Albo and Goodbye: An Albo Care Guide

More often than not, I am asked questions on how I care for my Albos. These babies intimidate a lot of people, but I promise they’ve just gotten themselves a bad rep for being picky! In my experience, they’re my least picky plants to care for! Below I’m going to explain how I, personally, care for my Albos. DISCLAIMER: Everyone’s home environment is different, and that should be taken into account. I’m not saying that everything I say here is going to work for you, so you might have to make little changes based on your home, but this is what has worked for me.

Light

When I first had my Albo, I had it in a room that got gently diffused Southern exposure, but I had it about 10’ from the window and found that the light wasn’t strong enough to encourage the best possible growth out of my big beauty. Once I moved it downstairs where it got direct evening light, and very bright, indirect light the rest of the day it exploded! As far as I can tell, the brighter the better! Make sure your baby is positioned somewhere closer to a window (I’d say within 3-4’) or at least somewhere where the light isn’t being obstructed by your other plants. It needs a heavy dose of that Vitamin D!

Water

I, personally, am a bad waterer. Serial underwaterer, in fact. I’ve noticed that Albos, much like the regular green form, is very drought tolerant. If you wait too long to water it, the leaves will go droopy! Have no fear! A solid, thorough watering and 24-hours time will have it looking right as rain! As far as a regular watering schedule, I wait until at least the top 2” of soil is dry and then give it a solid watering. I tend to take it out of it’s place and set it in a giant saucer, and water until it runs out of the bottom of the pot. If it was extra dry (read: neglected), I will let it sit in the runout water for 10-15 minutes to give it a chance to absorb as much as it needs before putting it back in it’s spot! Note that in the Fall/Winter months, your plant will dry out much slower and will not need as much water as it did in the Spring/Summer.

Fertilizer

I use LiquiDirt to water my Albos, and will continue to do so. I’m still learning about this product and how it interacts with my plants, BUT you should follow the normal fertilization schedules that varies by the seasons. Personally, I fertilize all through Spring, Summer, and usually into September until it starts getting a little darker and colder and then I discontinue it. I am too afraid of burning my plants to really fertilize them all winter long, so I either don’t do it at all, or do it once every 1-2 months.

Pests

Nobody wants to think about pests getting on their beloved Albo, but it happens. Spider mites attacked earlier this year, and I was able to treat them right away without any real damage done. For spider mites, I take a spray bottle full of water and drop in 5-6 drops of Dawn dish soap (the blue one, specifically), and yes Dawn does work best. I can’t attest to any other brand, but Dawn baby… it’s the shit. Once you’ve dropped in the soap, give it a little shake to mix it up. Spray the fronts and backs of the leaves, all the crevices in the stem, all of it. Anywhere they could be hiding. Let that sit for 3-5 minutes as the mites suffocate and die in masses, and then rinse the plant. You can do this either outdoors with the hose on the “shower” mode, or by taking a cup of water and a wet paper towel to it. Just make sure you’re removing that soapy residue.

Browning

Now, hear me on this. Browning will happen. It happens. It’s the natural course of these babies to lose their white to the brown creep of death. There are ways to slow it down, however. First rule of thumb is NEVER TOUCH THE WHITE. NO TOUCHY. NOOOOOO TOUCHY. I know you want to but dude, do NOT touch it. The oils on your fingers can clog the pores of the plant (known as stomata) and cause browning way faster than if you had just left it alone. Clogged pores on a plant mean suffocation, and suffocation means death. In my experience, the marbled leaves do not run the same risk of browning because they are still able to photosynthesize. White leaves lack what is called chlorophyll, a green photosynthetic pigment found in plants, and cannot sustain themselves, thus browning. If you notice browning starting on your plant, you can cut it off with a sterilized instrument to help prevent it from spreading so fast.

Humidity

Albos are tropical jungle-dwellers, so they do like a good bit of humidity. Personally, my humidity level is unknown because I refuse to buy a humidity meter. I can’t tell you why, I just wont. However, I do run a humidifier (when I remember to fill it) right next to my Albos. They appreciate the reminder of their natural habitat, and will always appreciate it!

Talk Therapy

Ok this one might seem wild, but talk to your plant. My first Albo reverted, giving me leaves that were more and more green until they finally lost all variegation. I made the executive decision to chop it back to where the stem was highly variegated and start over. The one thing I did that I felt helped speed up the process of growing back was talking to it. Positive affirmations, “You’re doing a great job! Keep going!” Plants are living things and I truly believe they are a product of their environment. If it’s positive and the plant feels loved and appreciated, it will show it. That same reverted Albo is now the most stunning specimen with large white patches that haven’t browned (I’m no touchy touchy, I promise), it’s grown taller than it ever has before, it’s attaching to it’s pole (which it’s adamantly refused to do up until this point) and began to thrive. I tell him every day what a pretty boy he is, and he’s returned my love tenfold.

I hope any of this has helped you feel more at-ease about raising these beautiful beasts! I promise you that if you listen to your specific plant and learn what it needs and when, you will be successful. And remember: Nooooo touchy.