Alocasia. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction. Decorative Deciduous. Houseplants. Flowers. A Photo

2023 Author: Ava Durham | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-07-30 22:46

Back in the days of the Soviet Union, a huge plant (almost 2 m tall) grew in the accounting department of our collective farm. The size of the leaves was simply gigantic: on the meter-high petiole there were "fans" up to 80 cm long. None of the employees knew the name of the plant, its preferences, but they probably did everything right - the sleek look of the pet proved it.

At that time, this plant was a rarity, and those wishing to receive a seedling were registered in the queue, and so was I. In general, alocasia (and this, as it turned out, was exactly her) was known as everyone's favorite. But one day they did not look behind the plant, someone broke it. Only a small stump remained in the huge container. Of course, the flower could have been saved, but unknowingly it was thrown away.

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So in childhood, my first acquaintance with the amazing plant of the Aroid family happened. In nature, alocasia grow in the tropics of Asia, New Guinea and Malaysia. Knowing this, I always try to bring the conditions of their cultivation closer to natural ones. Of course, large-rooted alocasia is not very suitable for growing at home - it is a tall, fast-growing plant. Therefore, when it reaches the ceiling and becomes too large in relation to the volume of the room, I make a circular cut in the lower part of the trunk (about 3 cm above the soil). For this I use a sharp knife disinfected with alcohol. I dry the wound for 2-3 hours. Then I rub the root powder into the incision, cover it with sphagnum moistened with moss and fasten it tightly, wrapping it with cling film. In the future, I make sure that the moss does not dry out.

After about a month, when strong roots are formed, I carefully remove the film, moss and cut off the upper part of the plant. I plant it in a pre-prepared substrate of leafy, coniferous soil (1: 1) and a small amount of peat.

The lower part of the plant remains in the container and soon produces many babies.

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All alocasia are thermophilic plants, so I try to keep the room temperature from falling below + 18 degrees. I water abundantly, making sure that the earthy clod never dries out. I use water for irrigation only settled, heated in winter. From spring to autumn I add Kemira (fertilizer) to the irrigation water twice a month. To increase the humidity of the air, I keep the shells in the pallets in which the plants stand moist. By the way, I brought three buckets of these seafood specially for this purpose from Mariupol. I washed and boiled them several times. In the pallet, they look more aesthetically pleasing than expanded clay.

My alocasia are large “ladies”, and you can't put them on the window, so they take the best places near the southern windows. I shade from direct sunlight.

© Sweetpea's:: House Plants

I learned from my own experience that the trunk and roots of alocasia are poisonous as a child. Already at the first transplant, I discovered that a specific smell emanated from the roots. I brought it closer to my face to better make out the smell. And after 15 minutes my face and hands turned red and began to itch unbearably. Since then, I have been working with alocasia only with gloves, and after that I wash my hands and (most importantly!) I never sniff again.

It turns out that alocasia is successfully used in folk medicine. Tincture from the plant is used for pain in the stomach, intestines, tuberculosis, various tumors and pain in the joints.

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