Alocasia

Alocasia indoors - family. Araceae.

Homeland of the plant. Tropical Asia.

What it looks like.  Alocasia is a herbaceous, evergreen, exotic, ornamental, perennial plant with striking foliage, maximum height 2 - 2.5 m, grows quickly. In indoor conditions, the size of the plant is limited by the size of the dishes.

The stem is shortened, erect, and is formed in adult plants. Some varieties form creeping shoots. 

The leaves are large, arrow-shaped with jagged edges on long, often unusually colored stalks, similar in shape to elephant ears. The leaf blade is triangular or round in shape with convex veins, ranging from dark brown to velvety green, depending on the type and variety.

It can bloom indoors, but does not set seeds. Like other members of the araceae family, its flowers consist of a spadix surrounded by a spathe. The spadix contains many very small flowers, some of which are male and female.

Height. House flowers reach 60 cm in height and develop slowly. Over the course of a year, an alocasia bush is capable of producing 3 - 5 new leaves.

There are varieties of alocasia, the height of which in nature reaches 2 m. Naturally, such flowers should not be kept in ordinary home conditions.

Alocasia - care at home

When it blooms 

From July to September, the flowers are small and inconspicuous, collected in a cylindrical spadix surrounded by a spathe. Interestingly, only large bushes that are at least 5-7 years old are decorated with flowers.

The plant may lose too much strength when flowering, so it is often recommended to remove the buds.  The onset of the flowering period may be accompanied by a slowdown or even a complete absence of new growth.

When grown at home, flowers can appear only with proper care and quite rarely.

It is interesting that among the flowering alocasia, only deciduous plant species are seen, and the buds form simultaneously with the young leaves.

Reproduction 

Propagated by root suckers, stem and leaf cuttings, seeds  and division. 

Divide the rhizomes in early spring and place in separate pots. Adult plants are divided during transplantation, approximately every 5 years. Division helps rejuvenate the flower. 

1. The bushes are removed from the old pot and cut into pieces in such a way that the manipulations result in divisions with a well-developed root system and five or more leaf blades in each part.
2. If necessary, cut the root system with a knife, dusting the cut areas with wood ash.  
3. After division, the plants are planted in separate pots, watered and sprayed abundantly.
4. The top of the divisions is covered with a transparent plastic bag. The shelter helps maintain a high level of air humidity and allows the flower to more easily adapt to new conditions.
5. Place the flowers in a well-lit, warm place with a temperature of about 22 - 25 degrees Celsius and without access to direct sunlight. 
6. Every day the polyethylene is removed and the flower is ventilated.
7. As soon as the leaves perk up, the cover can be removed.

You can tell that roots have appeared under the soil surface when the seedlings develop young leaves - this usually takes a month.

You can separate single tubers from an adult plant and plant them in small pots. Before planting, the tubers are soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour or treated with a fungicidal preparation and dried.

Plant the tubers with their sprouts facing up. After some time, when kept warm (at a temperature of about 23 - 25 degrees), with sufficient lighting and even moisture, you will notice the appearance of small leaves.

As soon as the leaf blade of the young bush unfolds, it is transplanted into a slightly larger pot. 

Cuttings of alocasia are possible under certain conditions.

1. Young leaves are cut with a sharp knife, leaving the leaf petiole long.
2. The lower cut should be oblique and at an angle of approximately 45 degrees.
3. The cut site is dried for several hours and treated with phytohormones, after which it is placed in the ground.
4. The container with seedlings is placed in a warm (22 - 24 degrees) place, protected from direct sun.
5. The surface of the substrate is periodically moistened with warm water from a spray bottle. 

The cuttings are covered with a transparent film or glass on top to maintain a high level of air humidity. Every day the cover is removed and the plants are ventilated, gradually increasing the ventilation time.

It is also possible to cut with pieces of the stem - stem cuttings, each of which should have 1 - 2 buds. 

Seed propagation is possible, but there are several difficulties:

1. Plants rarely bloom indoors - only with proper care and only adult specimens,
2. Alocasia seeds lose their viability very quickly and can only be used freshly harvested,
3. Even fresh seeds have a low germination rate. After collection, the seeds should not even be allowed to dry.

Plants grown from seeds may look different from their parents and be less attractively colorful. The advantage of this method of propagation is that initially the resulting bush is adapted to home growing conditions. 

• Seeds are sown in the spring using a transparent plastic container with a lid filled with moist and loose peat-based soil with the addition of coarse river sand.
• Drainage holes must be pre-made at the bottom of the container.
• The substrate is thoroughly moistened from a spray bottle with water at room temperature.
• Seeds are sown on the surface of the soil and covered with a layer of earth 5 - 10 mm thick.
• The top of the crops is sprayed again and covered with a transparent lid to create a greenhouse effect.
• Place the seedlings in a well-lit room with an air temperature of 23 - 25 degrees Celsius, with good lighting, but away from direct sunlight.
• Every day the shelter is removed, the condensation that appears on it is removed and the crops are ventilated. 

With the appearance of the first sprouts, the cover is removed completely - usually 2-3 weeks pass from sowing to the formation of sprouts.

When each bush forms 2 - 3 true leaf blades, a dive is carried out - the plants are planted in separate containers - small pots with a diameter of 7 - 10 cm. When diving, they try to minimally disturb the roots of the flowers.

When diving, the flower can be placed with a slight depression - in this case, the plant forms a larger number of adventitious roots, which serve as additional nutrition and the plant will be stronger and healthier. 

The first fertilizing with a very weak fertilizer solution is carried out after 7 - 10 days. Fertilizers with a high nitrogen content are used as the first complementary food.

Young plants develop quite slowly and the first real, large leaf blade may appear on the bush only after a year.

Transplanting alocasia 

In the spring, when necessary. Use a pot with drainage holes to prevent root rot.

When planting, maintain depth - do not plant plants too shallow or deep.

Frequent transplants should be avoided, and the nodules should be positioned so that their top protrudes slightly above the ground.

The best time to repot is when new growth begins.

Young plants will need annual replanting as they grow - their root system will require more and more space.

If such specimens have root tips in the drainage holes of the pot, then it is worth changing the size of the pot to a larger one. Each time such a flower is planted in a pot that exceeds the diameter of the previous container by 2 - 3 cm in diameter. 

Adult bushes are replanted every 2 - 3 years - the root system of the flower does not like unnecessary shocks.

Plants bought at a flower shop should also be replanted - they are allowed to get used to the new conditions within a week, and then transplanted into a nutrient substrate.

Containers for containing alocasia should be quite high, since the root system of the flower lies quite deep.

If the plant does not have external signs of disease (especially rot), then instead of replanting, transshipment is carried out.

• First of all, a drainage layer made of expanded clay, brick fragments, clay shards or simple river pebbles is placed on the bottom of the pot.
• A layer of fresh nutrient soil is poured onto the drainage and a flower is placed.
• If transshipment is used, the root ball is left untouched - such flowers tolerate the procedure more easily and begin to grow faster.
• If there are signs of root rot, then remove the flower from the old pot and shake off the remaining substrate from the roots.
• The roots are inspected and the areas affected by rot are cut back to healthy tissue. After pruning, the wound surface is treated with charcoal powder or wood ash - this will allow it to dry out faster and disinfect it.
• In a new container, the flower is sprinkled with fresh soil mixture and tapped on the walls of the pot so that the soil evenly fills its space. 

The surface of the soil after planting should be 1-2 cm below the walls of the pot. After replanting, you can lightly tamp the surface of the soil with your fingertips to remove air pockets.

Next, the flower is watered generously with warm water and placed in a place protected from direct sun. If, after watering, dips appear on the soil surface, they are filled by adding more soil. 

You should not rush to feed the transplanted plants - their root system could be damaged during the procedure and contact with a chemical solution on the roots can cause a burn. For 3 weeks, the flower will have enough of the nutrients that are already in the fresh soil. 

Diseases and pests 

• Excessive watering, wet leaves, and soggy soil make the plant susceptible to a variety of serious fungal infections.
• Powdery mildew appears when the content is too cold and humid, in case of insufficient air movement. 
• The bush turns yellow if there is a lack of nutrients or if the root system rots.
• When flooded, the plant is removed from the pot along with a lump of earth and the soil is soaked with paper towels, after which it is left to dry for several hours.
• The tips of the leaves dry out when there is insufficient air humidity.
• The edges of the leaf blades turn yellow if watered with too hard water. 
• The leaf petioles lengthen and the plant stretches when there is insufficient light.
• If stem rot occurs, the affected areas are removed, and the cut areas are sprinkled with crushed activated carbon.
• Stagnation of moisture in the pan or insufficiently drained substrate provokes the appearance of root rot.
• The condition of the plant can be judged by the size of the leaves - the larger they are, the better the alocasia feels.
• Direct sunlight on leaves during hot afternoons in spring and summer can cause sunburn.
• Bushes grow slowly when there is a lack of nutrition or the temperature is too low. 
• If new young leaves decrease in size, this indicates a lack of nutrients.
• Also, leaf blades become small in insufficient light.
• Leaf blades that have lost turgor may indicate both flooding and a lack of moisture in the substrate.
• The color of the leaves fades and becomes less expressive if the plants do not have enough light.
• When exposed to cold drafts or hypothermia, as well as a sharp change in air temperature, small dark spots appear on the leaf blades.
• The tips of the leaf blades turn yellow when there is a large amount of nitrogen in the soil, as well as when watered with unsettled tap water.

If the room is too dry, potted flowers become affected by spider mites. Sometimes pests such as scale insects, aphids and mealybugs, and thrips can be seen on plants.

How to care for alocasia

In its natural environment, alocasia grows in a very warm and humid climate, so indoors it is worth providing it with the same climatic conditions and this is the main difficulty in caring for these flowers.

Set a tropical bush on a light window. 

With good care, you will enjoy this exotic but increasingly popular houseplant for a long time.

Pruning is only required for sanitary purposes - promptly remove yellow leaves or those with brown or black spots, as this may be a sign of a fungal disease. Removing diseased and old leaves helps new shoots emerge faster.

In general, growing shrubs usually does not cause much trouble, but the plant is gradually accustomed to any changes in its maintenance.

In autumn or during the flowering period, the plant may lose some or even all of its leaves. 

Promptly trim the emerging flower stalks as close to the base as possible, treating the resulting wound on the plant with charcoal powder.

Wipe the plant from dust with a damp sponge; this will preserve the shine of the leaves.

Take the flower outside in the warm season - it will be quite happy under a canopy that protects it from wind and rain, as well as from direct sunlight. Bring the plant into the house when the air temperature drops to 15-17 degrees Celsius at night.

In the summer months, you can periodically place the flower under the shower, covering the surface of the soil in the pot with plastic wrap. The water temperature should be adjusted so that it is between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius. After water procedures, the plant is left in the humid and warm atmosphere of the bathroom for another half hour.

Alocasia does not like exposure to cold drafts and does not tolerate proximity to heating systems - do not place the flower near radiators in the fall and winter and under a running air conditioner in the summer.

Soil 

The soil should easily allow moisture to pass through, so loose soil with a sufficient amount of peat, adding sand or perlite to improve drainage is suitable.

The substrate must have a neutral or slightly acidic reaction and also allow air to pass through well, allowing the roots to breathe.

The pH value of the soil should be 5.5 - 6.0.

A loose and nutritious mixture for maintaining a flower can be made from components such as garden humus, leaf and turf soil, and humus.

You can add a small amount of finely chopped pine needles to the finished soil - this will add nutrients and help maintain the required slightly acidic pH of the soil.

Watering 

The plant does not like waterlogging; watering is carried out as the soil dries out. In spring and summer, during the growing season, allow the soil to dry out until the next watering to a depth of 2 - 3 cm.  Keep the soil moist from spring to autumn, when the plant is actively developing.

If your specimen is a deciduous species and has shed its leaves during dormancy in the winter months, reduce watering to a minimum.

Moisture should not stagnate in the tray after watering - be sure to drain off excess moisture. 

For irrigation, use water that has been left standing for 24 hours at room temperature. You can water the flower with drinking bottled or filtered water. This plant does not like watering with unsettled water.

In spring and summer, once a month, you can add a few drops of lemon juice or grains of citric acid to the water for irrigation. You can also place a fabric bag of peat in the liquid - this will soften the hardest tap water. 

Fertilizer 

Flowers in pots are fed every 2 weeks from spring to autumn with liquid fertilizer for foliage plants at half strength.

It would be good to use slowly soluble fertilizers for ornamental foliage plants, which will feed the alocasia continuously for 2 months.

Do not feed in winter - allow the flower to rest during this time and stop fertilizing. Resume fertilizing in the spring when flower development begins and young leaves form. 

Plants react positively to both mineral and organic fertilizers.

Well-rotted cow or horse manure, bird droppings, and humus can be added as organic substances. The best results can be achieved by alternating organic and mineral fertilizers.

Fertilizing is carried out only after abundant watering, adding fertilizers to the moist soil. Contact of a chemical solution on the root system in a dry substrate can cause a burn.

To make the plant look lush and healthy, you can combine root and foliar feeding. When foliar feeding, fertilizer is applied directly to the leaf blades of the flower from below. 

Features of content - lighting 

The placement of alocasia in the room should be such that the plant receives bright light, but not direct sunlight. 

In spring and summer, the flower can take sunbaths only in the morning or evening; during the day, the plant should be protected from exposure to direct rays of the sun.

When there is a lack of light, the foliage of variegated plants fades - this feature should be taken into account when placing alocasia. Since variegated leaves do not contain enough chlorophyll, when grown in partial shade the plant will develop completely green leaves and become less attractive. 

Window sills of eastern and western windows are suitable for keeping the flower. When grown on the south side, the pot is placed at the back of the room or the flower is blocked from the sun with a light curtain. When kept on a north window, the bush will need artificial lighting, which is carried out in the morning and evening using fluorescent lamps or phytolamps.

Temperature

The average temperature is close to room temperature - 18 - 24 ° C. Give the plant a rest period in winter, stop feeding and let the substrate dry out between waterings.

The flower may almost completely dry out and look dead, but do not rush to throw it away - it will recover within a month or two with proper care. 

Bushes should not be exposed to temperatures below 16 degrees Celsius.

As temperatures rise in summer, it is worth increasing the air humidity and providing the flower with regular and abundant watering.

The plant does not like sudden changes in temperature - accustom it to all changes gradually, over the course of a week.

Spraying 

Humidify the air in the room.  If there is insufficient air humidity, the leaves lose turgor and droop a little.

Regular spraying increases the plant's resistance to spider mites, which are attracted to dry air. Spraying is carried out mainly in the first half of the day so that droplets of water do not remain on the leaves at night.

You should not use unsettled tap water to spray the flower - after drying it will leave unsightly whitish stains on the surface of the glossy leaf plates.

Make sure that the wet leaves of the flower are not exposed to sunlight - droplets of water will act like a lens, increase the impact of the sun and the plant will get burned. Try to spray the underside of the leaves. 

Use a tray of wet gravel to maintain air humidity - the surface of the water should not reach the bottom of the pot.

Placing several plants in a small space or any open vessel filled with water and placed in close proximity to the flower increases atmospheric humidity well. 

The flower does not tolerate cold drafts - in the winter months, move the alocasia to another room for ventilation.

Purpose

A beautiful, large, decorative foliage plant for landscaping bright and spacious rooms.

The tubers of some varieties of alocasia are considered edible   and are eaten, but in general most plants are considered poisonous. Symptoms of poisoning include irritation of the mucous membranes, numbness of the throat and tongue.

Interestingly, in Chinese medicine alocasia is used as a medicinal plant - it is believed that it relieves stomach pain and reduces the intensity of toothache, and alleviates the condition of patients with tuberculosis and other diseases of the upper respiratory tract. 

Alocasia has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects and contains a sufficient amount of antioxidants. The analgesic effect is observed in the treatment of joint diseases and venous blood flow disorders.

Green leaves of apocasia are widely used in the treatment of cancer - it is believed that they suppress the growth of cancer cells - for example, Alocasia Polly helps patients with liver cancer.

The juice of the plant can reduce itching from insect bites. Alocasia is used to treat skin diseases such as psoriasis and rashes.

When kept in the bedroom, the flower can improve the quality of sleep.

The leaves of the flower contain special substances - phytoncides, which can purify the indoor air from harmful microorganisms. 

Note

The plants are poisonous and should be kept away from children and pets. The juice of the plant, if it gets on the skin or mucous membranes, causes a burn or contact dermatitis. When working with a flower, you should protect your hands from the juice with gloves and wash them thoroughly after contact with the plant.

Alocasia “cries” - drops of moisture appear on the leaves when there is excessive watering, high air humidity, or if there is rainy weather outside for a long time.  Due to this feature, many people believed that the flower was able to predict the weather.

Some varieties of alocasia have only 3 leaf blades on each plant - when a small young leaf appears, one of the older leaf blades dies.

At home, the plant pleases its owner for 3 years. Greenhouse and greenhouse flowers have a higher life expectancy - it reaches 12 - 15 years. 

Hydroponics

Alocasia grows well in hydroponics.

Types of alocasia:

Alocasia Polly or Amazonian

   A very attractive decorative foliage, evergreen plant with dark green, curly leaves on long basal petioles. The leaf blades are covered with veins highlighted in a lighter shade. 

Alocasia macrorrhizos

     This species has glossy, bright green, heart-shaped leaves. The leaf blades are soft and have beautiful corrugated edges. Thick leaf petioles reach a length of 90 cm.

Alocasia Dragon Scale

     The leaf blades of this species are dotted with veins, which seem to be pressed into the surface of the leaf from above and convex from the underside of the leaves. In addition to the interesting texture, the leaves are colored in 2 shades - the main tone is light green, and the veins are highlighted in a darker color.