How to Grow Giant Taro (Alocasia macrorrhizos)? Planting Methods and Precautions

Giant Taro has a unique shape, and its leaves are relatively large. The common cultivation method is to use pots, so today let's take a good look at exactly how Giant Taro is grown and what common problems it may have!

How to Grow Giant Taro

Sowing: Wild plants often bear seeds. Sow in spring. The suitable germination temperature is 25-28°C, and germination occurs 20-25 days after sowing.

Cuttings: Carry out in April. Cut thick stems into stem sections about 10 cm long with

several buds to use as cuttings. After drying slightly, insert them obliquely or lay them flat on the seedbed. When laying flat, the depth should be enough to bury the stem section; the cuttings can also be inserted directly into pots. After insertion, keep the substrate moist and the ambient temperature at 25-27°C. After 4-5 weeks, they can take root and survive.

Division: Potted plants easily produce many small offsets at the base, and in April they can be divided together with

repotting. Separate the small offsets from the mother plant and plant them separately. Division is best done when the temperature reaches 20°C or higher. On the basis of keeping the substrate moist, new buds can emerge in about 20 days.

Giant Taro Planting Methods and Precautions

1. Suitable soil

Giant Taro is already accustomed to a free environment and has relatively strong adaptability to soil. Generally, newly bought Giant Taro should have its soil changed once every 1-2 years. You can choose ordinary garden soil or mixed leaf mold. If the soil is relatively sticky, you can add a little fine sand to neutralize it.

2. Appropriate sunlight

When ordinary homes or offices buy Giant Taro, they usually place it in a corner indoors, where there is light but it is not strong. Because Giant Taro is a plant that prefers shade and coolness, it can grow very well in bright light. If the light is too strong, the leaves will wilt. However, during the flowering period, sufficient sunlight must be ensured, otherwise the buds will have a pale green color, affecting quality. Therefore, Giant Taro in the home or office only needs about 3 hours of light per day.

3. Suitable temperature

Temperature has a great effect on Giant Taro. The most suitable growth temperature is 20-25°C. When the temperature is below 18°C, it enters a dormant state and stops growing, which means it must be moved indoors in time in winter to ensure an appropriate temperature. But when the summer temperature is higher than 30°C, growth will also become abnormal.

4. Appropriate moisture

Giant Taro needs sufficient water for growth, especially in summer, when the environment is hot and stuffy. Spray water on the leaves every noon to increase air humidity, so that the leaves of Giant Taro will be large and thick. In winter, as long as the indoor temperature is relatively high, you can water normally. When watering, pay attention to ensuring sufficient light. Do not water on cloudy days. Only when light and moisture work together will Giant Taro grow well.

5. Sufficient nutrients

Giant Taro loves fertilizer very much. Once there is a fertilizer deficiency, the stems of the leaves will become shriveled. Therefore, fertilize once every two weeks and water appropriately. For fertilizer selection, nitrogen fertilizer should be the main type, with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers as supplements. When topdressing, be careful not to splash the fertilizer water onto the edges of the leaves, as it can easily cause leaf rot. Many gardening enthusiasts hope to ensure that Giant Taro's leaves are large and green through fertilization, and this is indeed a good method. Each time you fertilize, add a small amount of ferrous sulfate to the fertilizer solution.

6. Differential care between water culture and soil culture

For water-cultured Giant Taro, light and temperature are comparable to soil culture, but there are differences in watering and fertilizing. Water culture involves changing and adding water. In summer, change the water about once every 7 days; in winter, change it once every 10-15 days. Each time you change the water, add a certain amount of nutrient solution. In addition, each time you change the water, clean the inner wall of the water culture container to avoid the formation of water moss. The other point is fertilizing. Water-cultured Giant Taro is generally given foliar fertilizer. In addition to cleaning the leaves with clean water daily, it is very necessary to spray foliar fertilizer once a week. It can not only provide nutrients for the plant's growth, but also increase the glossiness of the leaves, and in winter it can also enhance the plant's cold resistance.

How to Cultivate Potted Giant Taro

1. Giant Taro substrate

Use a nutrient soil made by mixing domestic peat, pond mud, peat soil, and coarse sand with a small amount of thoroughly decomposed cake fertilizer. The substrate should be loose and have good drainage and aeration. Add water to the peat and mix well. The standard for adding water: after adding water and mixing well, when you tightly squeeze a handful of peat, water seeps out from between your fingers. Then wait to plant it in cups.

2. Potting Giant Taro

For old pots that are reused, they must be soaked in a 2000-fold potassium permanganate solution for more than half an hour, then rinsed with clean water and dried for later use. Large potted plants are generally planted in 20 cm specification pots. When planting, first place about 4 cm of substrate at the bottom of the cup, then move the screened seedlings into the cup. Small seedlings should not be planted too deep; it is best to keep them level with the base of the plant. The substrate should be moderately firm, filled to 8/10 of the cup, with 2-3 plants per pot.

3. Watering Giant Taro

Giant Taro especially likes moisture. During the growing season, it not only requires the potting soil to be moist, but also requires air humidity of no less than 60%. During high summer temperatures, spraying water should be strengthened to create a relatively cool and humid environment for it. If it is placed in an indoor air-conditioned hall, it is necessary both to keep the potting soil moist and to spray the leaves with water from time to time. If the indoor temperature in winter cannot reach 15°C, watering should be controlled, otherwise it can easily cause root rot in the plant. Under normal circumstances, spraying warm water once a week can keep its leaves dark green.

4. Fertilizing Giant Taro

Giant Taro relatively likes fertilizer. From March to October, apply liquid fertilizer once every half month, and the proportion of nitrogen can be appropriately increased. If a little ferrous sulfate can be added, even better, as then the leaves will grow as large as lotus leaves and glossy and attractive. When the temperature is below 15°C, fertilization should be stopped.

5. Pruning Giant Taro

Giant Taro is a foliage plant. If the care is improper, its largest leaves will turn yellow and dry up. At this time, they should be cut off together with the stem, otherwise it will affect the growth and ornamental value of the other leaves. When repotting Giant Taro, you can use leaf mold, peat soil, river sand plus a small amount of cake fertilizer mixed together to prepare nutrient soil. It can also be water-cultured, but you must pay attention to preventing root rot and adding nutrient solution. Usually, repot once every spring, and loosen the soil once a month to keep the potting soil in a well-aerated state.

Common Problems with Giant Taro

1. What should be done if poisoned by contact with Giant Taro sap?

It is recommended to use vinegar for detoxification. Rinse with a large amount of clean water. The toxic components are calcium oxalate and saponin. After skin contact with the sap, itching occurs; contact with the eyes can cause blindness. Folk remedy: boil vinegar with a small amount of ginger juice and take it orally or use it as a gargle to detoxify. If the poisoning symptoms are obvious, it is recommended to go to the hospital for medical treatment.

2. What should be done if Giant Taro has root rot?

Giant Taro is prone to root rot in summer, mainly caused by potting soil that is too wet. Pull up the Giant Taro, cut off the rotten roots. When cutting the roots, wear rubber gloves (Giant Taro is poisonous! Those with skin allergies should be careful.), and cut off a little of the healthy tissue near the rotten part. Dry it, and plant it again after the wound heals. Plant it in plain sand, or sandy soil. Do not water for the time being; wait until the potting soil is completely dry before watering. Do the same afterward: do not water if it is not dry. In addition, place it in a ventilated place.

3. Why does Giant Taro drip water in the morning?

Under warm and humid conditions with sufficient soil moisture, Giant Taro will drip water downward from the leaf tips or leaf edges; if the air humidity is too low, the water that comes out will immediately evaporate. Because the temperature is lower at night, there is no sunlight, and the air humidity is high, the water release phenomenon is obvious in the morning. Therefore, water droplets generally appear more often in the morning as a water release phenomenon.

4. What is the problem if Giant Taro falls over?

Because ordinary watering is generally poured only at the roots, the water cannot reach the leaf parts, so it falls over. It is recommended to put clean water in a spray bottle and spray it on the leaves. After a few days, there will be an effect.

5. What should be done if Giant Taro grows too tall?

By spraying the whole plant with a 2% paclobutrazol solution, in the later growth process of Giant Taro you will find that the growth height of Giant Taro will not exceed 40 cm. If Giant Taro continues to grow, the whole plant can be sprayed again. Generally, spraying once about every half a year can achieve the effect of controlling height.

Facing several of the most common problems that appear in Giant Taro, we can use the above methods to solve them. I believe we will definitely be able to grow high-quality potted plants, laying the foundation for us to enjoy more beautiful Giant Taro.