Colocasia edible indoor plants. Taro: the healing properties of the tropical "potato"

Colocasia (Taro)- a grassy representative of the Aroid family, has not yet become widespread among flower growers. However, she has every chance to gain popularity due to her merits.

One of them is the appearance of the plant - an abundance of wide large leaves growing on long petioles.

They have quite original shape in the form of strongly elongated hearts.

The coloration varies depending on the species. There are pure green, with pale veins or even purple leaves.

Stem (trunk) missing, but the leaves together with the petioles can reach a height of about a meter.

Another plus of taro - edible tubers exotic guests. They contain a lot of starch and are used boiled and fried for food.

Types and features

Edible taro (ancient) - Colocasiaesculenta. The leaves are pale green, collected in a basal rosette. They are up to 1 m long and 0.5 m wide. Blooms with yellow cob covered with a veil of the same color. Then small red berries form. The tuber can weigh up to 4 kg and is used for food.

Giant taro - S. Gigantea. Broad leaf blades have a rounded tip. They are larger than other species. The color is green, light yellow streaks are well defined. The tubers of this species are not edible, the cob is inconspicuous. Main value- decorative appearance of leaf blades.

Colocasia fountainesia - S. Fontanesia. Leaf blades are dark green in color and glossy. Veins in the color of the foliage. The petiole is reddish-violet, long and thin. The root system is fibrous, practically does not form tubers.

Care rules

At home, you can grow all 8 species currently known. The main thing is to find enough space to accommodate it - not less than a square meter for one room taro.

By providing Taro with good care, you can get gorgeous plant that will delight for many years to come.

As a member of the poisonous Aroid family, the taro represents some danger of poisoning. Toxic leaf blades should not be eaten by pets and young children.

Lighting and temperature

Bright light all day long. Doesn't like direct sunlight maybe burn in the form of brown dried spots. In winter, additional artificial lighting with fluorescent lamps is necessary if it does not go to rest.

In summer, it grows well both in the heat and in the cool. Optimal- content at 22-26 degrees.

Watering and humidity

In nature, Taro grows on constantly moist lands with high humidity. Therefore, it is required to create conditions close to natural. Water frequently and abundantly using soft water without high lime content.

high humidity ambient air is maintained by regular spraying of the ground parts of the plant or placed next to a container filled with wet stones.

Feeding and wintering

A large plant requires a lot of nutrients. Feeds should be regular throughout the entire growing season.

At home fertilize with mineral complexes in 12-14 days, in open ground- after 25-30 days.

Feature of taro consists in a strongly pronounced dormant period. The leaves die off, and the tubers should be stored in a dry place at a low air temperature of 9-11 degrees.

Transfer

After a dormant period tubers are planted in a container, the bottom of which is filled with stones not so much for drainage as for counterweight. In this case, a strongly grown plant will not turn the pot over with its weight.

The capacity for Tarot is taken large - at least half a meter in diameter.

Need soil fertile and rich, the best solution would be to mix leaf and sod soil, humus, peat and sand in equal volumes.

reproduction

Can be used seed method, tuber division and lateral offspring.

Propagation by seeds is used when growing taro on the street. They are sown in seedlings and watered. Seedlings are transplanted into separate containers after the appearance of the first true leaves.

After wintering, the lateral ones are separated from the main tuber and seated immediately in individual pots. Child shoots carefully separated from the main plant, trying not to damage them, and placed in a separate pot.

Can't deepen taro escape!

An example proper fit you can make a mother plant and plant a young seedling at the same depth. To speed up rooting, the shoot is covered with a polyethylene film.

Pests and possible problems

The most dangerous pests are spider mites and whiteflies.

The plant must be sprayed insecticides, if the pest does not completely disappear, repeat. Actellik, Etisso, Malathion are used.

whitefly. Small green with white wings that scatter in different directions at any touch to the plant. As a result, they are considered pests, destroyed with difficulty.

Processing not only the plant itself is exposed, but also the entire surrounding space - a pot, a window sill, window glass. The use of Kinmiks, Talstar, Mospilan, Confidor, Fufanon is effective.

Possible problems:

• Leaf blades are covered with yellow spots which then turn brown. The reason is exposure to direct sunlight.
• Lateral leaves dry up and fall off with constant dry air.
• Young leaves are small and thin- the plant suffers from a lack of nutrients in the soil or exposure to too cold air.
• Leaves turn pale and lose color- a signal of a deficiency of minerals and insufficient lighting.

The content of the article:

Colocasia (Colocasia) is attributed by botanists to the genus of perennials, which differ in their herbaceous form of growth and are included in the genus Aroid (Araceae). If you want to meet this exotic plant in its natural habitat, then you should go to the islands of New Guinea or the Philippines, and it also grows in the Himalayas and Burma. In general, in the territory of southeast Asia, taro is a fairly popular plant with a tuberous root because of this, it is actively cultivated in the regions mentioned above. These flora specimens include only 8 varieties in the genus.

Like its "relative" alocasia, this plant is sometimes called "elephant ears" because of the shape of the leaves, which resemble the auricles of this stately animal found in those lands, or Taro.

Representatives of this genus are completely devoid of a stem, and the roots, as already mentioned, have the form of tubers. The leaf plates are large, their outlines are corymbose-heart-shaped or arrow-shaped, the leaves are crowned with long petioles, the parameters of which can reach a meter size. The dimensions of the leaf plate are about 80 cm long and up to 70 cm wide. The surface of the sheet has a smooth texture, the color combines all kinds of shades of green color or they are tinted with a bluish color, there are also varieties with a purple tint. In some varieties, a pattern of veins turns white on the surface. The older the specimen becomes, the larger its leaf size.

When flowering, buds appear, which, when opened, are of no interest; an inflorescence is collected from them 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. Inside such a berry there are multiple seeds.

The rhizome of the taro plays an important role in cultivation, as it can be eaten. The root system has sufficient branching into individual tubers. After heat treatment, the local population highly appreciates them in their diet due to their starch content.

General requirements for growing taro, care

1. Location and lighting level. The plant loves bright but diffused light, so the pot with taro should be placed on the windows of the eastern or western location. If in winter the Tarot is not at rest, then it is recommended to backlight.
2. Content temperature Taro should be as close as possible to natural growing conditions. In spring and summer days, the heat indicators should not go beyond 23–28 degrees, and with the advent of autumn they should be gradually reduced to 18 units. But below 16 they should not fall, otherwise this will lead to the death of the leaf plates. At rest, the tubers contain at 10-12 degrees.
3. Growing humidity"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 done 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 by all means, since operating heaters and central heating batteries dry out the air in the room. Humidifiers or vessels filled with liquid are placed next to the taro pot.
4. Watering taro. In the conditions of natural growth, the Taro plant likes to settle on lands near water arteries or with high moisture, so when growing indoors, you need to make sure that the soil in the pot never dries out. Watering is carried out often and plentifully, especially in the spring and summer. Water should be settled and devoid of lime impurities, at room temperature. If during the winter period the taro is not put into rest mode, then humidification is carried out every 14 days.
5. 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 occupies a large volume. Fertilizers are applied weekly. Preparations with a high nitrogen content are recommended so that the leaves grow larger and more beautiful.
6. Soil transplantation and selection 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 year-round growing specimen, 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 for it in the flowerpot. This operation is also carried out on spring days. In this case, a new container is taken larger - 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 slightly acid reaction is preferable. You can use ready-made soil mixtures for citrus plants. They also make up the soil on their own from equal parts of peat, sod and humus soil with the admixture of leafy soil and river sand into it.
7. rest period in a plant with elephant ears, it falls on the winter months, at which time the tubers are removed from the pot and kept dry at a temperature of 15 degrees. But flower growers have noticed that taro can grow well without such a period of rest.
8. flowering when grown at home, there is practically no taro.

How to propagate taro yourself?

To get a new plant "elephant ears" you can propagate it by dividing the tubers of the mother specimen or offspring. There will also be a positive result if thick roots are divided or seeds are sown.

However, it should be remembered that a plant in a room culture never blooms, and success is almost never observed with such reproduction. However, if there is such a desire to propagate taro by seeds, then planting material should be sown in seedling boxes in a peat-sand substrate and moisten them well. You will need to cover the container with crops and keep them in a warm place. It is important to regularly air and moisten the soil. When a couple of true leaves appear on young Taro, these seedlings should be transplanted into separate containers with a substrate that is suitable for adult specimens.

It is easier to reproduce by dividing tubers or rhizomes. This operation is recommended to coincide with 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, then a certain number of tubers are separated from the mother specimen and they are placed in a pot filled with light moistened soil (this can be peat with sand or peat with perlite). Landing is recommended to be covered 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 sharp knife, cut the root system into pieces. Moreover, each of the divisions should contain 1-2 points of growth, for renewal. Places of cuts are recommended to sprinkle with powdered activated or charcoal. Then the delenki are planted in separate containers with a poured substrate of peat and sand. After 7–14 days, rooting takes place when caring for the plants.

After the winter passes, the lateral processes can be separated from the main tuber from the mother taro and planted in individual flowerpots with soil selected for them. Then it is recommended to cover the plant with polyethylene until it is completely rooted. Child shoots should be carefully separated, trying not to cause them much harm.

It is important to remember that when planting, the taro shoot does not deepen, it lands at the same depth as the mother specimen.

Pests and diseases of a houseplant taro

The following troubles can be distinguished when growing a plant "elephant ears":

• when the light 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 rates or insufficient fertilizer in the soil;
• when the temperature drops below 15 degrees, the leaf plates die off;
• when the humidity indicators are constantly low, then drying begins, and then the side leaves fall off at the taro.

Facts on taro note

But not only the tubers of the Taro plant are edible, the Hawaiian dish Laulau is prepared from its leaf plates.

It is important to remember that "elephant ears" poses some danger to small children and pets, who suddenly decide to chew on leaves that have a curious shape, as they contain toxins.

If we talk about her relative alocasia, then the taro is inferior in size, with the exception of the giant variety, which can surpass human growth. Also, the latter plant is much more moisture-loving and in its natural habitat, taro grows in close proximity to water and waterways, and when grown indoors, it will be necessary to spray the foliage more often. Alocasia, on the other hand, may not reveal its sensitivity to dry air in living quarters so much, especially when heating appliances work in winter.

Further, if we draw parallels when comparing alocasia and taro, then the first one still has a stem, reaching a diameter of 6–8 cm. And the leaf blades of alocasia grow vertically upwards, occasionally located in a horizontal surface. In taro, they are still 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 unlike; in alocasia, it has a branching into a central and a pair of lateral veins. There are also differences in tubers, which are shorter and plumper in taro. There are morphological differences in the structure of female flowers, which have different ways of placing the placenta and ovules.

Also, if we talk about ripening fruits, then in taro it is a fragrant and fragrant, but inconspicuous-looking multi-seeded berry, when in alocasia its color is orange-red and only a few seeds are located in the fruit.

Types of taro

Edible taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) can also be mentioned in the literature under the names Colocasia antiquorum var. esculenta Schott or Caladium esculentum hort. It is often referred to as the ancient Colocosis.

Plants that have a tuber and sometimes there is a very small stem. The outlines of the leaf plates are corymbose-heart-shaped or broadly ovate. The parameters in length reach 70 cm with a width of up to half a meter. The edge is slightly waviness, the surface is leathery, the color is light greenish. The petiole is 1 meter long. A rosette is assembled from the leaves. When flowering, an inflorescence cob is formed, which consists of yellowish flowers. Ripening berries-fruits of a reddish color.

The plant chooses wet mountainous slopes for its growth, often "climbing" to a height of up to 800 meters above sea level. This variety is not uncommon in the lands of tropical Asia, and it has not bypassed 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 all because edible taro tubers are very rich in starch and the plant is a valuable food crop. The weight of the tuber can reach 4 kilograms. On the islands where this specimen of the flora is used for food, it is called "Taro". Often, it is customary to grow aroid representatives in greenhouse conditions with high humidity and heat.

Euchlor's taro (Colocasia esculenta euchlora) may bear synonymous names 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 leaf plates of a dark green color scheme and a purple border. The petiole is also lilac in color. The native area of ​​​​growth falls on the lands of India.

Colocasia 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 a length of 30–40 cm, while the width varies in the range of 20–30 cm. Their color is dark emerald. Leaves are attached to a long thin petiole, which has a purple or reddish-purple tint. However, this color disappears in the lower part of the petiole. Its parameters reach 90 cm in length. This variety practically does not form tubers.

Native territories of growth fall on the lands of India and Sri Lanka.

Water taro (Colocasia esculenta var. aquatilis (Hassk.) Mansf.). This variety has dense foliage. With the help of leaf blades, 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). The roots are tuberous. Leaf plates have a corymbose shape, they can vary in width from 20-30 cm. On the upper side they are painted in a green color scheme, along the midrib there is a grayish-purple tint with a metallic sheen. The length of the petiole often reaches half a meter.

This variety is found on the humid mountainous slopes of the Himalayas, where the tropical climate prevails.

The giant taro (Colocasia giganrea (Blume) Hook. f.) may be referred to as Colocasia indica of auth. non (Lour.) Kunth, and Aljcasia gigantean hort.

This variety has the largest leaf plates, which can reach 80 cm in length with a width of about 70 cm. The surface of the leaves is thick, painted in a dark green color scheme, on which pronounced veins are clearly visible. The shape of the foliage is oval-crescent. The petiole does not exceed 1 m in length. When flowering, the resulting inflorescence-cob can reach 20 cm in length. Roots are quite thick.

It is often found on the islands of Java and the territory of the Malay Peninsula. For more on growing taro, see below:

Calories, kcal:

Proteins, g:

Carbohydrates, g:

The plant under the unusual name edible taro belongs to the Aroid family. It grows mainly in Burma, New Guinea, and the Philippine Islands. The inhabitants of these regions have known the plant for a very long time. For several thousand years, they have been actively using it in their diet.

The edible taro has some other names - it is often called the ancient taro, dashin and taro. This perennial herbaceous plant is the most popular and in demand on the territory of African countries and the countries of Southeast Asia (calorizer). Now this plant can be found in other parts of our planet, which are distinguished by a tropical climate.

The name taro was coined by the inhabitants of the island of Tahiti, who since ancient times have actively used it in their traditional cooking. By the way, today the largest number of varieties and varieties of plants are found precisely in the territories of Tahiti and the Hawaiian Islands.

Edible taro is one of the oldest vegetable crops on the planet. Two millennia ago, this plant occupied a very important place in the culinary traditions of the Egyptian as well as Indian civilizations.

The famous ancient Roman writer and polymath Pliny the Elder even mentioned the amazing properties of edible taro in his writings.

Nowadays taro in wild does not occur as often as before. Now it is increasingly cultivated on an industrial scale.

Calorie content of edible taro

The calorie content of edible taro is 112 kcal per 100 grams of product.

Composition of edible taro

Useful properties of edible taro

Edible taro is a low-calorie product. Regular consumption of edible taro leaves slows down the process of splitting complex carbohydrates, which, in turn, contributes to a gradual increase in blood sugar levels. In addition, the use of this product reduces the risk of cancer, improves the condition of the skin and mucous membranes, stimulates metabolic processes, helps to normalize heart rate and blood pressure.

Edible taro in cooking

For food, taro tubers that have previously undergone thermal cooking are used. As a rule, edible taro tubers are boiled or fried (calorizator). Homemade cakes are especially popular, the filling for which is crushed tubers of edible taro.

In addition to tubers, young shoots and leaves of edible taro are used as food. The plant resembles fresh asparagus in taste and consumer qualities. The tubers of edible taro are also ground into flour.

Edible taro is a heat-loving ornamental plant that is grown for the sake of beautiful large leaves, which are similar in shape to elephant ears.

Colocasia: growing from seeds

Sometimes at home, such a plant reproduces with the help of seeds. In early spring, they are sown in a peat-sand mixture, covered with plastic wrap, provide diffused light and a temperature of 20-25 degrees.

Seedlings will appear soon. As they grow, young taro are planted in separate pots filled with a substrate for adult plants - a mixture of equal parts of sand, leaf, humus, sod and peat soil.

Reproduction of taro

In addition to seed propagation, in spring or early summer, offspring can be used for propagation, which appear near the base of the mother plant. Having cut them off with a knife, they are planted in the same soil and at the same depth in which the mother plant grew. At first, young taro should be kept in diffused light at a temperature of 25-28 degrees, covered with a transparent film.
Edible taro can also be propagated with the help of daughter tubers or by dividing mother tubers.

Colocasia: the nature of growth

In the house, the taro can reach almost two meters in height and width. Many stems grow from a large tuber of the plant, at the top of each there are large beautiful leaves, the length of which can reach 70 cm.

Colocasia: features of care

The main rule in caring for such a plant is to provide it with high humidity. Every autumn, all above-ground parts of the plant die off, they need to be cut off, providing the tubers with storage in a cool, dry place.

In the summer, the plant requires abundant watering, the pot should be placed on a pallet with pebbles and water. In winter, watering is not required. Nutrients must be applied with each watering.

The best place for taro is partial shade, as the direct rays of the sun can damage its leaves.

In the warm season, it feels normal at room temperature; during the wintering of tubers, they need to provide a temperature of 15-17 degrees.

Possible problems

The appearance of light silvery spots on the leaves is a sign of damage to the plant by thrips. To prevent the appearance of such pests, the plant should be sprayed frequently with water. If they appear, insecticide treatment will help.
In exactly the same way, you can deal with another pest that affects taro - spider mites.

Colocasia is a herbaceous plant, very unusual for our latitudes, with a shock of large leaves on long petioles sticking straight out of the ground. It lives in humid tropical forests, mainly in Asia, but is also found on other continents. The taro is considered to be a great exotic among us and has not yet reached great popularity. Often, a taro in the photo is depicted next to a person, and the leaf can reach from the ground to the chin. At home, the plant is more valued for its nutritious tubers than for its attractive appearance.

plant description

The taro is a perennial herbaceous plant, which belongs to the Aroid family. It has a branched thin rhizome with many tubers. Oblong tubers with ring-shaped bends are painted in light brown color and are highly valued in cooking. They contain a lot of starch and useful trace elements. Eating is possible only after heat treatment.

The taro has no stem, a thick rosette of leaves on fleshy petioles sticks out directly from the ground. The leaves are heart-shaped or shield-shaped and have a smooth surface. Relief veins are clearly visible on the leaf plate. Sometimes they have a contrasting color. Foliage can be painted in all shades of green, and also have a bluish or gray tint. The size of the petiole and leaf increases as the taro matures. In an adult plant, the petiole can reach 1 meter, with a thickness of 1-2 cm. The leaf is 80 cm long and 70 cm wide.

Flowers when grown at home are rarely formed and are not attractive. The plant throws out an inflorescence in the form of an ear, located on a low, strong peduncle. The color of the inflorescence has a sandy or brighter yellow color. After pollination, small red or orange berries are formed. Inside the fruit are many small seeds.

Types of taro

In the genus taro, only 8 species have been recorded. Basically, these are large-sized plants suitable for growing in greenhouses and large rooms. The real record holder is giant taro. Its stems can reach a height of 3 m. Strong oval leaves with ribbed veins are painted in dark green. Each leaf is 80 cm long and 70 cm wide. The cob on a thick peduncle is 20 cm high. Turnip tubers form on the roots.

Edible taro(it is also “ancient”, “dashin” and “taro”) forms many large tubers and is grown as a fodder crop. The weight of the largest tubers is 4 kg. Processed leaves and stems are also eaten. On a meter-long fleshy petiole there is a heart-shaped leaf 70 cm long and 50 cm wide. The edges of the light green foliage are slightly wavy.

On the basis of this species, a form was developed; it is distinguished by a dark, black-brown color of ground shoots.

It lives along the banks of fresh water bodies and normally perceives the flooding of rhizomes. Petioles are reddish in color and reach a length of 1.5 m. Heart-shaped light green leaves are 40 cm long and 20 cm wide.

- a more compact plant, which is also called "room taro". The maximum height of its shoots is 50 cm. The dimensions of the sheet are 30 cm long and 20 cm wide.

Reproduction methods

Colocasia is propagated by dividing the roots and planting tubers. When working with a plant, it is important to be careful, because fresh juice is very irritating to the skin. It is better to carry out all manipulations with gloves.

Seed propagation in the middle lane is a rather complicated and inefficient process. Small seeds are planted in a pot with moist peat soil to a depth of about 5 mm. The container is covered with a film and stored in a bright and warm place. Optimum temperature is +22…+24°C. Shoots appear within 1-3 weeks.

When transplanting, several tubers are separated from an adult plant. They are completely buried in moist, light soil and covered with glass or film. Within 2-4 weeks, the first shoots will appear, and after another 10 days, you can remove the shelter.

An adult plant can be cut into several divisions. 1-2 growth buds should remain on each section of the root. Cut the taro with a sharp blade and sprinkle generously with charcoal. Delenka is immediately planted in a wet sand-peat mixture and left in a warm place. Rooting is quite easy, after 1-2 weeks the plant begins to produce new leaves.

Care rules

Home care for taro is quite simple. It is enough to choose a comfortable place for it and water it periodically. When grown indoors, it does not need a dormant period and is equally beautiful all year round. This large beauty must be allocated at least 1 m² of free space. Taro needs a long daylight hours. Indoors, it does not tolerate direct sunlight, but in the open field it easily tolerates even extreme heat. In the garden, taro feels good in the sun or in a small shade. The optimum temperature is +22…+26°C.

Since taro is constantly in contact with moisture in nature, it needs to be watered often. For irrigation use separated warm water. The ground part of the plant is recommended to be sprayed periodically. It is also useful to arrange vessels with wet pebbles or expanded clay.

During the entire growing season, taro is regularly fed. Indoor plants are fertilized twice a month with complex mineral compounds. Street specimens need only one fertilizer in 25-30 days.

Even large taro can be taken out in the spring to the garden. They are left in tubs or transplanted into open ground where they feel great until the onset of cold weather. When the temperature outside starts to drop to + 12 ° C, the plant is dug up again. You can completely cut off the foliage and store only the tubers, which are used for new plantings in the spring.

Colocasia is transplanted infrequently, as the rhizome grows. The pot is immediately chosen large, with a diameter and depth of 50 cm or more. For planting, a mixture of equal parts is used:

• sod land;
• humus;
• peat;
• sand.

Precautionary measures

Colocasia is very poisonous. Fresh juice on the skin can cause a serious burn. When eating at least a small piece of a leaf or other part of the plant, swelling of the throat begins, severe burning and pain. In case of danger, you should immediately consult a doctor. Care must be taken that animals and children do not approach such a beautiful, but extremely dangerous vegetation. Even edible varieties are edible after long frying or boiling.

Possible difficulties

Most of the difficulties are associated with improper care of taro:

• if the leaves begin to turn yellow and become less elastic, then the plant does not receive enough moisture;
• the appearance of dry spots may indicate burns of indoor specimens;
• if the variegated forms lose their brightness, then the plant does not have enough light.

Very rarely, traces of spider mites, scale insects or aphids can be found on taro. It is most convenient to immediately use insecticides. After 1-2 weeks, be sure to re-treat.