The genus Alocasia includes more than fifty evergreens with a height of 40 cm to 2 meters or more. They are common in the tropical and subtropical zones (Asia, Australia, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Central and South America). In our strip, they decorate both rooms and gardens. Other names: trefoil / trefoil, armagh, weatherman.
At home, alocasia grows in tropical forests, where during rainstorms, with excess moisture, the plant "cries." Excess water is released through the leaves. Knowing that air humidity rises before the rain, weather can be predicted from the leaves of alocasia. Indoor plants "wet" with excessive watering.
Popular beliefs and superstitions say that it is dangerous to keep this plant in the house because of its toxicity. However, with proper care, this property will not cause serious problems.
Description
A distinctive feature of this genus is leaves. They are large (up to 50 cm), dense, oval with a sharp end, with brightly drawn veins on a glossy surface, with many stomata (special holes for breathing). Often their shape resembles a heart with embossed edges and a pointed tip. The leaves are attached to a strong stalk with juicy petioles. Due to the special attachment to a short stalk, it seems that he is not the last. This forms a spectacular green pile of decorative leaves.
One bush of alocasia holds up to 8 leaves, after the appearance of 9 - the first leaves die off and fall off.
Against the backdrop of spectacular foliage, alocasia flowers are hardly noticeable. Inflorescence - pink, white, yellowish and green ears. On one side it is surrounded by a yellow-green petal. At home, flowering plants rarely occurs. Undeveloped inflorescences are best removed, as they suck out the strength of the flower and weaken it, stop growth. If the flower managed to bloom, you can wait for exotic fruit berries with seeds (up to 5 pieces each). Berries are like a branch of sea buckthorn.
Kinds
Popular varieties of Alocasia:
| View | Features |
| Sander | Large elongated dark green leaves with bright white veins and a feathery edge. A characteristic feature is metallic luster and bright lateral veins. |
| Polly | It is a hybrid of Sander. Blooms more often than other varieties. |
| Amazonian | Medium-high variety (pinkish-green stem with dark veins, leaf height up to 60 cm). The leaves are dark green with a thyroid shape, with small notches, with paired veins on the sides. |
| Copper red | Small variety with oval leaflets in the form of hearts. A distinctive feature is a reddish color. |
| Potato | Reach one meter in height. The color of large leaves varies from saturated emerald to dark green. There are also special swelling in the area of attachment of the petioles. |
| Coarse | Heart shaped oval leaves. At the base of the plate, well-marked veins are well pronounced. Large variety, the trunk reaches 2 meters. The fruits are bright red. Variety - varocate alocasia. Its leaves are smaller, variegated with large white spots. |
| Odorous (Fragrant) | Grassy species up to 1 m. It differs in various forms of old (oval, elongated) and young leaves (thyroid). Blooms extremely rarely. |
| Macrorisa Stingray (variegated) | Large variety up to 2-3 meters in height. Ideal for greenhouses and conservatories. Powerful foliage of a saturated color of a rounded heart shape. |
| Black velvet | Justifying its name, the leaves of this variety are velvety black and burgundy. The form is an oval heart. The flower is pink. With good care, it blooms. |
| Low | A small trunk forms branches underground. Reaches a height of 1 meter. Arrow-shaped or oval green leaves with pale stripes. The inside of the sheet is dark purple. |
| Venti | Varietal alocasia of large sizes. The color of the leaves is gray-green with a metallic sheen. The reverse side is dark red. It grows well in partial shade. |
| Dragon (Dragon) | It has light green oval-heart-shaped leaves with wide dark green veins. Unusual foliage resembles scales on the skin or wings of fantastic dragons. |
| Sander | It is distinguished by picturesque swept leaves combining shades of green, bronze and purple with enlarged veins. |
| Calidora | The largest alocasia. A hybrid variety obtained by crossing odorous alocasia and gagaena. The leaves are huge, shiny, saturated green. Grown in winter gardens and greenhouses. |
| Portodora | The new hybrid. Giant leaves with a wavy scalloped edge fasten on violet / brown petioles. |
| Regina | It features glossy dark green leaves with an elongated tip. |
| Bambino | Hybrid varieties Sandera. It is considered a miniature variety, its height does not exceed 40 cm. It has narrow leaves with a sharp end. |
| Silver Bambino | A small compact plant (up to 30-35 cm in height) with matte silver leaves with light veins. The reverse side is dark red. |
Home Care
Increased humidity is created by regular (a couple of times a day) spraying of wide leaves. For these purposes, it is better to use soft water, otherwise ugly lime stains will remain.
Features of seasonal care:
| Parameter | Winter | Spring | Summer | Autumn |
| Air temperature | Not less than + 18ºС. Limit sudden changes in temperature during ventilation. | + 21 ... + 26ºС | ||
| Humidity | High | |||
| Watering | Irrigation once a week. | Irrigation every 3 days. At high temperatures, daily. | ||
| Lighting | Adding artificial light for 1-2 hours (for varieties with variegated foliage). | Intensive for newly planted plants. For flowers with dark green leaves - a slight dimming. Avoid direct sunlight. | ||
| Location | South direction | Windows east / west. | ||
| Air features | Exclude drafts. Moderate airing of the room. | |||
Watering
Features of watering depending on the season:
| Season | Features of watering |
| Spring autumn | Abundant. Basal irrigation is combined with surface irrigation (several times a day). |
| Winter | Regular, medium (drying of the soil is not allowed). |
Top dressing
During the period of active growth (March-October), alocasia is necessary to give mineral fertilizers. Various ready-made fertilizers for indoor plants will do. They are added to water when watering 2 times a month.
Fertilizer table with flow rates and application time:
| Feeding | Qty needed | Application Period |
| Potassium sulfate | 10-15 g | Summer months |
| Superphosphate | 5-10 g | |
| Phosphoric flour | ||
| Urea | 15-20 g | Spring months / June |
| Ammonium sulfate | 10-15 g |
Planting, transplanting, reproduction
Alocasia is transplanted under ideal conditions once every 4 months. Actions depend on whether the division of the bush or not. If necessary, divide the plant, clean the rhizome from the ground. If the goal is a simple transplant, the earthen lump is not removed.
You can propagate a tropical beauty:
- rhizome (similar to a tuber);
- cuttings;
- seeds.
In spring, seeds are planted in sand with peat buried by 1 cm. Then, crops are watered and covered with a film, creating a greenhouse effect. After 18-22 days, shoots appear. Small sprouts are planted in separate containers. Familiar decorative leaves can only be seen in one-year-old plants.
Soil, planting capacity
The choice of pot depends on the size of the flower.
It is important that the container is deep and stable, with openings on the bottom.
The soil should be loose, slightly acidic, but contain nutrients. The following soils are suitable:
- coniferous land (consists of decaying remains of needles), leafy soil (humus from leaves),
- peat,
- river sand.
Often combine several components. For seedlings older than 3 years add nutritious humus mixed with earth (otherwise you can burn the roots). You can bring soil from the garden and add sand and humus to it. A simpler option is to buy a ready-made mixture for decorative and deciduous plants.
In addition to proper soil, care must be taken to ensure adequate drainage. Small stones, expanded clay, crushed stone are perfectly suitable for these purposes. The drainage layer is poured onto the bottom of the tank (not less than ¼ of the total volume).
Diseases and Pests
Alocasia with improper care is affected by diseases and damage by flower pests.
| Disease / Pest | Manifestations | Cause / What to do pest? | Remedial measures |
| Root rot | Growth arrest, leaves lose shape, fall off. | Wrong watering mode. | Transplantation, elimination of damaged root tubers, treatment of the remaining solution of copper sulfate (2 liters of water / 1 teaspoon). |
| Aphid | Many small green / gray / orange (depending on species) midges. Leaves look dull, lethargic, shape is broken. | Pests are introduced with soil or "neighbors" on the windowsill, possibly falling through open windows. | Spraying / treatment with insecticides (Fitoverm: 4ml / 1l), soap-oil solution (liquid soap / vegetable oil). |
| Shield | Unknown brown and black tubercles. There is yellowing, falling leaves, up to total death. | Scale guards suck out the sap of plants, are brought in with soil. | Wash insects with soapy water using a soft brush, treat leaves and soil with Aktar insecticide (0.8 g / 1 liter of water. |
| Spider mite | Numerous white spots on the surface of the leaves, entangling with a small cobweb. | A tick disrupts the nutrition of affected plants. | Treat with Actellik (2 ml / 2l of water). |
| Mealybug | Microscopic insects that form a white, slimy, cotton-wool-like substance. | Suck out nutrients. | Remove pests and plaque with soapy water or tincture of calendula, spray with soapy water (3 times at weekly intervals), treat with Akatar (3 times at weekly intervals). |
| Whitefly | Leaves lose color saturation, wither. A brilliant coating (honey dew) is formed on the plant - waste products. | Two-winged white moth-like pests. Both adults and its larvae feed on plant juice. | Treat with Confiform (0.1 ml / 1 liter of water), in addition, place special glue traps (Pheromone, Bone Forte). |
Mr. Dachnik recommends: Alocasia - a home doctor
Chinese doctors have long believed that infusions from the roots and stems of alocasia have useful healing properties. Secret recipes help with painful joints (rheumatism, gout, osteochondrosis, polyarthritis), vascular diseases, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, thyroid weaknesses. You can use the funds inside.
The juice also contains dangerous toxic substances - mercuric chloride, mercury and cyanides. It is necessary to strictly observe the dosage when preparing medicinal products and take a few drops.
From the leaves, preparations for toothache, tuberculosis infection and pneumonia are prepared. For treatment, the fourth yellow leaf on a long handle is used. From one leaf, 0.5 l of healing tincture is obtained.
Antibacterial drugs that are effective in staphylococcus, streptococcus and intestinal infection are prepared from essential substances.
Alcoholic alcohol tincture relieves irritation from mosquitoes and is used as a medicine for snake bites.
Traditional medicine advises alocasia juice, an ointment based on it for tumors, including oncology. Formal clinical studies have not revealed reliable therapeutic properties. Therefore, before using home remedies based on alocasia, it is necessary to consult a doctor, there are contraindications for use.
