This Is Why Your Alocasia Is Dripping Water [And What To Do]

Plant owners are well acquainted with the unexpected occurrence of their plants’ leaves dripping.

To beginners, this may be alarming and may have you thinking the end is nigh, but no worries as this is a perfectly natural process.

Why is my alocasia dripping water? A plant that is dripping water from its leaves is experiencing guttation, a process that occurs when a plant has taken up more water than it needs and the excess is released through the leaves. Guttation is a normal response and is quite common in alocasia. Reduce watering to resolve the problem.

Learning more about plant guttation and how to avoid it can boost your confidence as you care for your plants and can help you avoid needless worry. Let’s get started.

Alocasia Guttation

Alocasia is a family of plants that exist both as a house plant and in the wild in warm areas.

They carry the nickname elephant ears, thanks to their large, broad leaves and leathery texture that resembles elephant ears.

Alocasia is best known for its large foliage that can come in a variety of colors and textures.

This includes anything from the Alocasia amazonica ‘Polly’, known for its elongated deep green leaves with thick white veins, to the Alocasia baginda ‘Silver Dragon’ with its silvery-white foliage and deep-green to nearly blue veins.

Guttation in Plants

Guttation is when tiny droplets of liquid form at the tips of leaves. This may seem alarming for a beginner house plant owner, but thankfully, it is completely natural and will not harm the plant.

Is It Normal for Alocasia To Drip Water?

Yes. Alocasia is one of those plants that are well known for guttation. If you happen to see it, it does not mean that your plant is dying or that you are caring for it incorrectly.

It is an entirely natural process that plants sometimes go through. Some plant owners may confuse guttation with dewdrops.

The main difference is that guttation is coming from inside the plants themselves while dewdrops are formed from the moisture in the air outside of the plant.

Why Is My Alocasia Sweating?

When a plant is watered, the roots pull moisture up into the stem and then into the leaves.

During the daytime, tiny holes in the leaves called stomata are open and allow the moisture inside the leaves to evaporate.

This process of evaporation creates a slight vacuum that helps to pull more moisture up from the roots.

During the night, the stomata close. The roots continue to pull moisture into the plant, however.

With the stomata closed, the leaves are then losing less moisture than they might during the day.

So when the roots continue to pull moisture up at the same rate, all that extra moisture needs to go somewhere.

The plants’ solution to this is to release this excess moisture from the leaves in the form of guttation.

How To Stop Your Alocasia From Dripping Water

A dripping alocasia can be a bit of a nuisance. While it’s not harming the plant, many owners would prefer it wasn’t happening.

If you want to stop your Alocasia from dripping, you could try giving it a bit less water and offering more light.

As guttation is essentially the alocasia taking up more water than it can use, cutting back a little bit should help.

Believe it or not, keeping your alocasia in slightly rootbound conditions could help too as the tightly packed roots keep the soil light and aerated, helping to prevent a soggy environment.

Guide To Watering Alocasia

When it comes to watering alocasia, you want to water them before the soil becomes completely dry. Alocasia does best when its soil is kept slightly damp.

Take care that the soil is only damp and not fully wet when you water. Alocasia is prone to root rot when kept in soil that is consistently too wet.

When watering, water your alocasia until water starts to drip out of the drainage holes in your pot. After watering, you can dump out any water that is left in the drainage tray.

Always use a pot with drainage holes in the bottom to properly allow the excess water to drain.

If your pot doesn’t have drainage holes, you can either drill some into the bottom or keep your plant in a plastic nursery pot inside your more decorative pot.

Just remember to dump out the excess water from the outer pot as you would with a standard drip tray when watering.

What Does an Overwatered Alocasia Look Like?

When an alocasia is overwatered, one of the easiest signs to spot is that its leaves will start drooping. Some varieties of alocasia will also have their leaves turn yellow.

Overwatering can also put your plant at risk for root rot or fungal infections. If you see brown or black spots on its leaves, there might be an issue.

How Do You Fix Overwatered Alocasia?

If you overwater your alocasia, there are a few things you can do to make it healthy again.

Only water your plant when the top 2 inches of the soil is dry.
Check the drainage holes. If you need to, add more. If there are any blockages, remove them.
You could try increasing the amount of air available to the alocasia’s roots. One way to do this is to mix the soil with a bit of perlite.
If you see signs of a fungal infection or simply as a preventative measure, feel free to treat your plant with a fungicide (I use this all-natural product when trouble strikes).

How Do You Know If an Alocasia Is Thirsty?

The leaves of your alocasia will start to droop when it needs water. In more severe cases, the leaves will begin to wilt and turn brown.

Also, if the soil is dry, it’s time for a drink. Alocasia prefers slightly damp soil.

Wrapping It Up

While it might be concerning to see your alocasia dripping, it’s nothing to be worried about. In most cases, it isn’t anything serious.

For a healthy plant, remember to keep your alocasia’s soil slightly damp and to have plenty of drainage in your pot.