Okay, so I’ve been messing around with my Alocasia plants lately, trying to figure out how cold they can actually get before they start throwing a fit. I love these plants, but I’m always worried about killing them with the temperature swings in my house.
First, I gathered all my Alocasias in one place. I have a few different varieties – a big ‘Regal Shields’, a smaller ‘Polly’, and a couple of baby ones I’m propagating. I wanted to see if they all reacted the same way.
My Experiment Setup
- Moved them to my sunroom. It’s the room that gets the most temperature fluctuations, especially at night.
- Set up a digital thermometer right in the middle of the plants to keep track of the temperature.
- Started a simple journal to note down the temperature and how the plants looked each day. Very scientific, I know.
I started by letting the temperature drop gradually. During the day, the sunroom stays pretty warm, around 75°F (24°C). But at night, I turned off the heater in that room to let it cool down. I watched the thermometer like a hawk!
For the first few nights, I only let it get down to about 65°F (18°C). The Alocasias didn’t seem to mind at all. They looked perky and happy. I made notes in my journal: “65°F – No visible changes. All plants look good.”
Then, I got a little bolder. I let the temperature drop to around 60°F (15°C) for a couple of nights. The ‘Polly’ started to look a little droopy, but the ‘Regal Shields’ was still holding strong. My journal entry: “60°F – ‘Polly’ slightly drooping. ‘Regal Shields’ still okay. Babies seem fine.”
I pushed it even further, one night letting it get down to 55°F (13°C). That was a mistake! The next morning, the ‘Polly’ looked really sad, with its leaves curling down. The ‘Regal Shields’ was starting to droop too, and even one of the baby plants had a yellowing leaf. My journal entry: “55°F – Uh oh! ‘Polly’ very droopy, leaves curling. ‘Regal Shields’ drooping. One baby with yellow leaf. Too cold!”
I quickly moved them all back to a warmer room and turned on the humidifier. I learned my lesson – 55°F is definitely too cold for my Alocasias, especially the ‘Polly’.
So, from my little experiment, I’d say that Alocasias can tolerate temperatures down to around 60°F, but they really prefer it to be warmer. Anything below that, and you’re risking some unhappy plants. Keep them cozy, folks!
