70% shade. Plants grown under high light levels are generally more compact and fuller.

Fertilizer: Liquid feed @ 150-200ppm N 2X/week using 17-5-17 or 20-10-20. Every 3rd or 4th fertilization, add Magnesium Sulfate @ 1lb/100 Gallons.

Temperature: 70°F to 90°F. Will tolerate short periods of temperatures below 50°F without going dormant or dropping leaves.

Water: Keep media moist. Avoid constant media saturation.

Planting Recommendations with Approximate Grow Times⁽¹⁾

Variety/Pot Size 6” Pots (2), Grow Times Recommended 6” Plugs/Pot 8” Pots (2), Grow Times Recommended 8” Plugs/Pot ‘Ebony’ 12-14 wks 1, 24-26 wks 1-2, ‘Ivory Coast’ 12-14 wks 1, 24-26 wks 1-2, ‘Morocco’ 12-16 wks 1, 24-28 wks 1-2, ‘Velvet Elvis’ 12-16 wks 1, 24-28 wks 1-2

⁽¹⁾ Grow times are based on Florida conditions. Your finish times may vary due to your climate and planting time of year.
⁽²⁾ Total time for finished product from liner planting. We recommend bumping 6″ pots when growing in larger containers.