What's eating my alocasia lauterbachiana (purple sword)?

Alocasia lauterbachiana (Purple Sword) is most commonly plagued by spider mites, which thrive on the long, narrow leaves in dry indoor conditions. Mealybugs colonise the petiole bases and corm. Scale can appear on the stems. Its upright narrow form makes inspection easier — check leaf undersides and the base monthly.

Pale stippling running along the narrow leaf surface, webbing on undersides; leaves bronze and drop in heavy attacks. Increase humidity, shower the plant, and spray thoroughly with neem oil or insecticidal soap every five to seven days.

White cottony deposits at petiole bases and around the corm or rhizome; sticky honeydew below the plant. Remove manually with alcohol swabs and follow up with repeated neem oil spray, targeting the base carefully.

Brown raised bumps on the petioles and underside of the midrib; leaves yellow and plant growth slows. Scrape off with a soft toothbrush, then apply horticultural oil spray weekly to eliminate crawlers.