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So, why is my Alocasia dripping water? An Alocasia plant dripping water means it’s absorbing more than it can use. This process, known as guttation, helps your plant to survive in abnormal conditions, including times in which it may be overwatered. Guttation isn’t a problem for your plant but can be annoying to clean up!
Caring for our plants provides a nice way to relax and allows us to feel accomplished. But despite their pretty exterior and relative easiness in caring for them, Alocasia plants, like other plants, are incredibly complex.
Why Is My Alocasia Dripping Water
In this article, I’ll explain more about Alocasia plants, including why they are dripping water and how you can prevent them from dripping.
What Causes Your Alocasia To Drip Water?
Many people are especially conscious of their plant’s health and moisture levels during warm summer days.
Many people tend to provide a little extra water on dry and hot days to ensure that their plants don’t get too dry, turn yellow, and slowly die.
Yet, after a few days, you begin to realize that their Alocasia, regardless the type, is dripping water!
If Alocasia absorbs too much water, it causes them to drip water. Rather than storing it up, it expels the water, and this is a completely normal and healthy process that many plants undergo. Plants rely on the water during photosynthesis to convert the sun’s energy into nutrients.
Often, when Alocasias drip water, some have noticed it looks like sap or foam excreting from the tip of their plant’s leaf.
This moisture isn’t coming entirely from the tip of the plant, rather it’s collected along the bottom of the leaf. All of the moisture then flows off the plant from the tip of the leaf naturally due to the shape of the plant.
What Is Guttation?
When discussing plants and plant care, many people throw out large scientific terms that confuse those of us who might not be familiar with them. One such word you may have heard used in the plant community is guttation. But what does it mean?
Guttation is the process in which a plant expels extra water through its leaves that it has absorbed through the watering process. Guttation doesn’t occur in every plant but rather in plants that are common in high moisture environments, such as rainforests.
Guttation is able to occur because of specialized cells inside of plants called hydathodes that allow water to travel through them and out of the plant entirely.
These cells are different from the other cells found inside of a plant because of a special door-like channel located in the cell wall of the plant. Guttation most commonly occurs during the night and in the warmer months but can happen at any time.
Should Weeping Alocasia Be a Concern?
For many plants, when we see any sort of fluid, sap, or foam flowing out of the plant it’s a cause for concern. Though normal in some plants, this tends to be the exception. Should weeping alocasia be a concern?
A weeping Alocasia shouldn’t be a concern, as leaking is a completely natural phenomenon that plants native to many wet climates do naturally. If your alocasia is dripping or appears to be crying, it’s not a problem that requires action.
Though in many plants leaking fluid is a concern, in Alocasia, this isn’t the case. A weeping alocasias should only be of concern if it’s combined with other issues your plant might be experiencing.
For instance, if your plant is drooping or is turning a yellow or brown color, this could be a sign of root rot, pest attack or fungal infection. In this case, you should take steps to ease the illness, not the dripping.
How Do You Stop Your Alocasia From Dripping Water?
Alocasia dripping, though generally not something to be concerned about, can be a cause of annoyance for plant owners. Going to bed in the evening only to wake up with wet floors in your home or office can certainly be frustrating. How do you stop your Alocasia from dripping?
You can stop your alocasia from dripping by providing it with less water. In humid and wet climates, Alocasias frequently drip because of the high amounts of water they’re absorbing through their roots. By limiting the water, the plant absorbs, you can limit the drippage.
To figure out how much water is needed, observe of how much your plant is dripping and how much water you’re providing it. If you’re providing it with water weekly and it’s still dripping, cut back to once every two weeks. If your plant seems to become too dry or loses color, add more water.
Is Alocasia Dripping Water Poisonous?
When working with plants, determining their safety for consumption can be incredibly challenging. While you might be able to drink the maple sap that comes from a maple tree, you don’t want to consume the oils in poison ivy. Is alocasia dripping water poisonous?
Alocasia dripping water isn’t poisonous to humans or animals. Alocasia water is likely to have some of the oils and dissolved chemicals found in the plant, but it’s not toxic. Eating the plant directly can cause digestive issues, but the water drips from the plant, at most, cause skin irritation.
Alocasia plants are generally safe to have around pets and children. However, keep in mind if consumed directly, it can cause sickness. But the water it releases isn’t harmful. Nonetheless, it might still be best to keep the plant out of reach of children or animals.
Final Thoughts On Why Is My Alocasia Sweating
For many of us, plants help liven up our homes and workspaces and add a touch of green to provide some relief from the bright screens of daily life.
Unlike many plants, alocasias are well known for their drippage when they absorb too much water.
This expelling of water, called guttation, isn’t harmful to the plant or to people who may encounter it, and can be avoided by limiting the amount of water you provide your Alocasia.