Description of taro, growing area, requirements for growing, recommendations for reproduction, difficulties in cultivation and ways of solving them, types. Colocasia (Colocasia) is attributed by botanists to the genus of perennials, which are distinguished by a herbaceous form of growth and are part of the genus Aroids (Araceae). If you want to meet this exotic plant in its natural environment, then you should go to the islands of New Guinea or the Philippines, and it also grows in the Himalayas and Burma. And in general, on the territory of southeast Asia, taro is a fairly popular plant with a tuberous root, because of this it is actively cultivated in the above-mentioned regions. These specimens of flora have only 8 varieties in the genus.
Like its "relative" alocasia, this plant is sometimes called "elephant ears" because of the outlines of the leaves, which resemble the ears of this stately animal found on those lands or Taro.
Representatives of this genus are completely devoid of a stem, and the roots, as already mentioned, have the shape of tubers. The leaf plates are large, their outlines are corymbose-cordate or arrow-shaped, the leaves are crowned with long petioles, the parameters of which can reach a meter. The dimensions of the sheet plate are about 80 cm long and up to 70 cm wide. The surface of the sheet is smooth texture, the color combines all sorts of shades of green color or they are shaded with a bluish color, there are also varieties with a purple tint. In some varieties, a pattern of veins whitens on the surface. The older the specimen becomes, the larger its leaf size.
When flowering, buds appear, which, opening up, are of no interest, from which an inflorescence is collected in the form of an ear, painted in a yellowish tone. Ripening fruits have the shape of berries, the surface of which has a red or orange tint. There are multiple seeds inside such a berry.
Taro rhizome plays an important role in cultivation, since it can be eaten. The root system has sufficient branching into individual tubers. After heat treatment, the local population highly values them in their diet due to their starch content.
General requirements for growing taro, care
- Location and lighting level. The plant loves bright, but diffused light, so the taro pot should be placed on the windows of the east or west location. If in the winter the Tarot is not at rest, then it is recommended to carry out the illumination.
- Content temperature Taro should be as close as possible to natural growing conditions. On spring and summer days, it should not be that the heat indicators go beyond 23-28 degrees, and with the arrival of autumn, they should be gradually reduced to 18 units. But below 16, they should not fall, otherwise it will lead to the death of the sheet plates. At rest, the tubers are kept at 10-12 degrees.
- Growing moisture "Elephant ears" should be high, since the leaf plates are large and this contributes to increased evaporation of moisture from their surface. Spraying in the spring and summer months will need to be carried out at least once a day, and it is also recommended to wipe the leaves with a soft damp cloth. In winter, it will be necessary to increase the humidity indicators in all ways, since working heating devices and central heating batteries dry out the air in the room. Humidifiers or vessels filled with liquid are placed next to the taro pot.
- Watering taro. Under natural conditions, the Taro plant loves to settle on lands near waterways or with high moisture, therefore, with indoor cultivation, you need to ensure that the soil in the pot never dries out. Watering is carried out often and abundantly, especially in the spring and summer. The water should be settled and free of lime impurities, at room temperature. If in the winter period taro is not put into rest mode, then humidification is carried out every 14 days.
- Fertilizers for taro, they are introduced from the beginning of spring to the autumn period, since its growth rate is high and the green mass takes up a large volume. Top dressing is applied weekly. Preparations with a high nitrogen content are recommended so that the leaves grow larger and more beautiful.
- Transplant and selection of soil for taro. If the plant was in a state of winter dormancy, then its tubers should be re-planted in the spring. But even for a specimen growing year-round, it is recommended to periodically change the pot and the soil in it, since the root system can master the whole earth and there will not be enough space in the flowerpot. This operation is also performed on spring days. In this case, a new container is taken of a larger size - 3-5 cm larger in diameter. Drainage material is placed on its bottom, which will ensure that there is no stagnation of water in the pot. For taro, a substrate with sufficient lightness, fertility and a slightly acidic reaction is preferable. You can use ready-made soil mixtures for citrus plants. They also make up the soil independently from equal parts of peat, sod and humus soil, mixed with leafy earth and river sand.
- Dormant period in a plant with elephant ears, it occurs in the winter months, at which time the tubers are removed from the pot and kept from dryness at a heat rate of 15 degrees. But it has been noticed by flower growers that taro can grow well without such a period of rest.
- Flowering when grown at home, taro almost never happens.
How to propagate taro on your own?
To get a new plant "elephant ears" can be propagated by dividing the tubers of the mother specimen or by offspring. A positive result will also be observed if thick roots are divided or seeds are sown.
However, it should be remembered that the plant never blooms in room culture, and almost never success with such reproduction. However, if there is such a desire to propagate taro by seeds, then the planting material should be sown in seedling boxes in a peat-sandy substrate and moistened well. You will need to cover the container with crops and keep them in a warm place. It is important to regularly ventilate and moisten the soil. When a couple of real leaves appear on young Taro, then these seedlings should be transplanted into hotel containers with a substrate that is suitable for adult specimens.
It is easier to reproduce by dividing the tubers or rhizomes. This operation is recommended to be timed to the transplantation of taro, so as not to injure the plant once again by removing it from the pot. When the bush is taken out, a certain number of tubers are separated from the parent specimen and they are placed in a pot filled with light moist soil (this can be peat with sand or peat with perlite). It is recommended to cover the planting with glass or polyethylene. After a 10-day period, the shelter is removed when young shoots are already visible.
When dividing the root with a sharpened knife, cut the root system into pieces. Moreover, each of the divisions must contain 1-2 points of growth for renewal. It is recommended to sprinkle the places of cuts with activated charcoal or charcoal crushed into powder. Then the cuttings are planted in separate containers with a poured substrate of peat and sand. After 7-14 days, rooting takes place when caring for plants.
After the winter passes, at the maternal taro, the lateral shoots can be separated from the main tuber and they can be planted in individual flowerpots with the soil selected for them. Then it is recommended to cover the plant with polyethylene until it is completely rooted. Daughter shoots should be carefully separated, being careful not to do them much harm.
It is important to remember that when planting, the taro shoot is not deepened, it is planted at the same depth as the parent specimen.
Pests and diseases of the houseplant taro
If there are violations of the conditions for the cultivation of taro, then the plant can be affected by harmful insects, among which spider mites, whiteflies and mealybugs are distinguished. When these "uninvited guests" are found, the treatment with insecticidal preparations should be carried out immediately. After a week, this procedure is repeated to destroy possible parasite eggs.
The following troubles can be distinguished when growing the "elephant ears" plant:
- when the illumination level is too high, yellow spots appear on the leaf plates;
- if there is not enough food and light, then the leaves become pale and lose their color;
- foliage becomes smaller with very low heat values or insufficient fertilization in the soil;
- when the temperature drops below 15 degrees, the leaf plates die off;
- when the moisture readings are constantly low, drying begins, and then the lateral leaves of the taro begin to fall off.
Facts to note taro
But not only the tubers of the Taro plant are edible, the Hawaiian Laulau dish is prepared from its leaf plates.
It is important to remember that the "elephant ears" presents some danger for young children and pets who suddenly decide to chew on the leaves, which have a curious shape, as they contain toxins. If we talk about its relative alocasia, then taro is inferior in size, with the exception of the giant variety, which can exceed human growth. Also, the latter plant is much more moisture-loving and in its natural habitat, taro grows in close proximity in water and waterways, and when grown indoors, it will be necessary to spray the foliage more often. Alokazia, on the other hand, may not so strongly reveal its sensitivity to dry air in living quarters, especially when heating devices are robot in winter.
Further, if we draw parallels when comparing alocasia and taro, then the first still has a stem reaching 6–8 cm in diameter. And the leaf plates of alocasia grow vertically upward, occasionally being located on a horizontal surface. In the taro, they are nevertheless more drooping outlines and they are attached to the petiole in the form of a shield, at a distance of up to 7–12 cm from the base.
The structure of the petiole is also dissimilar; in alocasia it has a branching into a central and a pair of lateral veins. There are also differences in the tubers, which are shorter and thicker in taro. There are morphological differences in the structure of female flowers, which differ in the ways of placing the placenta and ovules.
Also, if we talk about ripening fruits, then in taro it is a fragrant and aromatic, but inconspicuous in appearance, multi-seeded berry, when in alocasia its color is orange-red and there are only a few seeds in the fruit.
Types of taro
Edible taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) may also be referred to in the literature as Colocasia antiquorum var. esculenta Schott or Caladium esculentum hort. It is often referred to as the ancient colossus.
Plants with a tuber and sometimes a very small stem. The outlines of the leaf plates are corymbose-cordate or broadly ovate. Parameters in length reach 70 cm with a width of up to half a meter. The edge is slightly wavy, the surface is leathery, the color is light greenish. The petiole is 1 meter long. A root rosette is collected from the leaves. During flowering, an inflorescence is formed on the cob, which consists of yellowish flowers. Ripening fruit-berries of a reddish color.
The plant for its growth chooses humid mountainous slopes, often "climbing" to a height of 800 meters above sea level. This variety is not uncommon in the lands of tropical Asia, and it also did not ignore the culture of Indonesia, all the islands of Polynesia and those parts of the African continent where there is a tropical climate, as well as a number of other countries with similar climatic conditions. This is because edible taro tubers are very rich in starch and the plant is a valuable food crop. Tuber weight can reach 4 kilograms. On the islands where this specimen of this flora is used for food, it is called "Taro". Often, representatives of aroids are usually grown in greenhouse conditions with high humidity and warmth.
Euchlora taro (Colocasia esculenta euchlora) may be synonymous with Colocasia esculenta var. euchlora (Colocasia Koch a. H. Selo) A. F. Hill or Colocasia antiquorum var. euchlora (Colocasia Koch a. H. Selo) Schott. The plant is distinguished by leafy plates of a dark green color and a lilac border. The petiole also has a lilac color. The native area of growth falls on the lands of India.
Taro Fontanesia (Colocasia Fontanesia) is often referred to as Colocasia antiquorum var. fontanesia (Schott,) A. F. Hill, Colocasia antiquorum var. fontanesii Schott or Colocasia violacea hort. ex Hook. f. This variety has corymbose leaves, reaching 30–40 cm in length, while the width varies in the range of 20–30 cm. Their color is dark emerald. Leaves are attached to a long thin petiole with a purple or reddish-purple tint. However, this color disappears at the bottom of the petiole. Its parameters reach 90 cm in length. This variety practically does not form tubers.
The native territories of growth are in the lands of India and Sri Lanka.
Water taro (Colocasia esculenta var. aquatilis (Hassk.) Mansf.). This variety has a dense foliage. With the help of sheet plates, stolons are formed, reaching a length of 1.5 m with a diameter varying in the range of 0.7–1 m, with a reddish tint. Basically, the plant is planted near water bodies and in the lowlands of the island lands of Java.
Deceptive taro (Colocasia fallax Schott). At the roots, tuberous outlines. Leaf platinum has a corymbose shape, the width can vary from 20 to 30 cm. On the upper side, they are painted in green color, along the middle vein there is a shading of a grayish-purple color with a metallic sheen. The length of the petiole often reaches half a meter.
This species is found on the humid mountainous slopes of the Himalayas, where the tropical climate prevails.
Giant taro (Colocasia giganrea (Blume) Hook. F.) May be referred to as Colocasia indica of auth. non (Lour.) Kunth, and also Aljcasia gigantean hort.
This variety has the largest leaf plates, which can reach 80 cm in length and about 70 cm in width. The surface of the leaves is thick, painted in a dark green color, on which pronounced veins are clearly visible. The foliage is oval-sickle-shaped. The petiole does not exceed 1 m in length. During flowering, the resulting inflorescence-cob can reach 20 cm in length. The roots are thick enough.
It is often found on the islands of Java and the territory of the Malacca Peninsula. For more on growing taro, see below:
