Plant friends, if you’ve hung around the plant community for any amount of time, you know some sub-groups go deep, and one of the most passionate is the Alocasia lovers/enthusiasts. These people are ferocious about their alocasias, and one of their most controversial topics is corm propagation.

If you’ve never heard of it, I hadn’t either until Instagram kept showing me those little plant “nuggets.” So I called in backup: my friend Lindsay Sisti, aka the Alocasia Queen behind All The Plant Babies and the author of the book The Ultimate Guide to Houseplant Propagation. She’s been here before in our Fluval Stratum episode. She breeds both Alocasias and Anthuriums and has made it her life's work to create new species and perfect propagation techniques. Let's dive in!

 

In this episode, we learn:

• [02:30] Meet Lindsay Sisti, aka the “Alocasia Queen”!
• [04:15] What are some facts about Alocasia?
• [06:02] Why is Alocasia popular?
• [08:41] Plant anatomy 101: leaves, stems, rhizomes, roots, stolons, and corms!
• [15:18] Manukora's premium New Zealand Manuka honey
• [16:55] Do corms ever appear above the soil? Leaf-litter vs. pots
• [21:58] When is the right time to go “corm spelunking”?
• [26:52] Step-by-step: how to harvest Alocasia corms safely
• [30:09] Snapping corms, clean hands, and why scissors are optional
• [34:20] Should you peel corms before planting? (The “onion layer” trick)
• [37:33] Which medium works best (perlite, sphagnum, fluval stratum, or water?)
• [40:41] How deep should you plant the corms in the media?
• [41:26] How long does it take for corms to sprout?
• [43:09] The “puddle method” in water
• [45:38] Hardening off: acclimating cormlings
• [49:41] Common mistakeswith corms
• [55:17] Can a rootless Alocasia be revived?
• [56:20] Where to find Lindsay, her book, and her propagation resources

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

• Growing Joy Episode 289: How to Propagate Plants in Fluval Stratum with Lindsay Sisti
• Book: The Ultimate Guide to Houseplant Propagation
• Why Did My Alocasia Corm* Die?
• Alocasia Enthusiasts | Facebook
• LECHUZA-PON Plant Substrate 12 liter

 

For all corm propagation methods,

check out the full show notes and blog for Lindsay's step-by-step!

 

Thank you to our episode sponsor:Manukora

Go to manukora.com/bloom to get 25% off the starter kit that includes their 850+ Manukora honey jar, 5 honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon, and a guidebook. 

 

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