How to Care for a Curcuma Attenuata

Growing Indoors

• 1

  Maintain the temperature above 50 degrees Fahrenheit at all times in the room where the Curcuma is, to prevent discoloration and rot.

• 2

  Fill a planter with well-aerated potting soil to grow Curcuma as a container plant. The rhizomes are available from nurseries November through April.

• 3

  Place the Curcuma plant in indirect sunlight. Give it northern exposure. In rooms where windows face another direction, do not keep the pot on windowsills. It does not matter how far away the plant is from the window. Curcuma attenuata just has to be in an area of the room where the sun's rays do not reach.

• 4

  Irrigate potted plants whenever the soil surface feels dry to the touch. Pour water into the planter until excess flows out of the drainage holes. Yellowing leaves and leaf drop indicate the Curcuma is not getting enough moisture. Use non-chlorinated water. Suspend irrigation in the winter. Resume watering the plant as soon as you notice it producing new growth in spring.

• 5

  Place the planter in a shallow tray filled with water and pebbles to humidify the environment. Install a humidifier in the room if you live in year-round dry weather, such as the Southwest desert.

• 6

  Feed the Curcuma attenuata an orchid or general houseplant fertilizer. Dilute it according to the instructions for the brand you selected. Apply it every two to three weeks. Drench the soil with plain water to leach accumulated fertilizer salts whenever you notice a white crust forming on the surface.

Growing Outdoors

• 7

  Grow the plant in soil that drains water within one hour of irrigation or rainfall. Plant in a shady area of the garden. Dig a 2-foot-deep hole to test the site's drainage. Fill the hole with water and wait for it to disappear underground. Pour more water into the hole to fill it. The area offers adequate drainage if it absorbs the liquid in one hour or less the second time around.

• 8

  Dig near the base of the Curcuma with a trowel carefully. Find out how deep your plant's roots reach. Irrigate outdoor Curcuma attenuata to that depth whenever the soil surface becomes dry to the touch or the leaves yellow and drop. Do not water the plant in the winter.

• 9

  Apply an orchid fertilizer to Curcuma attenuata every two weeks. Use it at the dilution rates recommended on the manufacturer's label.