Amorphophallus (Amorphophallus) is an exotic herbaceous plant from the aroid family. Popularly known under the name "Voodoo Lily" and "Snake Palm". Homeland amorphophallus tropics of India and Sumatra. The plant is a typical efmeroid. It spends most of its life at rest.
After awakening, amorphophallus throws one single leaf on a long stalk, the height of which can reach 1.5 meters. Large amorphophallus tubers are edible. They are widely used in traditional Japanese cuisine to prepare a range of dishes. In China, they are used as a dietary product. The jelly-like substances contained in them effectively reduce cholesterol and blood sugar.
If you like to grow predatory plants at home, then see how to grow nepentes.
| Growth rate is very high. A whole leaf can grow in a year. | |
| It blooms at home after a period of rest. | |
| The plant is easy to grow. | |
| It is a perennial plant, but after flowering, all the aerial parts die. |
Amorphophallus: home care. Briefly
Amorphophallus at home requires a fairly simple care:
| Temperature mode | In the summer, 25-28 °, in winter not lower than + 10-12 °. |
| Air humidity | It requires a high level of humidity, so they spend daily spraying. |
| Lighting | Bright, diffused, tolerates slight shading. |
| Watering | The soil should always be slightly moist. |
| Amorphophallus soil | Fertile, loose with the obligatory arrangement of the drainage layer. |
| Fertilizer and fertilizer | After the appearance of the leaf once every 10 days with phosphorus-potassium fertilizer. |
| Amorphophallus transplant | Annual, the tuber for the rest period is cleaned in a dry, cool place. |
| Breeding | Seeds, children, division of tubers and leaf nodules. |
| Features of growing amorphophallus | The plant has a long rest period, about 7-8 months. |
Amorphophallus: home care. In detail
Caring for amorphophallus at home has some features.
Bloom
Once every 2-3 years, amorphophallus blooms. A flower appears before the development of the leaf. Moreover, his life expectancy does not exceed 5 days. The inflorescence of the "snake palm" is an ear of corn with a veil. Its smell is very specific. It smells like rotten fish. So the plant attracts pollinator flies. Flowering greatly depletes the tuber. Therefore, the plant rests for the next 3-4 weeks and only then develops the leaf.
Female flowers on the cob open earlier than male flowers, so self-pollination is very rare. If pollination nevertheless occurs, berry fruit is formed on the cob. Having given them life, the mother plant in most cases dies.
Temperature mode
Home amorphophallus develops well at temperatures from +25 to + 28 °. With daily spraying, the plant tolerates even the strongest summer heat. At the onset of the rest period, the tubers are stored at + 10 °.
Spraying
The amorphophallus plant at home requires daily spraying. A low level of humidity can cause it to dry out the sheet. For spraying, warm, pre-settled water is used. From hard tap water, a light coating remains on the leaves.
Lighting
Under natural conditions, amorphophallus grows in the lower tier of the rainforest. Therefore, he needs a lot of bright, but diffused light. When placing the plant next to the southern window, it must be shaded with a light curtain.
On the eastern and western windows, shading is not required.
Watering amorphophallus
Like most people from the tropics, amorphophallus at home requires regular, plentiful watering. The earth must always be wet. To avoid stagnation of moisture in the pot, drainage is mandatory. For irrigation use pre-settled water.
You can’t water directly from the tap, the chlorine contained in it is harmful to the plant.
Amorphophallus pot
The "snake palm" develops a fairly large root system. Therefore, for its cultivation choose wide and deep pots.
Priming
The soil for amorphophallus is made up of equal parts of humus, sod land and sand. For cultivation, a substrate for senpolia or any universal soil for indoor plants is also suitable. At the bottom of the pot, a drainage of a layer of expanded clay or pieces of polystyrene must be arranged.
Fertilizer and fertilizer
Immediately after the appearance of the sprout, amorphophallus begins to be fed. Fertilizers with a high phosphorus content are well suited for it. Top dressing is applied once every 10 days on previously watered soil.
Amorphophallus transplant
Amorphophallus transplant is carried out in the spring. If the tubers were stored in the old soil, they are replanted after germination. The growing plant is simply gently transferred into a more spacious pot and fresh soil is added. Amorphallus really likes multiple transfers to more spacious containers.
In total, from 3 to 4 transshipments are carried out. This allows you to grow very large, strong tubers, which are likely to bloom next year.
Pruning
Pruning of amorphophallus is not carried out. Before the dormant period, the remains of the dried sheet are simply removed from him.
Rest period
Amorphophallus leaf develops only a few months a year. The rest of the time the plant is at rest. At the end of the period of intensive growth, the leaf begins to turn yellow and dies. Asleep tubers are removed from the soil, cleaned of residual roots and cleaned in a cool, dry place. They can also be left in the soil, removed directly from the pots.
Reproduction of amorphophallus
Reproduction of the "Snake palm" is possible in several ways.
Tuber division propagation
Large amorphophallus tuber can be used for reproduction. To do this, wait for the awakening of sleeping kidneys. As soon as the sprouts appear, the tuber is cut into several parts using a sharp, pre-sanitized knife. Each delenka must have 1-2 viable kidneys.
It should be cut very carefully. If the kidneys are damaged, the delenki will not be able to germinate and die. The resulting slices are dusted with charcoal powder, and left overnight for drying. After this, parts of the tubers are planted in loose, nutritious soil. Freshly planted plants are watered carefully the first time. After they start to grow, the intensity of irrigation is increased. Delenki bloom only for 2-3 years of cultivation.
Reproduction of amorphophallus by children
An easier way to reproduce. In adult plants, several children can form at the base of the leaf during the period of intensive growth. With good care at the time of rest, they sometimes catch up with the parent plant. Before sending the tuber to rest, they are carefully separated. In the spring they are planted similarly to an adult plant.
Propagation by leaf nodule
Amorphophallus has a special way of reproduction. A small nodule forms on the top of its leaf at the branching point. Its size does not exceed 1 cm. Before the dormant period, when the leaf is almost completely dry, the nodules are carefully separated and planted in a small pot.
Sometimes it germinates after a few weeks, and it happens that only next spring.
In vivo, this is one of the main methods of reproduction of amorphophallus.
Growing amorphophallus from seeds
The seed method of reproduction of amorphophallus is rarely used. At home, he does not tie the seeds, they can be purchased only from collectors. In addition, plants grown from seeds bloom only after 5 years from planting.
Diseases and Pests
When growing amorphophallus, flower growers sometimes encounter a number of problems:
- Amorphophallus leaves dry. The plant most likely suffers from a lack of lighting and moisture.
- Leaves become pale. The reason is poor lighting. The plant must be rearranged as close as possible to the light source.
- The roots rot. Most often, this problem occurs with excessive watering and lack of drainage. In this case, an emergency transplant will help save amorphophallus. During it, all rotten places on the tuber are cut out and treated with fungicide.
Of the pests on the amorphophallus, the most common is the spider mite.
Types of amorphophallus home with photos and names
At room conditions, several species of amorphophallus can be grown.
Amorphophallus bulbous (Amorphophallus bulbifer)
The size of the tubers of this species ranges from 7-8 cm. The leaf length is about 1 meter. It is characterized by a dark olive color with spots of light green in color. The flower stalk height is about 30 cm. The cob is dirty green in color with pronounced pink spots. When grown indoors, the fruit does not tie.
Amorphophallus cognac (Amorphophallus konjac)
The tuber is round in shape, oblate, with a diameter of about 20 cm. A leaf 70-80 cm high is brownish-green in color, spotted. The flower stalk height does not exceed 70 cm. During the flowering period, it produces a peduncle with a characteristic spotty pattern. It forms a cob of purple, consisting of male and female flowers. The upper part of the cob is surrounded by a red-brown bedspread. The smell of this kind is especially sharp and unpleasant.
Amorphophallus Rivera (Amorphophallus rivieri)
The diameter of the tuber varies from 10 to 20 cm. The growing conditions strongly influence its size. The better they are, the larger the tuber. The height of the sheet can reach 80 cm. The surface of the sheet plate is covered with a characteristic pattern of white and dark spots. The diameter of the sheet with full dissolution can reach up to 1 meter.
Peduncle up to a meter high. The length of the cover does not exceed 30-40 cm. Its front side is painted in light green. A characteristic feature of the species is a short coverlet; its length does not exceed half the length of the cob.
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