Bat flower - Tacca chantrieriis a tropical plant, grown only in a pot in our climate. It is famous for its unusually large and beautiful inflorescences, the appearance of which contributed to the naming of the bat flower. See what it looks likegrowing Tacca chantrieri from seedsand what conditions it requiresbat flower in pot growing
Flower bat - Tacca chantrieri
Bat flower - description
SpeciesTacca chantrieriis a very interesting exotic plant from Southeast Asia. Due to the lack of frost resistance, in our climate it is grown only as a potted plant.
"He is assigned names such as Bat Flower, Devil Flower or Cat Flower. All this is due to the unusual, very large inflorescences, ranging from 30 to 50 cm in diameter. Each single flower grows 30 cm long, threadlike leaf, resembling a ribbon. Above the inflorescence, on the other hand, there are two large inflorescences that look like outstretched wings of a bat. The flowers may persist for 6 weeks, giving off a delicate, pleasant fragrance.
The bat flower belongs to the genus Tacca. The most common 3 related species belonging to the genus Tacca are found in cultivation. They differ mainly in the color of the upper pair of flowers. UTacca niveathe top flowers are white, uTacca integrifolia- creamy green, and the main character of this articleTacca chantieri all flowers are maroon brown. The listed species can reach up to 1 meter in height and up to 60 cm in width. "
Bat flower - pot cultivation and care
Cultivation site, insolation
Bat flowerwill best grow in an orangery or a warm greenhouse. But if we try, the cultivation of Tacca chantrieri will also be successful in the apartment. The plant must be provided in a bright position, but not in direct sunlight (bright, diffused light). In direct, too strong sunlight, the leaves may burn.
Watering
In addition to proper lighting, proper soil and air humidity is also of great importance. The substrate in the pot should be moist all the time, but not soggy (no water can remain on the base). You also need to maintain high air humidity. It is best to put the pot on a stand with small pebbles with water between them all the time. By evaporating, it will moisturize the air around the plant, and wet pebbles increase the evaporation surface. In addition, it is worth thatbat floweris regularly sprinkled.
Cultivation temperature
During the growing season, the bathing water can be grown at normal room temperature. In winter, we make sure that the temperature does not drop below 17 ° C.
Fertilization
Apply fertilizers very carefully, preferably slow-acting. You can also fertilize by leaves, but the fertilizer should be diluted twice as much as indicated in the instructions.
TransplantingRepotting every 2 to 3 years it is worth replanting. By the way, we remove the dead fragments of the rhizome.
As you can see, growingTacca chantrieriis not that complicated. However, we may have more difficulties obtaining the first seedling, because it is difficult to get overgrown plants of this species. Most often you need to start with sowing seeds.
Bat flower - reproduction, growing from seeds
A bat flowercan be grown from sowing seeds. However, you have to be patient. Germination may take 2 to 3 months, but it has been known that the seeds may only sprout after 6 months.A common mistake is to abandon the cultivation and throw the seeds out too early. Before sowing, the seeds should be soaked in lukewarm water for 24 hours, changing the water to fresh water every few hours. The soil where the seeds are to be sown should be loosened by adding sand or perlite to it. We place the seeds at a depth of half a centimeter. While waiting for the seeds to germinate, keep the substrate moist (it cannot dry out) and ensure the temperature is between 25 and 28 ° C.
ReproductionTacca chantrierican also be done by splitting rhizomes. This is good news for less patient lovers of unusual, rare plants, because plants sown from seeds have a chance to bloom only after 2 to 3 years of cultivation, and plants obtained from the rhizome should bloom after a year.
Finally, I will add one more that if we do not want to collect seeds for sowing, it is worth cutting the inflorescences before setting the seeds. Thanks to this, we will keep the plant in better condition, because setting the seeds weakens it a bit.
