Calathea needs special care at home
Growing a Prayer Flower in captivity is not easy. Home care should meet all the needs of beautiful Tropican women. Of the 130 species of calathea, most are valued for the beauty of their leaves. Flowering varieties are decorative with bracts, but the flowers themselves are inconspicuous.
What you need to know about a flower
Calathea is a plant of the second tier of the tropical forest and belongs to the Marantovs. The leaves of the calathea are oval and elliptical in length up to 30 cm. They are velvety and glossy, the back part always has red shades in color. You can endlessly admire the complex pattern of the leaf plate.
The leaves grow on the stem, but it is short, the internodes are millimeters apart, it seems that the rosette is growing from the ground. The length of the leaf petioles varies. Surprisingly, the flower loves classical music and cannot stand the swing of tobacco - an esthete!
Improper home care for calathea will destroy the plant.
Agrotechnics calathea
In the care it is necessary to carry out procedures with knowledge of the nature of the "Prayer Flower". So, the flower is called prayer for the fact that it lifts the leaves higher and higher at sunset. In the morning, the plates are in a horizontal position.
The reaction to improper care will be a change in the color of the leaves, their drooping, the appearance of various spots, and drying of the edges. In another way, it is called the loss of decorativeness.
How to care for calathea at home
You need to choose a flower depending on the ability to create acceptable conditions for its maintenance. Each variety requires the use of special care operations that are appropriate for this particular plant. The most demanding are the flowering varieties of calathea. The most unpretentious flower is Kalathea Makoyan, shown in the photo. Home care is easier for him than for other types.
Sequentially, by operations, we will analyze how to care for a capricious plant.
Lighting
The total daylight hours for Calathea, regardless of location, is 15-16 hours. It can be a shaded area near the south window or supplementary lighting when placed on the north side. It is necessary to focus on the color of the leaves. With a lack of light, the leaves are pale, with an excess, they become smaller and curl up into a tube. If measures are not taken, then after turning pale, the leaves will dry out and fall off.
The photo shows how saffron calathea blooms with proper care at home, if the winter regulation of the lighting duration is observed. The flower is encouraged to bloom by creating an adjustable day length by covering it with an opaque material from 6 pm to 8 am.
When the rudiments of peduncles appear, the plant is introduced into the usual light regime.
Watering and microclimate
All varieties of calathea are watered only with soft, settled water with a temperature 2-3 degrees above room temperature. When watering, you need to focus on the condition of the plant. If the leaves begin to lose turgor, stop moistening, dry the soil 2-3 cm deep into the soil and wait for the results. If the leaves do not rise, caring for the calathea requires replacing the soil and removing rotten roots.
To soften the irrigation water, throw two handfuls of peat into a bucket of tap water, stir and leave overnight. The filtered water will contain less calcium and magnesium.
The frequency of watering calathea - as the clod of earth and the type of leaves dry up. In hot weather 3 times a week, in winter only once, checking the humidity of the coma.
Demanding on the microclimate, calathea does not like rough wetting of the leaves. Velvet leaves should not be sprayed with water, other varieties are misty. Drops leave unsightly stains after drying. Therefore, it is impossible to create 50-70% humidity in an apartment with central heating. At home, caring for calathea is associated with the use of special methods of air humidification.
If you pour pebbles and small cobblestones into a deep pan on which a pot of calathea is installed, and cover it with sphagnum moss on top, then the water in the pan will evaporate evenly. A special layer of air is created around the plant. But here it is impossible to allow the bottom of the pot to come into contact with water, the roots will rot.
Evaporation from a wide dish of hot water will be less radical. You can use the neighborhood with large flowers, like the shade of tropical trees. Once or twice in the daytime around the bush it is necessary to make a fine spray from a spray bottle. Glossy leaves are wiped with a damp cloth.
In caring for calathea, a balance is constantly observed between excess and deficiency, and one follows a sharp ridge.
Soil, transplant and temperature of maintenance
Regardless of the time of the year, the temperature regime should be 18-24 degrees, regardless of the season. At the same time, a sharp change in temperature and a draft can lead to the death of calathea.
The selection of soil is one of the requirements for how to properly care for calathea. Considering that the roots of the plant are superficial, grow in breadth, you need to select the appropriate pots. The deep bucket creates a larger drainage layer so that the soil below does not sour.
The substrate is bought ready for Calathea or Saintpaulia, but adding coarse sand. You can take the composition yourself:
- leaf humus - 6 parts;
- peat - 3 parts;
- sand - 1 part.
The composition of the soil should be slightly acidic, pH 6.
How to care for a calathea flower as it grows? A transplant will be required, by carefully dividing the rhizome when planting. Moreover, each section must have a flower bud.
Usually the bush is divided in two, cutting with a sharp knife and disinfecting the fresh cut. After the plant has been planted, it must be covered, a microclimate must be created near the leaves, but with ventilation. After new leaves begin to appear, remove the shelter. It is important that the temperature at this time is about 250 C, and the plant was in the shade.
Fertilizing and pruning calathea
When caring for calathea at home, only flowering ornamental plants are fed. For them, a composition of soluble fertilizers, in which there is a negligible nitrogen content and no trace of calcium Typically, such formulations are sold for the care of indoor flowers.
The peculiarity of kalata is that their roots secrete substances that change the composition of the soil and its acidity. The best feeding will be the timely renewal of the substrate. For young plants, transplantation is carried out annually. After four years, the adult plant is transplanted every two years.
To begin with, you can grow a beautiful calathea in a florarium, a tall vessel with transparent walls. So, it is easier to maintain a microclimate.
It is so good that you are! I shake, I shake over him, and he wastes away.
Now, with your hint, I will bring it to an excellent state. Thank.
Great site, detailed recommendations, with photos. Thanks a lot!!
Yesterday I bought this flower, the sellers said it was Calathea. Is it so?
This is DIZIGOTEKA.
They were wrong, probably, they were misled by the color. Indeed, calathea has varieties with a similar coloring, but its leaves are whole, but here they are feathery. This is one of the varieties of the dizigoteca from the Araliev family.Quite a capricious plant for indoor floriculture, but if you find an approach to it, it will delight you with a lush, compact and evergreen bush. The flower makes high demands on air humidity, therefore it will have to be sprayed regularly. Watering - as the upper earthen coma dries out, in winter - more rare. Use only room temperature water for irrigation. Neither pouring nor overdrying the soil is allowed. Complex preparations for decorative indoor plants are suitable for feeding (twice a month is enough). The flower does not like heat, in summer, comfortable values in the room should be no higher than 20 degrees Celsius, while in winter it needs even more coolness (16-18 degrees, but not lower). The bush should be transplanted annually into a larger pot, but note that all parts of the plant are poisonous, so you should work with gloves.
Thanks for the detailed story about this plant, I will try to adapt to it.
What kind of flower? somebody knows?
I think it is KROTON
The leaves are poorly visible, most likely, this is croton - a deciduous shrub from the Euphorbia family. A very spectacular plant with a variety of shapes and colors, quite unpretentious. Loves light, warmth, abundant watering and high humidity, lends itself well to formation. Learn more about caring for a flower here https://myvilla.cosmetius.com/en/ukhod-za-krotonom-doma/.
I bought a flower, they said calathea ... but in the photo of the plant I did not find such leaves. Tell me, is this calathea ... or something else ... or she got sick that the color is this
You are not fooled, this is indeed Calathea, one of the new varieties called Network or Mosaic Calathea. It differs in a more docile character, namely: it is able to winter in cool conditions and can spend several hours under the sun, preferring the eastern window the rest of the time.
my calathea had very long stems. the leaves are fine. but the stems hung from the weight. how can i update it? now is the time for autumn, August. it is in my water, the roots are good and the leaves too. if you wait for February for planting, is it worth cutting off the stems with leaves? And planting roots in February, can long stems be better cut?
Judging by the leaves, you are growing Calathea Bachem. Long leaves are characteristic of this species (they can reach up to 20 cm). If the false stems stretch even more, this indicates a lack of light. Move the flower to a more illuminated place, but so that direct rays do not hit the leaves. You write that Calathea is in the water. What does it mean? Typically, the plant is planted in a loose soil mixture, such as a substrate for azaleas or rhododendrons. The pot should be wide, but not deep. You can transplant in the summer, but you do not need to cut anything, otherwise the bush may completely disappear. The maximum is dry leaves, if any. With sufficient lighting, the bush will recover over time.
about smoking, we stood in the smoking room - it blooms and smells - - advice for watering in the pet store the composition of water preparation for the aquarium is sold for 100 rubles a bottle is enough for the whole year
Calathea's stalks break. What is the reason for this?
She lacks light, there are such thin petioles. And I would also plant at least one bush, just in spring, so that the flower was more spacious. And it does not interfere with feeding.
Stands under a lamp and feed him once a month. I'll try to plant it.
my calathea is completely withered. leaves curl into a thin gradually drying tube. Calathea itself did not dry out. what to do??
Yes, the plant needs to be reanimated urgently. First, take it out of the flowerpot, carefully check the root system, cut off all damaged roots and branches. Next, treat the rest of the plant with an insecticide and fungicide. Unfortunately, one cannot do without chemicals, the problem is painfully neglected. Treatment will help with pests and diseases. Transplant into prepared fresh soil. if you use an old pot, disinfection is needed. 2-3 days after transplanting, spill the plant with an iodine solution (3 drops per 1 liter of water). Spray the remaining leaves with a solution of hydrogen peroxide (3 drops per 1 liter of water). Create a comfortable environment.
bought a flower, I really liked it, but the young small leaves turn yellow, cut them off, it's a pity, but what to do, spoil the whole view. What's the problem, have you already cut off three leaves?
If you bought it recently, maybe the flower has not acclimatized. In general, calathea is a rather whimsical plant. Have you transplanted? In any case, a transplant will not hurt, at the same time check the roots, maybe they have rotted. Then you will need fungicide treatment. Then provide good lighting, do not fill, 10 days after transplantation, you can feed with a mineral complex.
This flower is my favorite. Closer to the night, its leaves rise up and so actively that you can hear their rustling against each other. More alive than all living things, such an impression. It is graceful, the leaves are on thin long stems and very beautiful leaves. You can endlessly look at the complex colorful pattern of the leaves. Difficult to leave. All of a sudden it starts to wither away. But this flower is really indoor, I mean that it loves shade, which means it can be placed throughout the apartment. and not just on the windowsill. I have it "under my nose" near the laptop, and I constantly raise my eyes and admire it.