Alocasia is an amazing tropical plant from the Aroid family. Its main decoration is luxurious large leaves with an unusual pattern of veins. The homeland of the beauty is the tropics of Eastern Australia, Malaysia and Latin America. In our country, it has taken root as a houseplant and is very popular among flower growers.
Botanical Description
Alocasia is a large-rhizome evergreen plant with herbaceous shoots. The roots resemble elongated tubers or stolons. Above the ground is a shortened erect stem. Leaves are fixed on long fleshy petioles. At the base of the leaf, the petiole is divided into several veins, which are better felt on the underside of the leaf. The leaf plate has an oval, thyroid or heart shape. The edges of shiny dark green leaves are smooth or ribbed. The length of the sheet can be 20-100 cm.
Alocasia is also called "weatherman" for its ability to predict the weather. On the eve of rain, when the humidity rises, the leaf of alocasia is covered in small droplets. So the plant gets rid of excess fluid.
Indoor plant alocasia rarely pleases with flowers. A small white or yellowish cob is located on a dense shortened peduncle. The inflorescence is almost completely covered by a coverlet in the form of a slightly expanded scroll. As the fruit sets, the veil begins to crack and unfold. Fruits - bright red rounded berries with 1-5 small seeds. They reveal along the longitudinal vein. During the flowering period, leaf growth slows down or they partially fall, so some owners deliberately immediately cut the flower stalk.
All parts of alocasia are poisonous and require special care during cultivation and care. The juice of the plant is very irritating to the skin. However, alocasia also has healing properties. Phytoncides and essential oils in its juice are able to have anesthetic and stimulating effect on the body. Alocasia is used to make tinctures and ointments to combat tooth, joint and stomach pain. It is very important to comply with the dosage, otherwise the medicine may turn into poison.
Types of Alocasia
The genus of alocasia has about 70 species. Many of them are suitable for indoor cultivation, but are found only in large cities, so a limited set of plants is available to most gardeners.
Alocasia Polly. A low plant with a short stem and a rosette of large leaves. On juicy petioles, thyroid leaf plates are up to 50 cm long and up to 20 cm wide. Large veins are drawn with white lines on dark green glossy leaves. The edges and end of the leaves have a serrated structure. The species most often blooms in the culture.
Large-root alocasia (Indian or Arma). The plant has a fleshy trunk up to 2 m, on which petiolate leaves 80-100 cm long are located.
Alocasia napellus. A lush plant 60-100 cm high. A dense crown consists of juicy bright green leaves with a uniform color. Leaf plates are ovoid with a slightly swollen surface. Embossed veins are painted in the tone of a leaf plate. Blooms very rarely.
Breeding
Alocasia at home is propagated by planting seeds, cuttings or dividing the bush.
Seeds are sown in the spring in a light sand-peat mixture. Drying, they quickly lose their germination capacity, therefore, crops should be done immediately after harvest. It is enough to deepen the seeds by 0.5-1 cm. The soil is moistened and covered with a film. The greenhouse is kept in a bright place at a temperature of + 20 ... + 25 ° C. Shoots appear together 18-22 days after sowing. Seedlings with 2-3 leaves dive into small (up to 7 cm in diameter) individual pots. The first transplant is performed only after complete braiding by the roots of an earthen coma. Large foliage begins to grow on yearling alocasia.
Cutting allows you to save most of the varietal characteristics, but not all. To root the stalk, you need to cut the leaf with part of the pulp of the stem in early spring. The place of cut is treated with crushed charcoal and left to dry for 2-3 hours. After that, the shank is immersed in a root solution and planted in a sand-peat mixture. Rooting takes place quite quickly and after 2-4 weeks a young plant is ready. It can immediately grow large leaves.
In spring, when transplanting, you can divide the bush into several parts. The roots should be completely cleaned from the ground. If the lump is too tightly bound the rhizome, it is soaked in water. The bush is cut with a knife into several parts. Each dividend should have at least a small leaf rosette or growth point. The slice is treated with activated carbon and the plant is immediately planted in fresh soil.
Transplant Rules
Alocasia should be transplanted once every 2-3 years. If the division of the bush is not expected, do not remove the entire earthen lump from the roots. For planting, choose a deep, stable pot with holes in the bottom. The tank is filled with drainage material to a depth of 2-3 cm. The soil for planting alocasia is chosen loose and nutritious. Mildly acidic formulations of the following components are suitable:
- sheet earth;
- coniferous land;
- peat;
- river sand.
You can also use fertile garden soil with the addition of sand and sphagnum.
Care for indoor alocasia
At home, caring for alocasia is quite simple. This unpretentious plant develops well indoors. You need to choose a bright place, but protect the leaves from direct sunlight. Varieties with reddish foliage require additional lamp illumination.
The optimum air temperature for alocasia is + 20 ... + 25 ° C. Drafts and sudden changes in temperature lead to diseases and a deterioration in the appearance of the crown. In winter, a slight cooling is allowed up to + 16 ° C. In a colder room, the plant begins to drop leaves. Even short-term frosts lead to an early death of alocasia.
Like any tropical guest, alocasia needs high humidity. The leaves are sprayed with water several times a day. To prevent lime stains on the foliage, use soft water.
Alocasia is watered abundantly. The ground should always be slightly moist. But even stagnation of water in the pot is impossible. By winter, watering is gradually reduced, but taking long breaks is not recommended.
From March to August, the plant needs regular fertilizing with mineral fertilizers. Use compositions for indoor flowers, which are added twice a month to water for irrigation.
Possible difficulties
Alocasia is resistant to plant diseases. Most often she suffers from rot. This is especially true for adult specimens. From parasites on succulent greens, spider mites, aphids, mealybugs and scale insects can be found. Insects are especially active in hot and dry air. To combat them, they use "actellic", "karbofos" and other similar insecticides.
A number of problems are caused by errors in alocasia care:
- growth retardation causes a lack of nitrogenous fertilizers;
- sluggish leaves and blackened petioles indicate flooding of the soil and decay of the rhizome;
- the leaves lose their elasticity and wilt with insufficient watering;
- the tips of the leaves turn brown and dry from too dry air in the room;
- brown spots on the leaf plate indicate hypothermia of alocasia;
- foliage becomes pale (red tones disappear) with a lack of sunlight.
