Calathea is a herbaceous perennial from the Maranth family. It is distinguished by surprisingly beautiful leaves and unusual, similar to panicles with long legs, flowers. Calathea is a close relative of arrowroot and ctenant, but has significant differences. Her homeland is Central and Latin America. Usually the plant is found in the middle tier of tropical forests. In other latitudes, the flower is grown as indoor plant. His character is rather capricious, but exotic beauty deserves special attention.
Appearance
Calathea - perennial with a horizontal, creeping rhizome. Growth points with child outlets are formed on it. Large, long-leaved foliage forms a dense bush 50-150 cm high and 30-60 cm wide. Annually 5-6 new leaves are added to it.
The leaves are distinguished by a wide variety of shapes and colors. All of them are located on long petioles that grow from the ground. The leaf plate is oval (wider or elongated), as well as lanceolate. Thin sheet has a wavy edge. On its surface is an unusual pattern of spots, lines and dots. It is usually symmetrical about the midrib.
In spring or summer, inflorescences appear between the foliage. They are brighter or more inconspicuous. Each grows on a long bare peduncle with a round section. Small purple or lilac buds are hidden under longer and more beautiful bracts. They form a dense spike-shaped inflorescence. The color is dominated by white, yellow, purple and orange. Three-membered corollas have rounded, recurved or sharper, straight petals.
Signs and superstitions
The beautiful calathea is considered the flower of family well-being. She is a welcome guest in the house, as she absorbs negative energy and contributes to an increase in joy, fun, warmth. Quarrels and disagreements will quickly fade away, and a good mood will be in full swing. Guests will be more likely to come to such a house. The environment for everyone will be very comfortable. For households, an additional bonus will be that Calathea gives insecure people strength of character and determination.
Types of Calathea
In total, in the botanical classification, 286 species are assigned to the genus Calathea. Almost everything can be grown indoors, but the following are the most popular:
Calathea saffron (crocata). Plants live off the coast of the Amazon. The dark green leaves with a brown undersurface are oval in shape with wavy edges. In addition to foliage, beautiful bright orange inflorescences on long purple stems attract. For this type of flowering, the species is sometimes called the "eternal flame". Flowers bloom in January-February and remain up to 4 months.
An inhabitant of the northwest of Brazil grows 40 cm in height and grows oval dark green leaves with silver and purple spots. They create an exquisite ornament. The underside of the foliage is purple and can be seen in the evening when the leaves are turning.
She is lanceolate (lancifolia). This vegetation up to 70 cm high is found in tropical forests. It is distinguished by long lanceolate leaves with a swollen central vein and waves on the sides. The length of the leaf is 24-27 cm, and the width is 5 cm. There is a pile on the green petiole, and the surface is covered with dark green stripes and ovals.
A large dense bush consists of oval leaves with a soft, velvety surface. They have a dark green variegated color and a purple-red reverse side. Spike-shaped inflorescences of white or cream shade consist of rounded recurved bracts, similar to rose petals.
Calathea striped (zebrina). tropical beauty up to 60 cm high consists of large oval leaves on long, fleshy petioles. Length sheet plate reaches 40 cm, and a width of 16 cm. The bright green leaf surface is covered with stripes and darker spots that form a symmetrical pattern. The reverse side is reddish. On short pedicels, compact white and purple inflorescences bloom.
The plant forms a low, but sprawling bush with narrow, shiny leaves. From above, the foliage has an almost uniform bright green color, and on the back it is painted in a lilac-pink color. This species does not tolerate spraying.
Calathea decorated (ornata). The species lives in the Colombian tropics and is distinguished by its compact size. Its oval, pointed leaves grow 10-20 cm long and 5-7 cm wide. The petiole is 5-12 cm long. The yellow-green surface is covered with narrow pink stripes. Spike-shaped inflorescences with white or purple corollas grow 6-8 cm in length. They grow on peduncles up to 30 cm long. The Calathea sanderiana variety reaches 50 cm in height. It consists of wide oval leaves of dark green color with brown stains.
An ornamental plant up to 50 cm high is found in humid Brazilian forests. It is distinguished by large broad oval foliage with a shiny, variegated surface. On a light background, there are dark green stripes extending from the central vein.
The most unpretentious species with leathery lanceolate leaves covered with a silver-green pattern. Their length reaches 40 cm.
Calathea round-leaved (orbifolia). A plant up to 75 cm high grows broadly oval, almost rounded leaves with a shiny green surface covered with brown stripes perpendicular to the central vein.
A tall plant with oval leaves up to 40 cm long. They are distinguished by asymmetric variegated colors. Lemon-yellow spots are located on a dark green leaf.
Reproduction methods
Calatheas are propagated by cuttings, seeds and dividing the bush. Seed propagation is considered the most difficult and time-consuming. The freshest seeds should be used. They are sown in shallow containers filled with leafy soil and sand. A distance of 2-3 cm is necessary between the seeds. The seeds are pressed into the soil, sprayed and covered with a film. The greenhouse is kept at a temperature of + 21 ... + 25 ° C. After 2-4 weeks shoots appear. As they grow, fresh soil is added to a height of up to 1 cm. The grown seedlings open for several hours a day, and then completely remove the shelter. They dive into separate pots.
For cuttings, a leaf with a petiole and a section of an underground shoot is separated. It is planted in moist garden soil with sand. The cuttings are watered and covered with a film. Regular spraying is required. The air temperature should be +22…+24°C. They also provide soft, diffused lighting. A transplant into a new pot is carried out after a year.
A strong adult bush during spring transplantation can be divided into parts. Any damage to the roots requires a long recovery, therefore, maximum care is taken during manipulation. Part of the earthy coma is removed and the horizontal roots are broken into a small number of divisions. The use of a knife is not recommended. The fracture sites are sprinkled with crushed ash and new plants are planted in small-diameter pots with special soil. At first, flowers should be kept in high humidity and diffused light. The optimum temperature is +22…+25°C.
Home care
Calathea is a very capricious and demanding plant. Not every grower will be able to grow it at home. A flower develops much better in a greenhouse. However, with due attention, the chances of getting a beautiful green bush are quite high.
Lighting. Plants are shade-tolerant, but deep in dark room they will be uncomfortable. You should choose quite bright room without direct sunlight. With a lack of light, the motley pattern fades, and with an excess of it, the leaves can curl up.
Temperature. For normal growth, calathea requires a stable air temperature without sharp fluctuations and drafts. In April-October it should be within +21…+24°C. In the rest of the year - about + 16 ... + 20 ° C.
Humidity. The plant feels most comfortable at a humidity of 80-90%. You should regularly spray the crown and sometimes bathe under warm shower. Pallets with wet expanded clay or ordinary water are placed nearby. Spraying is carried out through small holes so that water does not collect in drops. Otherwise, dark spots form on the leaves and a fungus develops. However, these measures may not be enough. Help during the heating season special humidifiers air. If create comfortable conditions it will not work for calathea, it will begin to dry the leaves and drop them completely. However, it is not worth rushing to throw away the earth with roots. Often in the spring new sprouts appear and the bush is reborn.
Watering. Calathea needs frequent watering to keep the soil slightly moist. Water is used very soft, well purified. Rain will be the best option. The temperature of the liquid must be above room temperature. Its excess from the pallet is removed immediately so that there is no stagnation of moisture.
Fertilizer. In April-August, plants are fed with a solution of a mineral complex for decorative and deciduous crops. When caring for Calathea saffron during the period of budding and flowering, it is advisable to use fertilizers for flowering plants. If the soil is sufficiently fresh and nutritious, half the portion indicated in the instructions will suffice.
Transfer. The plant is transferred to larger pot every 1-2 years. The container must have drainage holes. A thick layer of shards, brick chips or expanded clay is poured onto the bottom. The soil for planting is made up of:
- river sand (1 part);
- leafy humus (2 parts);
- peat (2 parts);
- leaf ground (2 parts).
Possible difficulties
Calathea can suffer from fungal infections. They mainly develop at low temperatures or in a warm and humid room with stagnant water in the soil. Saving a plant is very difficult. An urgent transplant with fungicide treatment is needed.
To assess the correct care, just look at the plant. If the bush has grown a lot of whole, bright leaves and blooms regularly, so everything is in order. Serious mistakes are reflected in the beauty of Calathea:
- leaves wither and curl into a tube - lack of moisture in the air and watering;
- leaves turn yellow - exposure to drafts or low temperatures;
- brittle faded leaves - insufficient lighting;
- brown dry spots on the foliage - exposure to direct sunlight.
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Plant calathea (lat. Calathea) represents the most numerous genus of the Maranth family, numbering up to 130 species that naturally grow in Central and South America. The name of the genus comes from the ancient Greek word Kalathos, which means "basket": they really wove baskets from the leaves of Kalathos. But today, Calathea flowers have not at all a utilitarian value, but rather an aesthetic one, since the colorful and incredibly attractive beauty of the foliage of these plants fascinates not only amateurs, but also seasoned professionals. However, only experienced flower growers can care for a calathea flower, because it is incredibly capricious and requires a lot of attention.
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Planting and caring for calathea (in short)
- Bloom: most of species is grown as decorative leafy plants, Varshevich's calatheas and saffron bloom in January-February.
- Lighting: light penumbra.
- Temperature: normal for residential premises, but not lower than 16 ˚C.
- Watering: abundant during the growing season, moderate in winter.
- Air humidity: 90%: It is recommended to spray the leaves regularly with a fine mist sprayer or keep the calathea on a wet pebble tray.
- Top dressing: from April to August twice a month with complex fertilizers for decorative and deciduous plants.
- rest period: not pronounced, approximately from September to January.
- Transfer: young plants are transplanted annually, adults - once every 2-3 years.
- Reproduction: dividing the bush, cuttings and seeds.
- Pests: thrips, scale insects, spider mites.
- Diseases: Rhizoctonia, loss of decorative leaves due to improper care.
Read more about growing calathea below.
Calathea flower - growing features
The main feature of kalats is their unusual leaves, but there are other properties and distinctive features that you need to know about if you are going to care for homemade calathea. In most plant species, underground shoots form a surface root system, from which rosettes of large oval leaves grow up to 30-40 cm long, on long petioles. In height, a calathea flower can reach 70-90 cm. The flowering of calathea is unattractive, the only exceptions are saffron calathea and Varshevich's calathea, in which nondescript flowers are hidden behind bright bracts of cream, white, orange and pink hues. home flower Calathea is very demanding in care, but there are species that are more adapted to growing conditions in room conditions and less adapted. The first include Calathea Bachem, as well as decorated, Makoya, striped, Veycha (Vicha) and some others.
Calatheas have one feature common to all arrowroots: in the evenings, the leaves of the plant fold and rise up, like palms during prayer, and in the morning the leaves fall and open. For this, calathea, like arrowroot, is called the "prayer flower".
Calathea care at home
How to care for calathea
The indoor flower of calathea, like all tropical plants, is warm and light-loving, but, as they say, everything needs a measure: if the leaves of the calathea turn pale and lose their decorative effect from a lack of lighting, then the leaves turn brown from an excess of light, which also does not add to their attractiveness . Calathea care involves balancing all the needs of calathea and constantly maintaining this delicate balance, so the best place for calathea is light partial shade, where bright sunlight does not fall. The temperature regime needs to be smooth, without sudden changes, the lower limit is 16 ºC, and no drafts! As for soil moisture, the most important thing in this matter is water quality. Water for irrigation should be warm (2-3 degrees warmer than the air in the room) and soft, rainy or melted, but if this is not the case, dip two or three handfuls of peat wrapped in gauze in the evening into a bucket of ordinary tap water, and in the morning this moisten the soil of the plant with water. Watering in the spring and summer should be plentiful, but excess water that has leaked into the pan must be drained so that the roots do not rot. In winter, watering is slightly reduced. The main principle of watering is that the soil at Calathea is always slightly moist, but not wet. Calathea at home, like its wild-growing relatives, needs very high air humidity, which should ideally be 90%, but since this is difficult to achieve in an ordinary house, you will often have to spray from a fine sprayer or wipe calathea leaves with a damp sponge. But only if you are growing a variety with smooth, stiff leaves. Varieties with velvety leaves cannot be moistened by washing, so you will have to keep such specimens on a pallet with wet pebbles so that the bottom of the flowerpot does not touch the water. But best of all, indoor calathea feels in glass containers (aquariums, florariums), where high humidity is constantly maintained.
Calathea fertilizer
In this matter, the calathea indoor plant also requires a balance: there should be enough fertilizer, but in no case more than the plant needs. As top dressing, once every two weeks from April to August, complex fertilizers are used for decorative leafy plants, and calatheas saffron and Varshevich are fertilized with top dressing for decorative flowering plants.
Calathea transplant
Young calatheas require an annual transplant, adults - once every two to three years. Transplantation is carried out in the spring. The pot needs a small one and rather wide than deep. The soil for calathea should be slightly acidic, breathable and loose, as for other arrowroot or rhododendrons, and it is better to buy it in a specialized store. But if you want to compose soil mix for calathea on your own, then you need to mix one part of humus, peat, leafy soil and half a part of calcined river sand for this. How to transplant calathea? First, you need to place drainage material in a thick layer in the pot, then a layer of fresh soil, on which you need to carefully, trying not to destroy the earthen ball and not damage the roots, cross the calathea, and then add so much new soil on the sides so that it fills the entire space of the pot.
Reproduction of Calathea
Reproduction of calathea by dividing the bush
During spring transplant plants can be divided into parts of its rhizome so that each division has several leaves and formed roots. Delenki are planted in pots with a diameter of 7-9 cm in the soil for arrowroot and kept in partial shade, in a warm and humid place - best of all on a pallet with wet expanded clay next to heating radiator. Calathea takes root for a long time, but it all depends on how you take care of it.
Calathea cuttings
The above-ground cutting is very carefully separated from the mother plant, planted in moist soil and covered with a film or a transparent bottle, which is not removed until the cutting takes root. It should be noted that far from everyone succeeds in propagating calathea by cuttings.
Reproduction of calathea by seeds
This is the most hard way, since even high-quality calathea seeds may not germinate. Sow seeds in bowls with a mixture of leafy soil (two parts) and sand (one part) and grow at a temperature of 21-25 ºC. When a pair of leaves appears, the seedlings dive into boxes with the same soil mixture, and later, when they get stronger, they are planted in individual pots.
Pests and diseases of Calathea
Calathea pests
If you have not created the necessary level of air humidity for the calathea, it can become a victim of spider mites, thrips or scale insects. And in that, and in another, and in the third case, the leaves of the calathea turn yellow and fall off. How to save calathea from pest attacks? If you see a thin cobweb, a sticky coating or light dots on the leaves, take action: scale insects and thrips are destroyed by treating the leaves with soapy water. But if this measure does not help, you will have to apply insecticide treatment, as is the case with spider mite.
Calathea leaves dry
If only the tips of the leaves dry in Calathea, the reason is insufficient air humidity. It is necessary to increase the frequency of spraying the leaves and rearrange the plant on wet pebbles. If dry spots appear on the leaves, then these may be traces of sunburn caused by spraying the leaves with too large sprays, which, remaining on the leaves, turn into magnifying glasses under the sun's rays. Why is calathea still drying? Due to insufficient watering, drafts and thrips damage.
Calathea turns yellow
If they only turn yellow lower leaves calathea, then this is the natural course of things: old leaves die off, new ones appear. But sometimes the calathea turns yellow not only in the lower part, and there can be at least two reasons for this: firstly, improper watering, and secondly, an overdose of fertilizers. Insufficient watering, as well as excessive or too frequent watering, can provoke yellowing of the leaves. The earth ball between waterings should dry out two centimeters deep, otherwise, due to poor supply of oxygen to the roots, young roots will begin to rot, and the leaves will turn yellow. As for top dressing, even during the period of active growth, half the dose recommended by fertilizer manufacturers is enough for calatheas. Calathea leaves may turn yellow when it freezes.
Calathea curls leaves
At Calathea, the leaves dry and curl from too dry or cool air in the room or from drafts. As you can see, any malaise of the calathea is caused by a violation of the rules of maintenance, and in order not to ask later why the leaves of the calathea curl or why they turn yellow and dry, it is enough just to observe the agrotechnical conditions for this plant. Calathea is capricious, but there is nothing impossible in her requirements.
Names and types of calatheas
In culture, the following varieties of calathea are grown:
Calathea Bachema (Calathea bachemiana)
- one of the most unpretentious kalats comes from Brazil. She has no stems, and lanceolate leathery leaves, silver-green with a dark green pattern along the midrib, reach a length of 40 cm;
Calathea makoyana (Calathea makoyana)
also a Brazilian up to 50 cm high. Its leaves are broadly oval, up to 20 cm long, up to 10 cm wide, white, almost transparent upper side of the leaf is lined with dark green stripes, reddish spots and bright green veins;
Calathea painted (Calathea picturata)
leaves are oblong up to 20 cm in length, the central vein and a strip along the edge of a light shade, the middle is dark green;
Calathea leopard (Calathea leopardina)
- stemless plant 40-50 cm in height, oval lanceolate leaves 10-12 cm long, 3-4 cm wide, light green with dark green elliptical spots connected by a central vein;
Calathea decorated (Calathea ornata)
native to the rainforests of Colombia. This stunted plant is only up to 15 cm in height. The oval leaves are up to 20 cm long and 6 cm wide above, yellowish-green in color with silvery and pink lines, the underside of the leaf is purple. It has two varieties: Calathea ornata roseolineata and Calathea sanderiana;
Calathea saffron (Calathea crocata)
leaves are dark green on the upper side and almost brown below. If you have ever seen how this calathea blooms, you will want to see it again: beautiful bright yellow, almost orange inflorescences appear in January or February, but only if you manage to organize a ten-hour light day for the plant;
Calathea is an extensive genus of the Marantov family, which includes more than a hundred species, and some of them are successfully cultivated when cared for at home and can even be very similar, for example, as a ctenant.
The homeland of the flower is America. The leaves of this plant serve the inhabitants for weaving baskets, which led to the formation of such a name (“kalathos” from the Greek “basket”). To date, calathea is mainly grown as an ornamental plant, and not as a raw material.
General information
Unfortunately, caring for a calathea, especially for inexperienced flower growers, is very difficult. The rhizome of this plant is superficial. It produces rosettes of long, tall leaves. Beautiful flowers have only types of saffron and Varshevich, the rest of the varieties have an ugly bloom.
The leaves of calathea, like all arrowroots, in the evening rise towards each other, as if hands in prayer. Thanks to this feature, the plant received the nickname "prayer".
Types and varieties of calatheas
Calathea Varshevich (Calathea warscewiczii) - the plant has velvety leaves, green in color with a clarified space next to the veins. The flower of this species, which has a delicate cream color, is very beautiful.
Or medallion (Calathea Roseopicta) - a pretty flower with oval leaves, striped color (lines of dark and lighter green shades alternate)
Calathea lancifolia (Calathea lancifolia) - a species that has long, wavy leaves, the color of which has an ornament characteristic of kalats from alternating green spots of two shades.
Calathea orbifolia (Calathea orbifolia) - a species with large, fan-like leaves. They are slightly wavy, dark in color with light lines across the leaf.
Calathea silver (Calathea argyraea) - a flower with not very large leaves, of a delicate olive-silver color, strewn with white, small dots.
It looks like striped leaves. But the first one on the leaves has light lines, and the background is dark, while the striped one has the opposite.
Calathea saffron (Calathea crocata) — orange flower This plant is simply beautiful, but it is difficult to achieve its flowering.
Or zebra (Calathea zebrina) - a flower with long elliptical leaves. Top part The leaf has pronounced, alternating lines.
Calathea decorated (Calathea ornata) -low flower, growing only up to 14 cm. The length of the rounded leaves is about 20 cm. Decorated with white stripes. The underside of the leaf is purple. You may have heard the name Calathea sanderiana - this is a variant of this plant.
Calathea makoyana (Calathea makoyana) - grows up to 45 cm. quite unpretentious, compared with other species. The leaves are long, oval. The front side is light, decorated with green stripes and scarlet spots.
Red-bearded Calathea (Calathea rufibarba) has such a name, thanks to the fluff at the bottom of the leaves. Her leaves are of the same color, slightly wavy.
It has varieties blue grass " and " wavestar ". In the first, both the top and bottom of the leaf are green, and in the second, the bottom is a delicate purple color.
Calathea leopard (Calathea leopardina) - a stemless flower that grows to a height of almost half a meter.
Calathea home care
Calathea is a tropical plant and therefore loves light very much. From its excess, the plant will not die, but the leaves will turn brown, which looks very ugly. It is best to place the flower pot in partial shade so that there is a lot of light, but direct rays do not fall on the leaves.
The temperature is needed warm, drafts are contraindicated, a drop below 17 ºC is very harmful to the plant.
Watering and humidity
Watering the calathea should be started with attention. Water should be taken a little warmer than in the room (about a couple of degrees). But the most important thing is the quality of the water. It is advised to take rain water, but this often may not be, in which case a couple of handfuls of peat wrapped in a cloth are lowered into a container with plain water, and in the morning it will be possible to water the flower.
In spring and summer, you need to water more, but without excess. The water that ends up in the pan must be drained, otherwise the roots will rot.
Humidity is required very high. The required 90% is almost impossible to obtain, but this is solved by frequent spraying or wetting the sheets with a sponge. But remember that if you have a calathea with velvety leaves, then you can’t wash it.
You can also solve the problem of humidity by placing a flower in a florarium, here to maintain high humidity, there is always an opportunity.
How to fertilize calathea
When fertilizing calathea, one must be careful, because the slightest excess of fertilizer can lead to damage to the plant. Calathea needs to be fertilized every 15 days, starting in April and ending in August.
When fertilizing for her, it is best to take a complex for decorative leafy flowers, and for saffron and Varshevich - decorative flowering.
Transplant and soil for calathea at home
At home, if the calathea is young, transplantation should be done once a year; if an adult - every three years. This procedure is carried out in the spring.
The composition of the soil for calathea is better to use this: humus, peat and leafy earth - one share each, and fried river sand- half a share. But it is advisable to purchase soil for calathea in the store.
The size of the pot should be wide, but small. At the bottom of the pot you need to place a thick drainage, and soil on it. Carefully lower the calathea onto the substrate and fill the container with soil to the top.
Calathea reproduction by dividing the bush
In order to propagate the calathea by dividing the bush, it is necessary in the spring, when the transplant is performed, to divide the root into several parts that have a leaf and part of the root.
These delenki need to land in special soil for maranths. The diameter of the container must be selected at least 8 cm. Seedlings will develop well if you place it in partial shade and support high temperature and humidity. Roots are formed for a long time, but with proper care everything can work out.
Reproduction by cuttings
In order to use a stalk for propagation of Calathea, it is cut off from a flower and placed in a damp substrate for rooting.
The container must be covered with a transparent film, which should remain until the roots appear.
Calathea from seeds
It often happens that the calathea does not even germinate. You need to sow the seeds in a substrate of leafy soil (2 shares) and sand (share). The growing temperature should be at least 22 ºC, but not too high.
When the leaves grow, the plants dive into containers with the same substrate, and later transplanted into permanent pots.
Diseases and pests
First of all, Calathea suffers from various leaf diseases:
If calathea leaves dry , then pay attention to which part of them is affected.
- When the tips dry, as well as the edges of the leaves , then the humidity in the room with the plant is low.
- Dry spots on calathea leaves appear from direct rays on the plant. Drafts and thrips are also possible causes.
- In the process of dying, the lower leaves of the plant turn yellow . This is quite normal for Calathea, because new ones will grow after them.
- Leaves will also turn yellow and dry. if you overdo it with fertilizers. Another cause of yellowing is over-watering. And make sure that the flower is not in the cold - in this case, the leaves also turn yellow.
- The reason that calathea leaves curl , there may be drafts and cold air.
- The plant drops its leaves when freezing or flooding.
- Sticky spots on calathea leaves occur when the shield is damaged. The flower can be washed with soap, and when in large numbers pests need to use special preparations.
Among the floral variety, Calathea attracts attention with the original and varied color of the leaves. It is believed that the plant is able to absorb negative energy, bring happiness to the house, add comfort, with proper care at home. In order to check the reliability of a positive influence on others, you just need to try to grow it, and this is not so simple.
Calathea is a bright representative of the Marantov genus, has very beautiful oval or elongated leaves and pigment spots on the plate different colors(white, pink, purple, green), and each plant is different.
The plant is quite large, with good care, its height can reach 60-90 cm. The length of the basal leaves is 10-30 cm.
All calatheas have a common ability: leaves curl in the evening and lifting them up, which resembles palms folded in prayer. In the morning they unfold and descend. This feature gave calathea a second name - "prayer flower".
Refers to flowering plants, its small flowers are collected in spike-shaped inflorescences. The bracts adjacent to the flowers look more attractive.
The most beautifully flowering are considered:
- Calathea Varshevich
- Calathea saffron
- Calathea Roseolineata Dutty
Refers to perennial herbaceous plants, as they grow requiring seating. In indoor home conditions, life expectancy is from 2 to 5 years, depending on the variety.
Types and varieties of Galatea
Among the Marantov family, Galatea has the largest variety, which includes 300 species, including mixes.
Calathea Saffron or Crocat
Dark green glossy leaves adorn orange flowers. Height up to 0.6 m.
Has rounded silvery leaves with dark stripes. The reverse side is burgundy. Blooms small purple flowers. Unlike other varieties, it grows well under artificial lighting.
Zebrina roseolineata
A plant with glossy dark green foliage and double stripes radiating from the center of the leaf. On young stripes are pinkish with age turn white. Bottom part leaf zebrina dark pink. Height 0.6 m. Flowers light purple or cream.
On the dark green velvet of the leaves, light green stripes appear, diverging in both directions from the central vein. Height up to 0.8 m. Before flowering, it needs a garter of ejected flower shoots.
Medallion or Roseopycta
Oval-shaped leaves, 20 cm long, combine dark green and light green colors with a clear pattern. Basal petioles are brown.
On light green leaves there are dark green spots with an offset in height. Basal petioles are long. Height up to 0.5 m.
Calathea planting rules
Calathea refers to rosette plants, i.e. those in which missing stem, and the leaves are collected in rosettes. Over time, sockets increase in volume, grow the root system and need to be transplanted.
The plant transplant process itself is poorly tolerated, but it is necessary to do this every 2-3 years.
The root system of the calathea is superficial, so the pot for planting is not deep, but wide.
At least 1/3 of the pot should be drainage it could be clay. To avoid damage to the plant by root rot, a layer of activated charcoal tablets or a layer of charcoal can be placed on top of the drainage.
The soil for planting should be loose, so take ready ground for ornamental deciduous plants or make up the soil mixture on their own:
- leaf ground - 2 parts;
- peat - 1 part;
- sand - 1 part;
- pieces of sphagnum moss, perlite or vermiculite, crushed charcoal are added to the mixture.
Calathea is transplanted in March-April or not earlier than 2 weeks after purchase.
For better rooting and survival of the plant, it is advisable to pour a solution of Zircon (4 drops per 1 liter of water) or HB-101 growth stimulator (1 drop per 1 liter of water).
Features of plant care in indoor conditions
Calathea capricious care and it needs to be given increased attention when growing. She needs high humidity and optimal temperature.
Growing conditions and how to care:
- The temperature must be within 18-25 °С.
- The plant is contraindicated in drafts.
- Calatheas need bright diffused light, but it needs to be shaded from direct sunlight. The best place for growing is the western side, shading is required on the southern windows. When grown in the shade or bright sun, the plant loses decorativeness, the leaves fade, the pattern disappears, they become just green.
- Humidity should be at the level of 70-90%. This requires frequent spraying, but preferably not the plant itself, but the air around it. Or set pots on pallets with pebbles or expanded clay filled with water. Only water should not come into contact with the bottom of the pot. To maintain humidity overnight, a plastic bag can be put on a pot of calathea.
- Watering should be plentiful, soft water at room temperature as the soil in the pot dries. To avoid rotting of the roots, it is necessary to prevent stagnant water in flower pot. After watering, the water from the pan must be drained.
- You need to feed the flower 1 time per month winter, spring-autumn every 2 weeks. Fertilizers are desirable special for decorative leafy plants or complex-mineral. Calathea does not like excess nitrogen and calcium in the soil. Calathea saffron is fed with fertilizer for flowering ornamental plants.
- Calathea is propagated mainly by dividing the rhizome during transplantation, carefully trying to damage the roots as little as possible during reproduction.
A feature of the arrowroot family is that they have a dormant period after flowering, when they can shed their foliage.
Calathea needs to continue to be watered and maintain high humidity, and over time, the leaf mass will begin to grow again.
With improper care behind calathea during the growing process, you may encounter the following problems:
- leaves lose their tugor and curl, darkening and the appearance of dry spots on them - possible cause there may be drafts insufficient air humidity;
- thinning of the leaf plate, stretching of the leaves - lack of light;
- spots - yellow (sunburn), dark (excess moisture);
- curling, discoloration and drying - excess light;
- dropping leaves - dry air or excessive watering.
Brown spots on leaves
Pests and their control
Calathea can be affected by pests such as spider mites, scale insects, thrips.
- when white and then dark plaques appear on the plant, it speaks of scale damage. To combat the pest, the petioles are first cleaned of it with a sponge dipped in soapy water, and then sprayed with an insecticide (Aktellik, Fufanon, Fitoverm).
- when a flower is damaged spider mite leaves turn yellow, white or gray spots appear on them, they curl. The fight begins with the treatment of the plant with a soapy solution, then the flower is treated hot water under the shower with t 45°C. In severe cases resort to the use of insecticides;
- if available on Calathea thrips leaves droop, white spots form on them, and then wither and fall off. To get rid of the pest, the flower is treated with a pink solution of manganese or Decis (poisonous).
Any calathea is a small work of art, its painted leaves are so diverse. And no matter how capricious she was in leaving, her amazing beauty and originality are worth it to tinker with her.
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