Alocasia Reginula, commonly known as Alocasia Black Velvet, is an exotic indoor plant with a unique appearance. This beautiful and rare dwarf variety’s name represents the plant’s stunning heart-shaped black leaves, and what makes its appearance even more dramatic are the contrasting silver veins.
Alocasia Black Velvet is perfect for indoor growing since it grows slowly and keeps small. The plant isn’t very demanding, but its ideal growing conditions can sometimes be a little particular. As long as you learn the main aspects of caring for it, you’ll be able to manage this stunning plant just fine.
Are you looking for a plant with a dramatic appearance to make a statement in your indoor space? Look no further than Alocasia Reginula! And if you are ready to learn more about growing and caring for Alocasia Black Velvet? Keep reading our guide!
About Alocasia Black Velvet
- Black Velvet Alocasia is native to Southeast Asia, and it is part of the Araceae family, the Alocasia genus, a genus of broad-leaved plants that includes about 97 species.
- Alocasia Reginula is the botanical name of Alocasia Black Velvet. This fascinating ornamental plant is also known as Dwarf Black Queen, Jewel Alocasia, Alocasia Velvet, and Black Velvet Elephant’s Ear Plant.
- Black Velvet is the perfect addition to any indoor space when grown in a pot. This plant makes an excellent focal point thanks to its attractive dark foliage. Black Velvet is also a favourite among interior designers who use it in their projects.
- Generally, Black Velvet goes dormant in cool weather during the cold season. During its dormancy, it prepares its soft tissues for freezing which is why it stops growing. However, it can stay active year-round if it receives adequate light and warmth conditions. During dormancy, your Alocasia Black Velvet may lose its leaves.
- Alocasia Black Velvet is a moderate sun-loving plant. This plant needs medium to bright indirect light. Too much sun exposure can scorch its delicate leaves, causing them to lighten.
- In terms of watering needs, make sure not to overwater this ornamental plant. Alocasia is susceptible to root rot if it gets too much water and sits in moist soil. Keep watering lightly but frequent. Always allow the top few inches of the soil to dry between waterings.
- Alocasia Black Velvet’s soil needs are related to its sensibility to rot. This plant requires well-draining soil to allow excess water to pass through. Use a potting mix that contains sand, perlite, and bark to improve drainage.
- Alocasia Black Velvet prefers temperatures that range between 55-80 °F (12-26 °C). Ideal humidity levels for it are around 65%. Make sure to keep your Black Velvet away from fans, heaters, air conditioning units, and wind.
- Black Velvet Alocasia is often bothered by spider mites. You can get rid of these pests by rubbing a mixture of alcohol and water on the plant’s leaves to kill them. Fungal leaf spot disease can also threaten your Black Velvet if the plant is kept in excessively humid conditions or if you overwater it.
Alocasia Black Velvet Features: An Overview
- Alocasia Reginula is a stunning evergreen perennial with a lush-like appearance that can grow up to 10-15 inches (30-40 cm) tall.
- It features dark, thick, and succulent-like leaves that are heart-shaped. The leaves grow about 6 inches long and about 2 inches wide.
- Black Velvet does flower, although occasionally. This plant is often praised for its beautiful leaves, and this is one reason while many Black Velvet owners usually remove the plant’s flowers at the first signs of blooming to help the plant redirect its energy to its leaves.
- The flowers produced by Black Velvet feature a pale yellow spathe surrounding a white spadix spike.
- Alocasia Black Velvet is known as a toxic plant when ingested by both humans and pets. This evergreen perennial contains needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals that can irritate the mouth and stomach. Make sure to place your Black Velvet plants out of your kids’ and pets’ reach.
Growing Alocasia Black Velvet
Alocasia Black Velvet is considered relatively easy to moderate in terms of the level of care. This plant isn’t the most low maintenance ornamental, but once you figure out its needs and provide it with its ideal growing conditions, it will grow healthy and happy.
First of all, you need to pay attention to this plant’s light needs. Although Alocasia Black Velvet likes bright sunlight, it doesn’t appreciate direct light as its delicate leaves can get sunburned quickly. So, you need to find a spot around your home where your plant will get bright indirect sunlight. If your plant isn’t getting enough sunlight, it can get a misshapen and sad appearance as the plant starts to drop down at the stem in a bid to search for sunlight.
In terms of fertilizing, you can help your Alocasia Black Velvet get all the nutrients it needs by applying an organic fertilizer once a month during the growing season or when you notice that the plant starts growing. This will give your Alocasia Black Velvet a boost of energy. Keep fertilizing at a minimum because overfertilizing your plant can lead to severe damage to the roots.
Pruning is relatively minimal with this plant, and the only thing you need to do is to remove dead leaves to ensure that your Black Velvet maintains its beautiful appearance. If you notice fungal leaf spots, remove the affected leaves to prevent the disease from spreading.
Planting Alocasia Black Velvet
Planting Black Velvet requires the same level of attention to the plant’s specific needs, including light exposure and soil.
Black Velvet is generally an indoor plant perfect for pot growing. However, if you live in an area where your garden will provide it with all its ideal growing needs, you can plant this fantastic Alocasia outdoors too.
When planting your Black Velvet plants, make sure to remember that it needs well-draining soil to avoid fungal and rot problems. Use potting mix and add sand, perlite, or bark to improve drainage. Don’t use sandy or clay soil as it can retain too much moisture and make the roots suffer from a lack of oxygen.
After planting your Alocasia Black Velvet, choose a spot around your home where the plant will get bright but indirect sunlight. As mentioned above, direct sun exposure will burn your plant’s leaves, causing them to lighten.
Make sure you don’t repot your Black Velvet more frequently than once every 2-3 years. Only increase your plant’s pot size slightly with every repotting.
- This variety of Alocasia features large, heart-shaped leaves with pronounced veining, further enhancing its visual appeal.
- The Alocasia Black Velvet is a compact plant, making it perfect for smaller spaces or as a tabletop centerpiece. Its manageable size allows for easy placement in various areas of your home or office, effortlessly elevating your interior decor.
- Despite its captivating beauty, the Alocasia Black Velvet is surprisingly low maintenance. It thrives in bright, indirect light and requires moderate watering. With minimal effort, you can enjoy the beauty of this exquisite plant without extensive care routines.
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Watering Alocasia Black Velvet
Overwatering your Black Velvet Alocasia is a sure way to kill it. Black Velvet Alocasia requires frequent but light watering as it is very susceptible to root rot and fungal diseases.
Generally, it is recommended to water your Alocasia Black Velvet twice every week during the hot season and once a week during the winter months. However, you should adapt your watering schedule based on your home’s humidity and moisture conditions.
The safest way to avoid overwatering this ornamental plant is to use the “soak and dry” watering method. Using this method means that you should only water your plant after you notice that the top few inches of the soil are completely dry.
If you accidentally pour too much water, allow it to sit for a few minutes for the plant to take as much water as it needs, and then make sure to remove the excess water from the pot.
Underwatering your Black Velvet can also be a problem for the plant, especially for its appearance. Crisping or curling leaves can also be a sign that you are underwatering your plant or that the humidity levels are too low.
Propagating Alocasia Black Velvet
If you’re thinking about propagating your Black Velvet, we can’t blame you for wanting more plants of this beautiful variety. This evergreen perennial is best propagated by the division of the underground rhizome system. Propagating Alocasia Black Velvet from seeds is also an option. However, this propagation method is a much slower process.
Make sure to wait until spring to propagate your mature Black Velvet. Doing it during winter, when the plant is dormant, won’t bring you any success. Once spring is showing its first signs, follow the next steps to propagate your Jewel Alocasia:
First, take your Black Velvet from its pot and gently remove the extra soil around the roots. Inspect the rhizome system and use a clean and sharp tool to remove the rhizome of your choice. Then, plant the rhizome in potting mix and give it a light drink and place the pot in a spot where it gets bright but indirect sunlight.
Make sure to wear gloves while handling and propagating your Alocasia Black Velvet to protect your skin from the plant’s irritating effects.
In Conclusion
Growing Alocasia Black Velvet will be a very rewarding task. This plant can be a fantastic addition to your indoor design thanks to its dramatic and unique appearance given by its dark, large leaves and its exciting colours.
It can seem a little intimidating to care for an Alocasia Black Velvet due to its specific growing needs. However, once you get used to your plant’s light, soil, and water needs, you won’t find it hard to keep your Black Velvet happy and healthy. If you enjoyed learning about Alocasia Reginula “Black Velvet”, you might also be interested to learn more about Alocasia Baginda and Alocasia x Amazonica.
Are you growing Alocasia plants? Share your experience in the comments!
