The Alocasia Frydek is a popular plant that is also known as an Alocasia Green Velvet or an African mask plant, and is an elephant’s ear variation in the Alocasia plant family.

This plant is characterised by its dark green/black leaves featuring bright white lateral veins which can grow up to 18 inches long.

Whilst they have grown in popularity over the last few years, this plant is best suited for someone who is an intermediate plant owner as the Frydek is known to be more fussy than others in the Alocasia family and does not thrive on neglect at all.

Keeping an Alocasia Frydek looking its best can be a challenge so keeping care consistent in terms of water, soil, fertiliser, humidity, light and temperature is key to keeping your plant happy and healthy.

Where is it from?

The Alocasia Frydek is native to Southeast Asia and Eastern Australia so they are best suited to warm and humid conditions within your home.

Light conditions and location

This plant prefers to be placed in bright, indirect light and partial shade. Alocasia Frydek will tolerate direct sunlight for a few hours but you will need to make sure they are protected as it can be sensitive to bright light and can begin to droop or burn if it’s exposed to too much.

We recommend placing your Alocasia Frydek by an east-facing window to give it the best chance of thriving. In this spot, it can take advantage of the morning sun for a few hours when the sun is not as strong. Then, in the afternoon, it will have bright but indirect light.

As well as suffering if exposed to too much bright sunlight, this plant can also take a long time to grow if it doesn’t get enough sunlight and will be prone to overwatering and root rot in lower light conditions.

Watering

As plants that thrive in a tropical rainforest, Alocasia Frydek plants are used to thorough and frequent watering. If you forget to water it even a couple of times, it can cause the plant to go dormant and it will struggle to grow.

It’s important to keep checking in on your plant so that you understand when it needs watering and, when you do water, it should be watered properly. Ensuring your Frydek is planted in well-draining soil will mean that the water will not stay in the pot for too long and start to rot the roots. Drainage holes in your pot are also essential.

The amount of water required and the frequency of watering will all depend on the temperature and humidity in your home as well as the time of year. Usually a Frydek will need to be watered around once a week and this should be reduced in the winter.

When looking after your Alocasia Frydek, it’s important to monitor it carefully to check for overwatering and underwatering symptoms so you can correct your watering habits accordingly.

Signs of underwatering include:

1. Wilting
2. Little to no growth
3. Brown leaves

Signs of overwatering include:

1. Yellow lower leaves
2. Wilting
3. Brown spots on leaves
4. Rotting stem
5. Temperature

The minimum temperature for an Alocasia Frydek is 16 degrees Celcius and anything lower than this will cause your plant to suffer and can result in slow growth. Once the conditions improve again, your plant will start to grow again. Make sure you keep the plant in temperatures between 16-27 degrees Celcius for the best success and keep it out of hot and cold draughts.

Humidity

As tropical plants from the rainforest, Alocasia Frydek love high humidity so, to prevent the leaves from browning and to keep it looking its best, we recommend keeping the humidity levels around the plant above 50%.

You can mist the leaves of the plant daily with a spray bottle or use a humidifier to achieve this.

If there is not enough humidity around the plant, you might find that the leaves start to brown at the edges and tips.

If the humidity level in your home drops below 50%, there are a few different ways to try and increase it, including:

• Group your Alocasia Frydek together with some of your other houseplants as this can help to increase the humidity around the plants

• Create a humidity tray by putting your plant on the tray with small pebbles scattered around the bottom and adding water

Soil

Alocasia Frydek plants prefer well-draining soil so we advise adding in perlite or bark to the soil mix to ensure the soil drains well when you water it and to avoid root rot.

The soil will also need to be fertile and stay moist for an extended period of time to make sure the plant gets as much water as it needs. This plant is particularly prone to root rot so the soil mix you choose should help to prevent this at all costs.

In addition, to give the soil a chance to dry out, your pot will need drainage holes at the bottom and will prevent the roots from sitting in water.

Fertiliser

We recommend using a diluted fertiliser from spring and through the summer every other week to help your plant thrive.

Repotting and propagation

Alocasia Frydek do not require repotting regularly and like to stay root bound. As a result, they only need to be repotted around every two years once they have matured. Make sure you use a pot that is one or two times bigger than the existing pot and completely replace the potting soil.

Propagation should be done by division so dig the plant out and separate the part you want from the part of the plant that can be pulled apart. It’s recommended you do this in the spring at the same time as repotting.

Winter care

As with any other houseplant, Alocasia Frydek plants tend to slow their growth in the winter or can enter a period of dormancy. So, once you notice growth slowing down in the winter months or the soil is wet for longer, ensure you water less regularly. It’s also recommended that you do not divide or repot your plant while it’s dormant.

Common problems to look out for

• Root rot - Alocasia Frydek plants are extremely prone to root rot and one of the biggest causes is overwatering. Keeping a close eye on what your plant needs and adjusting your watering schedule accordingly is the best approach.

• Drooping leaves - the leaves of your Alocasia Frydek can droop for a number of causes, including under watering and overwatering.

• Leaves turning brown, drooping or shrivelling - this can often be a natural part of the plant’s growth and, as long as your plant is showing new growth, it’s nothing to worry about and just a sign that it needs pruning.