AT A GLANCE
How to manually pollinate Alocasia?
To successfully pollinate Alocasia you will need two flowering Alocasia plants as they cannot pollinate themselves. Using a soft brush, transfer the male pollen from one Alocasia flower to the female pistils of a neighboring Alocasia flower.
How can I pollinate Alocasia?
To pollinate an arrow leaf you will need two alocasia plants. Alocasia species are monoecious, unisex and cannot self-pollinate. Male flowers are located in the upper part of a spadix flower and female flowers in the lower part, separated by a sterile zone. To prevent self-pollination, ripen on elephant ear male and female flowers staggered. One pollination is only possible if there is a second flowering Alocasia nearby. Under this condition, you have two options:
- Pollinate Alocasia manually.
- Put Alocasia outside in summer so that insects can smelly flowers pollinate
also read
How is an Alocasia flower pollinated?
The easiest will be an Alocasia flower manually pollinated
with a soft brush. Transfer the yellowish, male pollen of one alocasia to the light green pistils of female flowers of the neighboring alocasia.What insects can pollinate Alocasia?
Known pollinator insects for Alocasia on the summer balcony are fruit flies (Drosophilidae) and flower flies (Anthomyiidae). In the natural garden these insects also appear as busy pollinators when temptingly smelly Alocasia flowers are within reach:
- Glossy Beetle (Nitidulidae)
- Scarab beetle (Scarabaeidae), like rose chafer and rhino beetle
- rove beetle (Staphylinidae)
Tip
Alocasia berries are poisonous
If you successfully pollinate flowering alocasia, the cobs will turn into multi-seeded berries. If the fruits turn orange-red, the seeds are ripe for the sowing. Extreme care must be taken when harvesting the seeds because the seeds are strong poisonous. Please wear gloves to protect yourself from contact with the toxins. Keep the seeds out of the reach of children and pets.