Why Is My Alocasia Drooping and What Can I Do About It?

Alocasia is a well-liked houseplant that is well-known for the huge and unusual foliage that it bears. However, it is distressing to watch such lovely plants withering away. Thankfully, Alocasia drooping leaves are easy problems to solve and easy problems to prevent.

You may have a drooping Alocasia due to overwatering, underwatering, poor lighting, temperature stress, low humidity, transplant shock, or insect infestation. By addressing the root of the problem and giving your plant Care, you can help it get well again.

In this article, I’ll go over the potential causes of your Alocasia’s drooping and offer some tips for figuring out the issue and fixing it.

Why Is My Alocasia Drooping?

1. Underwatering

The drooping of the leaves of an Alocasia plant is commonly attributed to underwatering, but in reality, overwatering is a significantly more typical source of the problem. The plant suffers from both issues, but the overwatering issue is by far the more problematic one. Both issues result in the plant getting less water than it requires.

How to Identify an Alocasia that Is Overwatered?

You may check to determine if the drooping of the leaves on your Alocasia plant is due to overwatering by recognizing a number of indicators associated with this condition;

Dry soil, If you don’t provide adequate drainage for the Alocasia, the soil in the container will remain dry and will become completely dry within a few days after being watered.
Brown crispy edges, If you observe that the leaf edges are turning dry or crispy, it is a sign that your Alocasia is getting too much water. This happens when there is not enough moisture to get to the very edges of the leaf.
Plant that has become rootbound Root bounding might occur if you grow the Alocasia in a container that is too small. They will dry up more quickly, which will lead to a situation in which there is an underwatering.

How to Fix An Alocasia That Has Drooped Because of Underwatering

In the event that your Alocasia is suffering from an issue related to underwatering, you should give it a thorough soak in water.

The following is a guide for soaking your Alocasia in water:

Get rid of the saucer and put the plant straight into the sink or bath. Put around three to four inches of water in your basin. The water temperature should be kept low.
Soak your plant for at least 45 minutes, letting it absorb water through drainage hole on the bottom of the pot.
After letting your plant soak for a while, gently probe the soil’s soil to see if water has gone deeper than two or three inches.
Your Alocasia Polly will benefit from a light misting of water from above the soil if you see that not all of the soil is completely soaked.
When the soil in your plant is evenly moist, you can stop watering and let it drain in the sink or bathtub. Repot the plant in its saucer and return it to its original location.

To avoid overwatering your plant in the future, fill the saucer until water runs freely from the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot. It’s crucial that you drain the saucer often to prevent your plant from sitting in water.

2. Overwatering

The drooping of the leaves of an Alocasia plant is commonly attributed to underwatering, but the truth is that overwatering is by far the more prevalent source of the problem. The plant will receive less water than what it needs as a result of both of these issues, but overwatering is by far the more problematic of the two.

Problems with overwatering can be caused by a number of different things, including soil that does not drain well, a container that does not have drainage holes, insufficient lighting, the dormant season, and so on.

If you overwater your plant, the soil around it will get saturated with water and will continue in this state for a longer amount of time. Because the soil’s air gaps will be filled with water as a result of this scenario, air circulation will be inhibited in the soil. The root system will be suffocated if there is insufficient oxygen in the soil; as a result, the roots will be unable to adequately breathe and will not be able to perform their functions.

Signs of Alocasia overwatering:

Wet ground, Your plant is in danger of overwatering if the soil in the container remains damp for longer than seven days after watering.
Scattered with sunshine-yellow leaves, It’s a warning sign of overwatering if the plant’s lower leaves begin to turn yellow.
Edema of the Leaves, An overwatered Alocasia will develop water blisters on its leaves. The plant’s leaves blister because it is unable to store excess water.
Inconspicuous brown discoloration, As a result of overwatering, your plant’s leaves will develop wet dark spots.
Overwatering can cause root rot, which can cause a rotten odor to emanate from the plant’s soil.

When Alocasia Leaves Droop From Overwatering, What Should I Do?

The most important thing to do is to check on your plant on a regular basis to determine whether or not it is experiencing any difficulties. It is imperative that you take prompt action given the fact that overwatering, which can lead to root rot, can rapidly cause your plant to perish.

3. Lack of proper humidity levels

Because it is a tropical plant, your Alocasia will do best in situations with higher levels of humidity. Moistening the leaves of your plant on a regular basis, and use a pebble tray, or positioning a humidifier nearby are all excellent ways to raise the relative humidity around your plant.

4. There is not enough light

Even if the foliage of this beautiful plant are gloomy and dark, this does not mean that the plant enjoys being in the dark. A sunny location that also receives brilliant indirect light is ideal for your Alocasia plant. If the plant is put in an area that is too gloomy, you might notice the leaves drooping. Consider utilizing a Grow Light in the event that you are unsure whether or not your plant is receiving sufficient light.

What location should I give my Alocasia plant?

Select a spot that will bathe your Alocasia in bright, indirect light to keep it from drooping. When it comes to growing Alocasia, an East to North-facing window is ideal because it receives the light the plant requires at the proper time of day.

Because their leaves are so sensitive, you should protect your plant from direct sunlight. You can either draw the drapes over the window or place the plant several feet away from the glass to shield it from the sun.

5. Temperature Stress

Alocasias thrive between 60 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit (15 and 28 degrees Celsius), but they fare best when maintained at a temperature in the middle of this range. Because of the recurrent temperature stress that hot and cold drafts generate, they are especially vulnerable. Your Alocasia’s leaves will droop if you do this.

You should check to see that your Alocasia is not situated too close to any heating or cooling vents, nor is it near any windows that have broken seals. If you have identified the issue in its early stages, relocating your plant should cause the leaves to recover and become more vibrant. There are instances in which drooping leaves may not recover, but if you take proper care of the plant, it will quickly sprout new leaves that are in good health.

6. Overfertilization

To ensure healthy growth and development, alocasia need a certain amount of fertilizer, but giving it too much might actually do significant harm to the plant.

An excessive amount of fertilizer will burn its root system, which will result in the roots becoming weakened and unable to perform their normal functions.

The plant will not receive the vital nutrients and water that it needs from its roots, and as a result, it will not have the energy to grow and it will droop.

If you overfertilize your Alocasia, the leaves may develop dark spots. This is a sign that the plant is getting too much nitrogen.

Overfertilizing an Alocasia might cause it to droop, and if this happens, you’ll need to repot the plant into a new container with fresh potting soil. The salt buildup in the soil can be removed by taking the plant to the sink and running water over the soil three or four times if the damage is small or just beginning.

7. Pests

Sap-sucking pests can be a significant problem for alocasias. A variety of pests, including scale, spider mites, thrips, mealybugs, and aphids, can cause the leaves of your Alocasia plant to droop. It is essential to perform routine checks on your plants in order to determine whether or not there are any indicators of pests.

It is recommended that you carry out this task at the same time that you inspect your plant to determine whether or not it need more watering. It is important to check the petioles, as well as the top and bottom sides of the leaves, in order to identify any warning indications.

Every month, spraying their leaves with a solution of neem oil or horticultural oil will help keep pests at bay.

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8. Dormancy

Alocasia leaves drooping due to dormancy is one of the few typical and to be expected occurrences. It is part of an alocasia’s normal life cycle to experience growth spurts followed by periods of decline and rest.

Most Alocasias cultivated indoors will enter a dormant period at some time, prompted by reduced light and cooler temperatures. There are two types of dormancy: partial, in which some of the leaves fall off, and total, in which all the leaves die and then new ones grow again when some time has passed.

When Alocasias are cultivated indoors, they may or may not undergo a period of dormancy depending on the conditions you give, such as consistent temperatures and illumination.

If the Alocasia seems like it’s going into dormancy, you should water it less frequently and let the upper few inches of soil dry up before you water it again. While waiting for new growth to appear, maintain moderate light and temperature levels. You’ll need to be patient, as dormancy can take anywhere from a few weeks to more than six months.

Is it necessary for me to remove my Alocasia’s drooping leaves?

When the oldest leaves die, they become yellow and droop. The affected leaf will be the lowest one on the plant, and this will often only affect a single leaf at a time. Inevitably, they’ll fall off, but if you want your plant display to appear its best, trim the leaf off as near to the stem as you can.

Why is my Alocasia bending?

Curling Alocasia leaves are usually caused by improper plant care. Curling leaves can indicate a number of problems, including insufficient light, too much or too little water, a shortage of potassium, a pest infestation, cold temperatures, too little humidity, or even over-fertilization.

When should I repot My Alocasia?

Alocasia is a slow-growing plant that prefers to be slightly root-bound and hence only needs to be repotted once every few years. Since alocasia and other tropical houseplants thrive all year long when kept warm, repotting them in the fall or spring is ideal.