Alocasia Gageana "Aurea" Tissue Culture
The Alocasia Gageana Aurea, also known as the Golden Alocasia, is a captivating tropical plant with stunning golden-yellow heart-shaped leaves adorned with dark green veins. It’s a compact houseplant, reaching about 2 to 3 feet in height. This plant thrives in bright, indirect light and well-draining soil. Its glossy foliage adds an exotic touch to your indoor garden, making it a conversation piece among plant enthusiasts.
Here are the instructions to ensure success with your new plant.
Please follow the care instructions below very closely!
Materials needed:
-Bottled Water
-Iodine/Betadine (available at pharmacies or Target in the bandaid aisle)
-Rooting hormone (We use Elite Root Igniter 1 tbsp:1 gallon)
-Supplemental light source (we use T5 or T8 LED Barrina grow lights found on Amazon)
-Humidity controlled environment / container with humidistat gauge.
-Coco coir / Perlite (2:1 Ratio)
1. Clean your hands & the surfaces you will be using. Please open the container and rinse the agar off the plant.
(It is normal for your plant or agar to have shaken around a bit in transit.)
2. Place rinsed plant in a bowl of bottled water with Iodine/Betadine (available at pharmacies or Target in the bandaid aisle). About 1 tbsp:1 gallon & soak for a minimum of 3 minutes. Feel free to remove any lower leaves that may be browning (Do not worry about these leaves, they do not grow in size and shed during acclimation. It's the new growth that's important!)
3. Place in a separate bowl with bottled water and diluted rooting hormone. (We use Elite Root Igniter 1 tbsp:1 gallon) Soak for maximum 2 minutes.
If you use a different brand please follow the dilution instructions on the packaging.
4. Prepare the growing medium (Coco Coir & Perlite 2:1 Ratio) by wetting it with a spray bottle with rooting hormone mixed in, you will need the medium to be damp but not soaking wet. From here you can pot your tissue culture into this, we recommend starting with a 2" pot.
5. For 4-8 weeks keep the plantlet in a high humidity environment with airflow of around 90%+ to acclimate. Slowly begin lowering the humidity each week to end at a baseline of about 70%. (Use a humidistat to monitor the actual humidity.)
A plastic storage bin, or other container with enough room for the plant to grow can work to keep the humidity high.
(This step is the most important !!)
6. Use LED lighting to support the plant for 10-14 hr/day. Depending on the strength of your lights, keep within a good distance of the light.
As your plant is showing signs it is producing new growth (new leaves and healthy roots forming), you can begin transitioning from the high humidity into normal grow conditions.
Throughout this process ensure the plant continues to receive 10-14 hrs of light, keep the growing medium moist, and continue to support root growth!
Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions. We are here to help 😊🌱
