Easy Care for Dragon Scale Alocasia; Complete Guide!

If you’re looking for a houseplant to help you take your greens collection to the next level, look no further than the Dragon Scale Alocasia. The distinctive, highly textured leaves of this superb Alocasia are prized for their resemblance to the imagined appearance of dragon scales by many.

The plant’s small footprint makes it a great fit for tight quarters. As you can imagine, this Alocasia is highly sought after by collectors and those who enjoy cultivating houseplants, making it both rare and expensive.

The Alocasia plant thrives in the island’s lush tropical forests; the Dragon Scale Alocasia is Native only to Borneo’s Eastern Kalimantan. It was first characterized in 2011 and is now a commonly grown houseplant.

Dragon Scale Alocasia foliage The interestingly shaped leaves of this Alocasia cultivar, which give the impression of dragon scales, are the inspiration for the cultivar’s name. The dragon scale Alocasia, with its showy leaf, is a great option for use as either a standalone plant or as a part of a more extensive indoor garden.

Alocasia with dragon scales may be tough to grow, but once you figure out how much water and humidity it needs, it will reward you with a long life.

Care for Dragon Scale Alocasia

Likely, you won’t have any problems with the Dragon Scale Alocasia if you’ve had any luck in the past caring for an Alocasia plant. While it may not be as picky as other relatives, it still may require special care in the home.

The most important thing that can be done for these tropical plants is to provide them the right quantity of light and humidity to grow in an indoor environment. Remember that they do best in conditions similar to jungle ones. Try to imitate those conditions as closely as possible when growing them in captivity.

Light

The Dragon Scale Alocasia has higher light requirements than most plants. These houseplants only need about six hours of bright indirect light per day. While alocasia can survive with fewer or fewer hours of brilliant indirect light, the plant can only reach its light potential when exposed to abundant amounts of both. It is also possible to shield the plant from direct sunlight by placing it behind a curtain. Place the plant as close to a window as possible to get the most sunlight possible.

Soil

Like a dragon’s scale, Alocasias do best when planted in rich, loamy, and draining potting soil. A soilless mixture of perlite, coco coir, and orchid bark works well. However, sandy potting soil can be substituted in its stead. Normal potting soil should be avoided since it is too dense of a medium and might cause root rot in your plant.

Water

Since the Dragon Scale Alocasia has moderate water requirements, it doesn’t like to be completely submerged in water. Still, it doesn’t like being permitted to sit in water for lengthy periods. At least until three-quarters of the soil has dried out, you shouldn’t plant anything. If you’re unsure whether your Dragon Scale Alocasia need water, it’s better to give them a break and assume they’d rather do without than get a soaking.

Overwatering can kill a Dragon Scale Alocasia. Ensure the soil is wet before allowing the water to drain thru the drainage holes when watering these houseplants. Soil that drains effectively is essential for houseplants like the Alocasia Dragon Scale, which cannot tolerate having its foot in the water.

Temperature

Any variety of Alocasia, even dragon scale, thrives in warmer conditions. These tropical plants thrive in temperatures from 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Plants should not be placed too close to heating or cooling vents since this can dry out the foliage or shock the plant. Drafts can form near windows and doors.

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Humidity

Dragon Scale Alocasia are native to Borneo, where the constant high humidity is ideal for their growth. The percentage is always around 80% and never drops below 20%. As you may expect, the dragon scale Alocasia will demand high humidity levels to thrive in your home. The Alocasia baginda plant thrives in conditions with a relative humidity of 60–80 percent.

Some farmers have had good results growing Dragon Scale Alocasia in environments with humidity levels of 50% or less. However, most specialists agree that it’s in the rainforest’s best interest to keep it as high as practical. Instead of relying on a pebble tray or misting system, a small humidifier is an ideal way to keep the tropical plants growing properly. Your chances of success will improve greatly if you do this.

Fertilizer

Even if you need more Dragon Scale Alocasia fertilizer, remember that too much can be as bad as too little. The ideal fertilizer for Alocasia baginda is a regular liquid houseplant formula with a regulated fertilizer concentration of 20.20.20. It should be diluted to half strength and applied uniformly to the soil.

In the spring and summer, use it after watering the Dragon Scale Alocasia once every month to every six weeks. Browning at the leaf tips and margins is a telltale indicator of too much leftover fertilizer in the soil, which can kill dragon-scale Alocasia plants.

Excess fertilizer in the soil can be easily removed by flushing it with water using a stream, and this process can be repeated as often as necessary.

Potting and Repotting

The Dragon Scale Alocasia prefers a slightly confined root system, although it should be repotted every two to three years or when its roots reach the bottom of the pot. These plants should be repotted when they have emerged from their winter dormancy and are actively developing, usually between the mid-spring and the first summer. To avoid damaging the plant’s roots, choose a pot one to two inches larger than the previous one, and then replenish as much of the potting mix as possible. Don’t forget to give your dragon scale a nice pot of water once you’ve repotted it to help it acclimate to its new home.

Pruning

Dragon Scale Alocasia doesn’t require as much maintenance pruning as you might imagine. It won’t get much more than three feet tall and two feet wide, so it will preserve a neat shape even if left to its own devices. Pruning an Alocasia baginda is done primarily to remove dead or diseased leaves, keep the plant looking its best, and prevent the spread of disease.

All damaged leaves and stems should be lopped off, and the plant pruned back to its roots. You shouldn’t toss out an otherwise stunning leaf because of something as small as a brown, crisp tip or edge. You only need a small, sanitized pair of scissors to cut out the brown pieces. The finished product will look like a brand new leaf!

Flowers

Because they are members of the Araceae family, the inflorescences of this species are not very eye-catching. Their flowers, which are quite similar to those of the Peace Lily, are made up of a spathe that is either white or green and a spadix, which is where pollination takes place. The blooms can remain for up to 3 days and are typically visible in the early summer or late spring, approximately 30 centimeters or more above the soil line.

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Dragon Scale Alocasia Propagation

The Dragon Scale Alocasia is easily propagated through both vegetative division and the formation of new corms. Most Alocasias can’t be propagated until they’ve been grown for a while, so if you have a young plant less than a year or two old, it’s best to keep trying to grow more of them until it’s at least that old. Although alocasias are more challenging to propagate than other plants, such as pothos, it is nevertheless possible to do so by following a few simple procedures.

• A mature plant that has already generated new, smaller plants (called pups) is required for the division technique of propagation.
• Set aside a few tiny potting containers after filling them with a potting mixture that allows excess water to drain well.
• Take your Alocasia plant out of its pot with any pups it may have produced, and place it on its side on the soil.
• When using your hands, carefully loosen the soil around the base of the pups to expose the roots, taking care not to damage any of the pups’ roots.
• After removing the pups and their root systems from the mother plant, pot the new plants in the pots that have been prepared, making sure to pack the soil down tightly around the young plants.
• After properly watering the freshly split plants and allowing any excess water to drain from the container, replant the mother plant in its original container and amend the soil as necessary.
• Put the newly purchased plants in a spot that gets a lot of light but not direct sunlight. Maintain an even level of moisture in the soil.

Following these steps, you can grow new Alocasia dragon-scale plants from corms.

• Carefully empty the container, allowing the Alocasia dragon scale to fall to the ground on its side.
• The first step is to dig around in the soil near the plant’s roots until you uncover several little corms buried in the soil. Care should be taken to avoid disturbing the roots. It’s possible, but not guaranteed, that the corms will develop their root systems, and they should have a sturdy consistency overall.
• Remove the corms from the soil where the mother plant was growing, and peel down the corm’s outer brown coating.
• Plant the corm in a pot of damp sphagnum moss, making sure the moss does not touch the top of the corm. Then, cover the container in a plastic bag and tape the top shut to produce a greenhouse effect.
• Planters and bags should be placed in an area that is kept at a comfortable temperature and receives lots of strong indirect light; bags should be opened for 10 to 15 minutes once a week to allow for air circulation. After a few weeks, you should see new growth emerge from the corm’s top or at its roots. Sphagnum moss thrives under moist conditions.
• Once the roots have established themselves, the corm can be transplanted into a pot with potting mix that allows water to drain quickly and easily. When replanting a plant, it’s best to wait a few weeks after repotting to uncover the plant from its protective bag and reveal its new surroundings in the soil. Ensure that the soil stays consistently moist.

Dormancy

Understanding the dormancy phase is crucial for the correct upkeep of Alocasia Dragon Scales. The lack of light or colder temperatures in the winter makes this more common, but it can occur at any time when winter rolls around, and the odds of that happening increase. Your plant may stop growing altogether, and the leaves it already has may wilt or fall off.

Always ensure the soil is dry before watering it, and keep the light and temperature constant. Alocasia Dragon Scale will produce new growth after a period of dormancy of a few months. The thick tubers that the Alocasia Dragon Scale plant grows from the soil are nutrient- and water-dense and quite thick. Even if all the leaves have fallen off your plant, you should not dispose of them. Ensure the plant is in an appropriate environment and be patient as it returns to normal growth.

Toxicity

Alocasia baginda is poisonous and should not be fed to pets (dogs and cats) or humans. Toxicity from any part of the plant can be unpleasant due to calcium oxalate crystals. Exercise caution when planting Dragon Scale Alocasia in a home with kids and/or pets.

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Common Problems

Most possible problems with Dragon Scale can be avoided by paying close attention to the circumstances required for its successful growth. But if you have any problems with your Alocasia baginda, you shouldn’t have too much trouble fixing them. Keep a watch on those gorgeous leaves; if something is wrong, it will show up there first.

Pests

The dragon’s scale, almost certainly. The majority of the common household pests can also attack alocasia pests. Spraying or wiping the leaves of your Alocasia baginda frequently with a pesticidal soap or neem oil solution, which contains neem oil, is the most effective approach to keep bugs away from your plant.

Aphids are typically green in color and are tiny insects that congregate on the stems and under the leaves of plants. The webs that spider mites build are easy to spot, but the mites themselves are difficult. The only way to get rid of either of these insects is to give the plant a thorough soaking.

Scale insects are small bugs that are brown in color and resemble lumps on the stems and leaves of plants. They adhere tenaciously, so you’ll need to scrape them off. On the undersides of the leaves, mealy bugs will create colonies that look like white cotton. They can be removed quickly and painlessly with the use of a cotton ball that has been doused in rubbing alcohol.

Dropping Leaves

The Dragon Scale Alocasia may not be getting enough water, humidity, or light if its leaves are dropping off. See whether something is missing from the plant’s growing environment. During their dormant period in the winter and fall, it is fairly uncommon for alocasias to lose all of their leaves. All plants behave like this to some extent. This does not always happen in the house, but it is possible. When a plant goes into dormancy, it’s normal and nothing to worry about. Wait it out and ease up on the watering till it passes. As early in the spring as possible, you should see signs of new growth.

Yellow Leaves Dragon Scale Alocasia

Dragon Scale Alocasia leaves turning yellow is a sign of water. Sometimes root rot could be the culprit behind this symptom. If you notice any extra yellow leaves, decrease the amount of water the plant receives and check its roots frequently for signs of root rot.

My Alocasia Dragon Scale plant suddenly started losing its leaves.

In the first few weeks after bringing an Alocasia Dragon Scale home from a nursery or even just relocating it inside the same household, it is not uncommon for some leaves to fall off as the plant adjusts to its new surroundings. It’s normal for plants to lose some leaves after a major change. You shouldn’t fertilize or touch a plant until you see signs of new growth. The stress of relocating may cause some leaves to change color or fall off, but the plant should quickly recover to its previous state with proper care.

Why Are the Tips of My Alocasia Dragon Scale Turning Brown?

An Alocasia Dragon Scale plant’s browning leaf tips are almost invariably the result of a brown humidity. Establish a routine of checking the humidity levels in your home and aiming for a humidity level of more than 60%.

The browning of the leaf tips and edges that occurs when root rot has already set in can also be brought on by acclimatization, drafts, high temperatures, or even overwatering.

Curling leaves

A shortage in moisture and humidity is usually the cause of the leaves curling on a Dragon Scale Alocasia. You should avoid watering your Alocasia and, if possible, increase the humidity where it is kept.

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FAQS

Are Dragon Scale Alocasia rare?

Dragon Scale Alocasia are notoriously hard to come by and widely recognized as valuable. Plants like this are available for purchase online and through private plant collectors, and they can be found in a select number of garden centers and nurseries on a case-by-case basis.

Is there a difference between the Alocasia silver dragon and the Alocasia dragon scale?

Although they share a common name, Alocasia silver dragon and Dragon Scale Alocasia are two distinct cultivars of the same species, Alocasia baginda. They are most easily distinguished from one another by the contrast in leaf color: the dragon scale has much darker leaves, while the silver dragon has lighter foliage with a shimmering silvery sheen.

Does the misting like the Alocasia dragon scale?

Even though the Dragon Scale Alocasia does best in moist and humid circumstances, misting is not the ideal way to increase the humidity surrounding a plant and should be avoided wherever possible. Make sure your dragon scale gets enough water by placing a humidifier in the same room as the plant or by moving it to a naturally humid area of your homes, such as the bathroom or the kitchen.