Alocasia: description and rules of home care

Although this plant appeared in the Slavic countries even during the reign of Tsarina Catherine II, for a long time it was a rather rare guest here. However, now there are many people who want to have as many exotic plants as possible in their mini-gardens.

Indoor alocasia is more of an ornamental plant, as it blooms quite rarely. However, this does not interfere with admiring it at all, because it has very beautiful leaves, with an unusual shape and color. In addition, it is very often used to decorate ponds or artificial waterfalls. And you can also find her in the lobby of hotels or other various organizations. But, no matter how beautiful it looks, it must be remembered that this plant is considered poisonous... Its juice irritates not only the skin, but also the mucous membrane, so it is necessary to protect yourself from contact with alocasia, especially for children. It is for this reason that this plant is not allowed to be in schools, as well as in kindergartens. When transplanting or any other work with a flower, you need to use rubber gloves, and then be sure to wash your hands with soap and water.

Alocasia has long and thickened stems on which ellipsoidal leaves can be seen. Their tips are slightly pointed. In addition, they have rather distinct veins. The leaves are very large, up to half a meter in length, but the plant itself in any home conditions grows up to one and a half meters. Sometimes you can be lucky enough to see its flowering, which happens only in a more mature plant. It is a flower with a delicate pink tint. It gives off a rather strong odor, which in some people can even cause a migraine attack. For this reason, keeping it in the bedroom is not recommended.

After flowering, small fruits appear in its place, slightly resembling berries. For alocasia to always look beautiful, the fruits must be removed. Otherwise, they will simply pull all the juices out of the plant. People often call him a weatherman, because when it rains or the plant is simply watered too abundantly, dew drops immediately appear on its leaves. Therefore, many people use it instead of a barometer.

There are many subspecies of alocasia, approximately 80. However, they can all be divided into two groups.

• Large. They grow up to 2 meters. These include such varieties as "Kalidora", large-root and many other equally common varieties.

• Compact. These plants do not grow taller than 70 centimeters. These include varieties such as Amazonian and Sandera.

In addition, they are all divided into such separate groups according to the shape of the leaves, such as:

• with large centers, as well as leaves in the form of plates, the length of which reaches 70 centimeters;

• with serrated leaves up to half a meter in length;

• with leaves in the form of lobes, their length is 40 centimeters;

• with small oval leaves - up to 50 centimeters.

For a general overview, it is necessary to consider several of the most popular and unusual varieties.

This plant variety was one of the first to be discovered, more commonly known as Arma. Under natural conditions, it grows up to 5 meters, but at home it does not exceed 2 meters. Its leaves are a bit like a large arrowhead.Their length reaches 70 centimeters, but the roots are very similar to the roots of ginseng. In countries where it grows naturally, people use it for food. In addition, many people use it in folk medicine as an antiviral or quick healing agent.

This beautiful tropical plant is considered a hybrid. It can be grown both in flowerpots and in small gardens. It looks more like a bush, the height of which reaches half a meter. The leaves are a bit heart-shaped and have a bright green hue, shimmering with metal. The stem of "Polly" is quite strong, and the roots are a bit like tubers. Flowering is rare, even with good care. When growing this plant variety, do not forget about its toxicity.

This variety is considered the largest of all home-grown alocasia. Its stems grow up to 2 meters, and the leaves - up to 70 centimeters. In addition, they are green in color. They have a slightly pointed shape with a core. Most often, such beauties can be found in winter gardens.

This alocasia has pretty pretty leaves. Their color is copper, with dark streaks. However, such a handsome man requires special care. It is best to install it on the south side. In addition, he needs daily watering.

Such alocasia have unusual beauty. Velvet leaves have a rather rich hue. Thick veins stand out against their background. The height of such a plant reaches 45 centimeters. It can decorate the interior of any apartment.

This plant got its name due to its resemblance to a dragon. Its leaves really have an unusual shape, a bit like the wings of such a fabulous character. Its height reaches 1 meter, and the roots are slightly elongated and juicy. In addition, the leaves have two shades, one of which is light and the other dark. It really looks like dragon scales.

Such a plant grows up to 1 meter. Its leaves are light green in color and have a beautiful decorative shape. Very often in the countries of the East, it is used for various diseases, as well as for the bites of poisonous snakes.

This variety of alocasia delights some gardeners. Its leaves are a bit like an arrowhead in appearance. The leaves of this plant are olive-colored, with darker veins. Their length is 35 centimeters.

It is worth taking more care of this plant, as it is quite picky. He needs warmth, as well as good hydration, in addition, he must be transplanted after purchase.

This plant does not tolerate heat and cold very well. Therefore, in winter, the temperature should not drop below +17 degrees, and in summer, rise above +27 degrees. In addition, the humidity should be within 50 percent. To do this, you can put a flowerpot near a small aquarium or a small container of water. In addition, you need to watch so that there are no drafts, and also monitor temperature changes that the plant does not tolerate at all.

Although alocasia does not like shade, it is still better not to place the flower in direct sunlight. In some cases, this can even lead to burns, because the leaves are very sensitive. It is necessary that the light be diffused.

Watering this unusual plant is necessary often, but not too abundantly. In addition, the water must be warm and soft or settled for one day. If after watering the water runs out into the stand, you should not leave it there, but you just need to pour it out.

It is imperative to feed such a plant. It is especially useful to do this in winter, while fertilizer should be applied once a month. But in the spring and summer, it should be fertilized up to 2 times a month. It will be better if fertilizers are selected from potassium and nitrogen. This is important, especially if new leaves do not grow on the flower for a long time.

This procedure is done not so often. For an adult plant, it will be enough to transplant once every 3 years, but young alocasia is transplanted only when necessary. It is best to take the soil that was purchased in flower shops. However, you can make the substrate yourself. To do this, you need to take the following components:

• 1 part deciduous humus;
• 1 part coarser sand;
• 1 part peat;
• 1 part of turf land.

It is best to buy a flowerpot plastic and rather high. In addition, each time the pot should be several centimeters higher than the previous one. When transplanting this handsome man, you should not cut it off, unless you remove only old leaves. And also it is necessary not to forget about the newly purchased flower, it must be transplanted. However, there is no need to rush into this. This should be done only after 1 week, when the plant will take root a little in the new house, that is, the adaptation period will pass. Do not forget about gloves when making a transplant, since it must be remembered that the plant is poisonous.

When alocasia appears at home, the owners want to understand how this plant reproduces, because such a flower will be a wonderful gift for any person. It can be propagated in several ways, which are worth considering in more detail.

They can be purchased from a flower shop or taken from the plant when it has faded. They must be planted in well-moistened soil, while the depth should not be great. The substrate should be composed of peat and coarse sand. After that, the container must be covered with thin glass or film, and then put in a place where it will be warmer.

It is best to reproduce with cuttings. This must be done in the first period of spring. The soil should be the same as for the seed version. When the cuttings separate, all areas need to be treated with charcoal. When they take root, it is necessary to carry out several picks and only then transplant to a permanent place.

Tuberous is considered one of the most common breeding methods. They form in the root system of an older plant. They must be separated rather neatly and immediately planted in a separate flowerpot.

When this plant reaches the age of five, it may have its first flowers. However, for this it is necessary to create all the necessary conditions. Do not forget that this will be stressful for alocasia, because the flower will take most of the strength from the plant. For this period, the flower pauses the formation of new leaves, and also, in some cases, even discards them. Therefore, experienced gardeners recommend cutting off the buds that have just appeared.

Sometimes you may notice that some plants have yellow leaves or spots. This means only one thing - the plant is sick or pests have appeared on it.In this case, he will need effective treatment. It is worth considering the most common diseases and pests.

• From lack of sun or excess feeding, yellow spots may appear on the leaves of alocasia. In this case, it is necessary to stop fertilizing for a while or rearrange it to a more sunny side.
• Black spots can appear from drafts. And if water stagnates in the flowerpot, they will be lethargic and pale.
• If the wrong soil is selected, the leaves will begin to fall off. In this case, the plant must be transplanted immediately.
• Although alocasia is a poisonous plant, aphids, whiteflies, and even spider mites can feast on them. You can get rid of them with the help of an ordinary warm shower, which will easily wash them off. However, in severely advanced cases, chemical preparations must be used.

For information on how to properly care for alocasia, see the next video.