Alocasia 'Golden Dragon' Ø7cm

Alocasia 'Golden Dragon' is a jewel aroid with thick, green-gold leaves furrowed by dark veins that give them the look of dragon-scale armour. It stays compact and orderly, perfect for a bright windowsill or the warm corner of a terrarium. It loves bright indirect light, humid air and a loose aroid substrate. An elegant challenge that rewards attention with ever more spectacular leaves. Care instructions The Alocasias' reputation as fussy plants melts away the moment you give them the right environment. 'Golden Dragon' asks not for complicated equipment but for consistency: steady warmth, good light without direct sun, humid air, and an airy substrate that never waterlogs. Once these four conditions are in place, the plant becomes surprisingly steadfast and pushes out leaf after leaf, each more beautiful than the last. This environment is easy to recreate with three simple accessories: a loose aroid substrate, a well-draining pot, and a humidifier or a tray of damp gravel nearby. The key lies in the balance of water: the roots love moisture but hate stagnation. A chunky substrate of pine bark, perlite and coco fibre keeps the roots hydrated while letting air circulate, preventing rot. Here are the essential care markers: Light: bright indirect light, next to a luminous window filtered with a sheer curtain. Avoid direct midday sun, which scorches the golden leaves; too little light, on the other hand, dulls the colour and stretches the petioles. Temperature: between 18 and 27 °C, ideally above 20 °C. Keep the plant away from cold draughts and frosty winter windows; it grows best in constant warmth, without sudden drops below 15 °C. Watering: keep the substrate lightly moist but never soaked. Water when the top layer (2-3 cm) has dried, using room-temperature water, ideally filtered or rainwater. In winter, reduce the frequency, watching the plant rather than the calendar. Humidity: high, 60-70%. A humidifier is the best ally; a tray of damp gravel or grouping tropical plants together also helps. Dry air favours spider mites and brown tips. Substrate: loose and airy, an 'aroid mix' of pine bark, perlite, coco fibre and a little charcoal. The pot must have drainage holes; choose a container only slightly larger than the roots. Feeding: during the growing season (spring-summer), once every 3-4 weeks, with a balanced fertiliser diluted to half strength. Suspend feeding in autumn and winter, when the plant slows down. Propagation: by separating the offsets and the small corms that appear at the base of the plant when repotting. Each corm carries the potential of a new plant, identical to the mother. With these markers, 'Golden Dragon' becomes calm, lasting company. It is the plant that teaches you patience and attention to detail and, in exchange, gives you several times a year the joy of a new golden leaf, textured like the scales of a dragon asleep on the windowsill. A word, too, about the small troubles, because prevention is simpler than correction. Brown tips betray air that is too dry or water with too much chlorine - the answer is higher humidity and filtered water. Fine webbing between the petioles signals spider mites, which love dry air; regular misting of the leaves and a humidifier keep them at bay, and if needed a natural neem-oil treatment solves the problem. Yellowing leaves at the base are often normal - the plant recycles its old leaves - but if several appear at once, check the drainage and let the substrate dry out between waterings. With these small adjustments, 'Golden Dragon' remains long-lasting company that grows alongside you season after season and rewards your attention with one of the most beautiful leaves a houseplant can produce. Specifications Pot diameter: 7 cm