This flower cannot boast of lush flowering, but it does not need it. Its main beauty is in unusually decorative leaves, often covered with a contrasting geometric pattern, which is formed by light veins. Caring for alocasia at home is not difficult - this plant is quite unpretentious.

Alocasia - cultivation features

Alocasia is a representative of the aroid family, which includes about 70 species of this plant, which are very different in size and appearance. Out of the variety, only a few species are grown at home. But she always soloists in the flower garden, as she has few competitors in terms of decorativeness.

All alocasias are representatives of subtropical and tropical flora. In nature, they grow in forests, in open wetlands and very rarely among rocks. In order for alocasia to grow well and develop in the room, they need to provide conditions close to those in which they grow in nature.

Temperature, humidity and lighting

There is no frost in the tropics, but there is also a change of seasons. There are many differences between summer and autumn, so care will depend on the time of year.

What are the requirements of a flower of alocasia?

  • Temperature. In the tropics, temperature fluctuations are insignificant. It is the constancy of temperature that is an important condition for the successful development of a plant. In summer, he is comfortable at 20-22 degrees, and in winter - at +18. Alocasia is afraid of drafts and negatively reacts to sharp fluctuations in temperature.
  • Humidity. Each species has its own requirements for air humidity.Most damp Amazonian and weeping alocasia. They need a humidity of about 80%. Such conditions can be ensured only in rooms where frequent evaporation of water, for example, in the kitchen. Frequent spraying with warm water will also help. It should be soft, otherwise ugly spots will appear on the leaves, and the plant will lose its decorative effect.

In winter, it is better not to spray alocasia.

  • To increase air humidity, you can put a flower pot in a pan with pebbles, in which a small amount of water is poured. Evaporating, it will create the necessary microclimate. The bottom of the pot should not be in the water, so the pebble layer should be thick enough. You can wipe the leaves of the plant with a damp sponge.
  • Lighting. Alocasia is sensitive to lack of lighting, especially variegated species and young plants. Adult specimens require bright but scattered light in the summer. Some species need shading during the hottest hours. In winter, alocasia is placed on a light windowsill, but even there she may not have enough light. Therefore, additional lighting with phytolamps will be required.

Watering and feeding

Despite the fact that alocasia is a water-loving plant, excessive watering can very quickly cause root decay. In summer, plants are watered according to needs, so that the soil in the pot is always slightly moist. Do this only with warm and soft water. From time to time, the roots are allowed to breathe, allowing the topsoil 1 cm thick to dry.

Half an hour after watering, all the water that has accumulated in the pan is poured.

In winter, water carefully, once every 2-3 days, and some species once a week.

From March to the end of September, alocasia needs regular top dressing with complex mineral fertilizer for decorative and deciduous flowers. Their concentration is slightly reduced compared to the norm on the package. Feeding is done 2 times a month, combining with watering. It is possible to pour art. a spoonful of complex mineral fertilizer. In this case, the plant will not need to be fed for a whole year. The need for fertilizers depends not only on the season, but also on the age of the plants. Young alocasia is additionally fed with soluble phosphorus fertilizers, so that they quickly grow the root system.

Transfer

This plant requires a tall pot, as its roots grow vertically. Alocasia loves a fertile, loose moisture-permeable and well-aerated soil with a slightly acid soil reaction. You can choose the right primer in a flower shop. But it is better to prepare the substrate for planting yourself. It can be of the following composition: 1 part of leaf, coniferous and peaty earth and 0.5 part of sand.

Soil with such components is also suitable:

  • 1 part of sand and peat;
  • 2 parts of leaf, sod land and humus.

For looseness, you can add a small amount of steamed and chopped sphagnum moss, coconut fiber, perlite, processed and chopped coniferous bark.

Young plants are transplanted as needed. Adults - once every 2-3 years, using the method of transshipment without destroying the earthen coma. Each time, choose a pot that is 2-3 cm larger in diameter than the previous one.

To prevent moisture stagnation, a claydite drainage layer up to 3 cm high is placed at the bottom of the pot. The best time for transplantation is early spring, when the plant leaves its dormant state.

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Bloom

Flowering alocasia at room conditions is a rare occurrence. Far from all species venture on this and only in conditions as close as possible to tropical. Only adult plants bloom in the 5-7 year of life. In preparation for flowering, the decorativeness of the plant is lost, since all leaves except the last, young, fall from it. It may take several months to restore the original type of alocasia, while a positive result is not guaranteed.It is necessary to remove the faded flower stalk and dry leaves and arrange a wintering plant with limited watering and not give top dressing, but ensure maximum lighting and constant temperature. After resting, the flower will begin to recover. As soon as the first leaf appears, alocasia is transplanted into a fresh substrate and feeding is carried out.

Alocasia flowers are inconspicuous in the shape of an ear. In some species, they have a smell that not everyone likes. After flowering, the plant sets fruit - berries that have an orange or ruby ​​color. For seed reproduction, they are not of interest, since seedlings usually do not repeat parental traits.

In order not to deplete the plant with flowering, many flower growers simply remove the peduncle as soon as it appears.

Winter care

At this time, the flower is in a state of relative rest. He needs limited watering, lack of top dressing and additional illumination with phytolamps if there is not enough natural light.

Reproduction of alocasia

It is easy to propagate this indoor flower, because almost all parts of the plant are suitable for these purposes:

  • leaves;
  • stem kidneys;
  • pieces of rhizome;
  • root children;
  • seeds.

The latter method can be considered not too reliable: plants grown from seeds will not look like mothers, and variegation, which is the decoration of many species, will be lost. Seeds very quickly lose their germination, so they are sown immediately after harvest. Seedlings are grown in warm and loose soil. Instead of watering, spraying the soil, which should always be in a wet state, is used. Seedlings are planted after the formation of a good root system.

All parts of the plant are rooted best in the spring, but propagation can be done at other times. Only a state of relative peace will not work.

Nodules are separated from the mother plant during transplantation, but in this case, the roots of alocasia need to be thoroughly washed. There are species in which nodules wake up only when they are not separated from the mother's flower. They are seated when they germinate. Nodules are rooted in small cups in a substrate intended for adult plants. Usually the first sheet appears after 2 months.

The stem kidney is cut with pulp, and the stalk is cut at an angle of 45 degrees, the slice is dipped in root. In both cases, all sections are treated with powdered charcoal or cinnamon. Root a kidney or a stalk under a jar in a warm and bright place, but not in the bright sun. The soil must always be wet.

Only a young leaf is suitable for rooting. It is slightly dried, cuttings are cut and immersed in the ground with a slice down. A pot with a leaf is covered with a jar.

Rhizomes are divided with a sharp knife so that on each part there is either a sleeping kidney or a rosette of leaves. Slices are allowed to dry for an hour, sprinkled with crushed charcoal. Plants are planted in separate pots. At first, they are protected from bright light and often sprayed.

Do not forget that all parts of the plant secrete poisonous juice, protect your hands with rubber gloves.

Common plant diseases

Most often, the diseased state of plants is due to errors in care.

  • The tips of the leaves turned brown. The reason is too dry air. Humidity is increased by placing the pot in a pan with wet pebbles so that the bottom of the pot does not touch the water. Increase the number of sprayings.
  • The ends of the leaves turned yellow. Chlorinated or hard water is used for irrigation. Alocasia may lack nutrition or there is too much nitrogen in the soil.
  • The flower throws off the leaves. If the roots are not susceptible to rot, alocasia need to arrange a period of rest before the growth of new leaves.
  • Leaves are fading. The reason is lack of nutrition.
  • Pale leaves occur in low light.
  • Leaves dry. Drafts or a sharp change in temperature, stagnation of water in a pot or dry air are to blame.
  • Brown spots on the leaves - powdery mildew. Need fungicide treatment.
  • Fading leaves indicate an irregular watering regime.
  • Rotting rhizomes occurs when water stagnates or the temperature is too low.

Alocasia can be damaged by a spider mite, scutes, aphids, mealybugs. Acaricides and insecticides are used against pests.

Types and varieties of flower

There are a lot of types of alocasia that can be grown in a room. As a rule, they are modest in size. There are tropical species with huge leaves. Such specimens will decorate greenhouses and conservatories.

The most common types of alocasia for rooms:

  • Longiloba or Lowe is one of the few species that naturally grow among stones. It does not exceed 1 m in height. Dark green leaves with a bluish tint are decorated with a clear geometric pattern of white or silver streaks. Large, up to 45 cm in length, arrow-shaped leaves have a purplish or violet-green color from the wrong side.
  • Sanderiana or Sander is similar to the previous view, but the leaves are notched and decorated with a piping of the same color as the veins.
  • Reginula Black Velvet - the underside of the leaf has a plain green color, the front part is dark green, almost black, velvety, decorated with white veins. Alocasia Black Velveteen is very decorative.
  • Polly or alocasia Polly - large leaves with notches of bright green color, slightly wrinkled, decorated with convex veins of greenish-white color, have the same edging. The stem reaches a height of 2 m.
  • Cuprea or copper is a very unusual kind of alocasia. Dense leathery glossy pointed leaves have the shape of a shield. They grow to a length of 30 cm and have a copper-greenish color with pressed green veins. The wrong side of the sheet is purple with a purple tint.

 

This beautiful plant will become the bright center of any flower arrangement, and on the eve of rain it will be covered with water droplets, predicting the weather.

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