In the Winter Garden of Catherine the Great grew amazing "crying"plant: a giant stem resembled its trunk, huge shiny green leaves with hearts, rested on petioles longer than a human hand.
Transparent drops appeared on them before the rain ...
Scientific name
Tropical guest at the court of the Empress botany called in Latin - Alocasia macrorrhizos, which means Alocasia large root (large root). Today her name is Arma, since This herbaceous perennial belongs to the family of Aroids.
In the people, this kind of Alokazy was aptly nicknamed "elephant's ear"- for the leaves with smooth edges. And also - a mourner or a pogodnika, because Alokaziya is a living barometer, forecasters cannot compare with it.
Home care
In order for Alokaziya to feel “at home” at home, she has to create conditions close to her family — that is, to imitate the heat and humidity of a tropical forest. Then this unpretentious, fast growing the flower will prosper. The difficulty is that the owners of the greenhouse climate is not suitable.
Growing up
Alocasia large root - a valuable medicinal plant. Therefore, many grow it at home, despite the difficulties of maintenance.
This flower needs heat - not only in the air, but also in the soil, as well as in humidity at 80%, so it’s better to keep it in heated display cases or greenhouses - there it will grow quickly and begin to bloom.
Especially if, during the period of growth, treat Alocasia with nitrogen-potassium fertilizers at least once every three weeks.
In an ordinary apartment, to please this greenhouse whim, though difficult, but you can - you have to protect it from drafts, often spray and wipe the leaves.
Below is a video about the cultivation of Alokaziya Krupnokorny
Care after purchase
In the store, choose Alokaziya, which has at least 3-4 dense leaves without spots. At home, immediately transplant it into a wide and high pot, 1/3 full of drainage, and 2/3 with fresh soil mixture.
Wash the substrate substrate and inspect the roots. If the rhizome is firm and dense with its nodules, it will survive, even if it drops all the foliage. If there is rot on a tuber, it should be cut off. Burn the wound with fungicide and sprinkle with charcoal.
Dry the roots, and after an hour you can plant. Before planting, remove the remnants of leaves from the stalk, dry scales, so that they do not develop mold.
Allokaziyu need to determine the residence in a warm place to other flowers, where neighbors will cover it in the summer from the direct sun.
Attention! Alocasia is poisonous, with all its parts. Working with her wear glovesand after wash your hands.
Temperature and lighting
In the summer, for Alokaziya, the best is + 22-26 ° C, in the winter at least +18, and no drafts, temperature drops, or "festivities" on the balcony.
This kind shade tolerance and can even do in winter without additional lighting, if it will winter in the southern window.
Watering and moisture
In the summer, the earthen clod of Alokaziya should remain wet, but it is not worth keeping the water in the pan — that it did not absorb in two hours, drain. In winter, frequent watering is not needed, as long as the substrate does not dry out. The flower loves soft, settled water.
It is necessary to spray Alocasia all year round, but ... large drops harm leaves, stain them, therefore water suspension in the air is better than spray from a spray gun. Add moisture, you can use a pallet with water, but only it should not reach the pot. More leaves Alokazii need to wipe or roll over the shower (just cover the soil).
Reference! On the leaves of Alokaziya there is a stomata, through which it "crying"in the rainy season. If you overdo the house with watering, the flower will show it - the leaves will be covered with drops.
Bloom
In the apartment flowering is a rarity. Alocasia inflorescence of hundreds of small flowers resembles a fragrant ear covered with a pale green veil. In pollination, you can get red berries the size of a currant with seeds inside.
Below is a photo of the flower Alokazii:
Soil
This plant loves slightly acid (pH 5.5-6) "air" soil. A ready mix for aroids is suitable, where it would be good to fill up peat, sphagnum, coarse sand or even coconut shavings to hold the air and release water.
Planting and transplanting
While Alocasia is young, they roll her over in early spring, trying not to smash the earthy clod into a new pot higher and more spacious. Adult plants do not bother more than once every three years.
Crown formation
To cut Alokaziya to form a beautiful bush, usually there is no need, but it grows quickly, and she needs trimming when the space for growth in an apartment is exhausted.
Then at the bottom of the stem (3-4 cm above the ground) make a cut with a sharp knife in a circle. After 2-3 hours, you need to rub the powder for root growth (for example, "Rooting"), overlay the incision with moist moss, fasten the compress with cling film and leave for 4-5 weeks. Moisturize the moss after drying. After a month, the roots will appear.
Below you can see how Large Root Alocasia (Large Root) looks like in the photo:
Breeding
Alocasia can be propagated taken from the trunk of the kidney, cuttings and tubers, separated during the spring transplant.
- A kidney with pulp is cut out from the stem with a sharp knife and the sections are dried with crushed coal. The kidney is planted in a low pot, in a wet mixture of peat and sand and kept warm — soon it will start growing. This method saves the mother plant.
- Cut Alocasia stalk, sprinkle it with "Root" and plant it either in wet moss or in a mixture of sand and peat. 3-4 weeks will be spent on root growth. At this time, the cutting should be very warm + 23-25 ° C (preferably not only from above, but also from below) and light.
- New Alokaziya can be grown from the "eye" of a tuber - cut a piece together with a kidney and root it in a light, rich in sandy soil, covering it with a can. It is easy to recognize a ripe tuber for breeding - it is dark and scaly.
Benefit and harm
Poison and medicine - these properties often coexist in nature. Poisonous juice Alokazii can cause allergies and burns on the skin, and if you accidentally eat a piece of a plant (this happened, Alokaziya was taken for ginseng) - food poisoning can not be avoided. But at the same time, tinctures, chyme, ointment and oil from Alokaziya Krupnokorniyeva - can heal.
Alokaziya and its healing properties have been used by the Chinese for centuries, and in India and Sri Lanka, Alokaziya is still cultivated for medical purposes today.
Alocasia large root: medicinal properties
Tinctures (water and alcohol) from aboveground parts are suitable for the treatment of joint pain, wounds, polyarthritis, pneumonia, cholera, tuberculosis, toothache. Tincture on alcohol is made from a single sheet together with the stem. He insists in half a liter of vodka in the dark for 2 weeks.
Important! Since Alokaziya is poisonous, it is better to use medications from it externally, and first consult a doctor.
Alocasia has antitumor properties. Her tuber minced into gruel is applied to the neoplasms.
Also used for medicinal purposes: Chili Pepper, Caucasian Azalea, Acacia, Sansevieria, Eonium, Euphorbia Pallas, Agave, Kalanchoe, Aloe Vera, Aloe and some others.
Diseases and pests
Pests do not like poisonous plants and rarely attack them, so Alocasia is damaged by parasites only when weakened by improper care.
- Spider mite can start on the bottom of the leaves, if you do not spray the flower, and not moisten the air.
What to do: wash the leaves with water, spray them with a weak tobacco extract or purchased insecticide.
- Root rot due to stagnant moisture. The fact that this is happening, show drying leaves.
What to do: transplant Alokaziya, removing the rotten parts of the roots, in a pot with good drainage and loose soil. Drain the water flowing into the pan after watering.
- Pale, but not drying leaves - speaks of a lack of nutrients.
What to do: dressing for flowers with decorative leaves slightly dilute and pour Alokaziyu.
Also about a more detailed description of the fight against diseases and pests of Alokaziya, read the article on our website.
Conclusion
Having grown Alocasia large-root houses, you can buy not only a spectacular decoration for the interior, but also a whole green pharmacy due to its beneficial properties.
