Alocasia 'Sarian'

I am going to look into getting one of these ...and a colocasia too. Thanks D1!!! At present I have two Ligularias which add interest at the waterside...they are both impressive plants once settled (usually the second season) I want to place some potted alocasia among them...should look very jungle-ish. going to call a friends attention to this plant...she likes alocasias too...

Lori:

It sounds like a plan. I think Alocasia and Colocasia would look wonderful next to water. They grow in nature next to rivers or ponds.

I need to find a place to put this plant into the ground...I purchased this plant in Sept. 2006 and it should be much larger. At least 8 feet by now...as they grow to 12 feet overall with huge leaves.

Oh my goodness! 12 feet?! do you have a pond by chance? would it grow ~IN~ water? I know the ligs. like wet feet...

Lori:

I can't wait to see the leaves 6 or 7 feet long by 3 feet wide like they should be...instead of the small narrow leaves you see in this photo.

I don't think this hybrid will grow directly in water. It likes a lot of water only when the temps. are consistently high or it will rot.

No, I don't have a pond...it is too high maintenance for a drought-stricken city like San Diego. LOL! It's true though we are in a horrible drought. Today we just have gone to a stage 2 drought...which means a mandatory 20% decrease in water usage...and it goes on and on. : > (

Is San Diego a coastal desert region? that's a pretty rare phenomenon...I know there are coastal deserts in Africa. Is your rainy time finished now? Here in Canada we have so much water around us we rarely have to think about water conservation. But with the new awareness of climate change , we have come to appreciate all the water we have at our disposal.....and it's quality. I like to use rainwater if I can...but that's no guarantee it's pure...there is still a lot of air pollution. The small city I live in takes their water from the St. Lawrence River...It's filtered and treated and chlorinated...Yuck! but the waters of the St. Lawrence are so polluted that Beluga whales who died in the river were treated as toxic waste! PCB's, agricultural pollution (heavy metals, VOC's,2-4 D, 2-4-5T, salt, etc. ) sad fact..The Great Lakes really need international cooperation to clean them up.
Time to do a rain dance! hope you have relief soon!

Lori:

San Diego is almost considered a desert coastal city...however, it's normal rainfall (about 10 inches/25cm a year) is more than a desert city...which is more like 3 or 4 inches/ 7 or 8 cm of rainfall a year.

We haven't had a normal rainfall in 5 years and before that there was a 5 year drought...in the 2001/2002 Winter we had the least annual amount of rainfall ever recorded - at 3.5 inches/8.9 cm.

It's really sad to hear about all the pollution in river there...I always think of Canada as a very clean and pollution-free country. I guess all large Countries have their issues.

We have many issues with water pollution...especially in the Tijuana river which borders Mexico. Although there's has been many improvements over the years with the strict Clean Water Act. It still has a long way to go though.

As far as relieve soon from the drought...it will not happen. Our rainy season is over. The only possible relief may happen if we receive rains in the monsoon season...which start as early as late June...however, typically in July - Sept.

Well let's do that monsoon raindance then!! perhaps your alocasias will take off and grow huge! another problem that goes along with a protracted drought is mud slides if and when the rain returns...! I guess along with shake n bake you have plenty of other factors that make it seem a lot like living on the eye of the dragon! You pay for your wonderful warm climate!

Lori:

We can get flash flood during the monsoon season...this happens more in the mountains and deserts though...rarely in the San Diego City limits...because the clouds have to travel west from the desert over The Laguna Mountains and to the coast.

I'll re-post some photos for you from last Summer when I took photos of the huge thunderstorm over the mountains. Check them out when you have chance.

We could tolerate some flooding as long as it's not too severe...at least it would fill up some of the water reservoirs.

so the mountains are a barrier to moisture from both directions...? Today has been downright hot ...our temps today are in the high 80's F. I find that the older I become the less I like the extremes...I need a goldilocks climate...not too hot and not too cold...but, Just Right! lol...wonder where I could find that?

Lori:

Yes, you are correct. The Mountain are the dividing line, so to speak.
It keeps the desert dry in Winter and the Monsoonal moisture to the east of San Diego in the Summer. Most of the time.

Your temps are higher than ours today...it has been below normal temps since the the big heat wave ended...and I'm happy about it. I like it a little cooler. Soon enough. It'll be pretty consistently warm and muggy.

You would love Downtown San Diego's weather...it is very rarely too hot or too cool. That's why it's know as the city with perpetual Spring.

I live in San Diego, however, 9 miles east of Downtown...and the temperature can be 20 degrees or more higher.

Perpetual Spring!? I can see why a plant person would choose to live there. The pics of the agaves really say it all! I think the only other person whose spot I really envy is Terry60 in Italy! You both live in wonderous places! in the middle of our frigid winters it's a joy to look at photos on goY...especially yours, Terry's and Flcrazy's!

Lori:

Yes, it is wonderful to live here...sometimes I don't even know what season I'm in...because some of our Winters are so mild it just doesn't seem like Winter...especially when the temps. are in the 80's and 90's in January or February -- like this past January and February.

This past January many cities in Southern California had the most consecutive days (20 days) above 80 degrees F/ 27 degrees C. ever recorded. Some of those days were over 90 degrees F/ 32 degrees C. I guess that's global warming.

oh my! I hope you receive some rain over the monsoon...I know that I can live through more consecutive cold days that I could through consecutive hot ones! When the soggy humidity and stifling heat comes I just wilt! maybe a temperate climate is not all that bad after all???

Lori:

We were suppose to receive some rain this weekend. But, again the weather people were incorrect...no rain.

The weather has just been perfect for the last week...averaging 78 degrees F / 25 degrees C. as a highs and the lows 62 degrees F./ 16 degrees C.
It is going to get hot again in the next day or so though.

with good temp variations like that, D1, do you have evening dew?

Lori:

No evening dew.