The colocasia is an exotic plant which, with its large leaves, can be used to beautify any garden, whether outdoors or indoors. In effect, It can be kept without problems in pots inside the house., although it also looks great planted in the ground if the weather is warm or mild. But in addition, we are talking about a grass that is very easy to maintain.
In fact, if we take into account that the most difficult thing to control is the irrigation, we will not have to worry too much about it because it needs a lot of water. It is not aquatic, but it could be classified as semi-aquatic, since it lives in places where the ground is always or almost always wet. So, Let’s see what is the care of colocasia.
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Where to put the colocasia?
Image – Wikimedia/Dalgial
When we come home with our plant, the first thing we have to do is find a place where it will be fine. For this, you must know that it needs a lot of light but not direct, high relative humidity and that, if it has to be indoors, it must be placed away from drafts which generate fans, air conditioners, etc., because these dry their leaves.
Also, if we want it to look pretty all year round, it is important to protect it from the cold and, above all, sub-zero temperatures, since when the thermometer reaches such low values, the foliage dies, leaving only the rhizome, able to withstand weak frosts.
We also cannot forget that it is a plant that can take up a lot of space, so we must try to place it in a place where it can not only grow well, without rubbing against anything, but also it is also necessary to avoid putting small plants nearby if these need sun or direct lightOtherwise, the leaves of the colocasia will shade them and not allow them to grow well.
Pot or soil?
The colocasia can be either in a pot or in the ground. But if it has to be in a pot, we will have to plant it in a pot that has holes through which the water can come out when watering, and that it is about four inches wide and taller than the one you have now. Being a fast-growing plant, it is important that the container be large, because in this way we do not have to transplant it every year, but we can do it every 2 or 3. This change will be in the spring, or at the latest at the beginning of summer, and it will be placed on a spongy and light substrate, like this one from the BioBizz brand.
In case it is going to be planted in the garden, you need to find a place where there is plenty of light, but no direct sun. Likewise, the soil must contain organic matter, that is, it must be fertile; and it must also absorb water quickly.
How to water the colocasia?
The colocasia is very fond of water. He needs her. For it, it needs to be watered often. But be careful, do not water every day, but let the soil dry out a little. For this reason, it is best to rehydrate it every 2 or 3 days during the summer, and whenever necessary the rest of the year.
If we are going to have it at home, we must take into account that there are no drafts, the soil remains moist much longer. So much that during the winter, there can be watering only every ten days or even more. And it is that if we water very often, because the temperatures are lower and the plant grows at a slower pace, the roots rot due to excess humidity.
What relative humidity do you need?
Our protagonist is a plant that lives in areas with very high humidity and mild temperatures. This allows it to develop leaves so large that we like them, because in these conditions they do not spoil. So when you grow up it is important that you look on the Internet or on a home weather station, the humidity level in the area where we live.
And it is that when it is less than 50%, the colocase is dehydrated, the tips of the leaves turn brown and they begin to have hard times. To prevent this, it should be sprinkled with rainwater or clean for daily drinking.
How to prune a colocasia?
Image – Flickr/cultivar413
Being a large herbaceous plant, which can produce suckers, it will sometimes be necessary to prune it a little. this size It will consist in eliminating the dead leaves, as well as these rejections which we do not want continue to develop.
That is, you can’t cut a stem and wait for the stems underneath to grow, because it doesn’t have that ability. When one is removed, its base rots and the others remain intact, but do not branch out.
Pruning will be done in the spring with anvil chisels like these that we will have cleaned before and after use.
I hope these tips will help you take better care of your colocasia.