Alocasia is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Alocasia in the family Araceae. Because when the soil has a high moisture content, it drips water down from the tip or edge of the leaf, so it is also called Dripping Kannon in many places. The stem of this plant is stout, up to 3 meters high, and the leaves are clustered at the top of the stem, and the leaf shape is ovate-shaped. Its fleshy spike inflorescence is slightly shorter than that of the Buddha flame bract, the female flower is in the lower part, and the male flower is in the upper part.
Alocasia is a large foliage plant that can be cultivated in large pots or barrels, especially in large halls or indoor gardens. It can also be grown in tropical greenhouses, mainly in South China, Southwest China, and Taiwan, but also in Southeast Asia.
Alocasia prefers warm, humid and semi-shady environments. It grows at a temperature of 20 25 and overwinters at 10 15. In the summer, potted alocasia needs to be shaded. Alocasia can be cultivated using general garden soil with peat, sand, turf and humus. This plant can be propagated by dividing, cuttings, and seeding.
There are a few tricks to be aware of when growing Alocasia. First of all, for the dividing method, many seedlings often grow at the base of Alocasia during the growing season. When these seedlings have grown to 3 or 4 true leaves, they can be dug up and planted as new plants. Secondly, for cuttings, the stems of Alocasia are very well developed. For plants that have grown for many years, a section of stem can be cut in the spring as a cutting, planted directly in the potting soil or cuttings on a cutting. When the cuttings have grown 3 or 4 true leaves, they can be transplanted into the field. In addition, the sowing method can also be used to grow Alocasia. Alocasia in the wild or in the field will produce seeds and can also be propagated by sowing seeds. Seeding can be done in the open field or on demand, and then transplanted. When sowing, the seeds are evenly sprinkled on the soil one by one, then pressed and covered with a layer of fine soil, and finally sprayed with a fine eye watering can and covered with a shade net. After sowing, keep the soil moist, not too dry or too wet, and open the shade net in the morning and evening to ventilate the plants, and then cover them well during the day. When the seeds germinate and grow 3 or 4 true leaves, it is ready to start planting.
In addition, for bulb propagation, the naturally meristem balls of Alocasia roots can be dug up and graded. It is generally divided into two levels: more than 2 grams is grade 1, and less than 2 grams is grade 2. Before sowing, the ground needs to be ploughed and leveled to make a yang furrow, and then sown according to a certain row spacing and plant spacing. The sowing depth is generally 4 5 cm, then covered with soil and watered. Timely spraying of herbicides after watering is required to prevent the growth of weeds. Finally, shade with shade netting is required to avoid strong direct sunlight and keep the soil moist.
In addition, Alocasia can be rapidly propagated by tissue culture. Callus can be generated and adventitious bud differentiation can be induced through leaves, petioles, roots, and inflorescences. Cut off the leaves, petioles, etc. and use 0Sterilize with a 1% mercury solution for 10 min, then rinse several times with sterile water and cut into small pieces of 1 2 square centimeters to inoculate onto a specific medium. After a period of culture, the callus grows and differentiates into shoots and roots.
It should be noted that in the process of planting Alocasia, it is necessary to pay attention to the control of pests and diseases. If snails, spider mites, scale insects, ants, earthworms, aphids and other pests appear, they need to be removed in time and corresponding control measures should be taken. At the same time, it is also necessary to strengthen cultivation management to improve the disease resistance of plants. For example, potassium fertilizer can be applied once in autumn;Frequent cleaning of the surroundings of the balcony;When changing pots, it is necessary to clean the old pots and other methods.