She's still fussy: everything about caring for calathea at home

Tropical plants are able to revive and make any interior sparkle with new colors. Therefore, the calathea is so popular with lovers of indoor crops - at home it will need special care, but the showiness of the flower, whose large leaves are covered with mesmerizing patterns, is worth the work.

Varieties of calathea

The plant originates from warm and humid forests located in the central and southern part of the American continent. Its wild views can be admired in the lowlands, in places with swampy soil, near water bodies. The closest relatives of the flower are arrowroot, ktenant, galopegia, stromant. In the family of Marantovs, the genus Calathea is leading in terms of the number of representatives: they number up to 130. Initially, the decorativeness of the plant did not play a role, for a long time it was used by humans only for practical purposes. Wicker baskets were made from strong flower leaves. This is reflected in its name: in ancient Greek, the word "basket" sounds like this.

The leaves of the plant are oval. They can be smooth and shiny or matte and velvety to the touch. Fancy patterns cover the upper part of the leaf plate. The color combination here depends on the plant variety. On the underside, the leaves of all types of calata are reddish. They are located on a short trunk, and the distance between adjacent internodes is so small that the rosette seems to grow straight from the ground. The leaf petioles can be of different lengths.

For breeding at home, it is worth choosing unpretentious varieties of calathea.

• Bahema. Differs in the absence of stems and lanceolate leaves. Their length reaches 40 cm. The leaf plate is silvery-green; a darker pattern is clearly visible along the central vein.
• Medallion. The leaves are broadly oval, glossy, have an interesting tricolor color. An olive pattern runs along the central vein. The rest of the leaf plate is painted in a rich dark green color, which is shaded closer to the edge by a milky white wavy stripe. Below the leaves are dark pink.
• Redbeard. Also known as calathea rufibarba. The leaves of the plant are monochromatic, elongated, with a slightly wavy edge. Their underside and petioles are covered with red hairs. The color of the leaf plate determines the type of plant. Calathea Blue Grass has green on both sides, Wavestar has purple underneath.
• Painted. The shape of its leaves is elongated, oblong. Their length is average (up to 20 cm). Leaves are two-colored: the light middle part effectively contrasts with a wide rich green edge;
• Varshevich. It has velvety leaves. Above they are dark green, in the center of the leaf plate, a lighter pattern runs from above. It is purple underneath. Calathea Varshevich is appreciated for its graceful inflorescences. They can be painted in different delicate shades: cream, white, pink.
• Crocata (saffron). Another popular flowering variety of calathea. Above, its leaves are gray-green, and below - dark, almost brown. In winter (January-February), the plant will delight you with bright yellow-orange inflorescences of an unusual shape. But this will happen only with the correct organization of daylight hours - its duration should be at least 10 hours.

Other varieties of calathea are also decorative: zebra-like, leopard, decorated, silvery, wonderful, mix, orbifolia, lansifolia, Veich, Makoya, Litze, Lubbers.All its varieties are demanding and do not forgive mistakes in care. Therefore, for those who are just starting to breed indoor plants, it is better to choose less capricious crops for the experiment.

Lighting and temperature

Calathea loves light, but in direct sunlight, its leaves burn and turn brown. If the flower is not rearranged in time, they dry out and fly around. The lack of light also negatively affects the decorativeness of the plant: the beautiful patterns on its leaves fade, they themselves become smaller, and the development of the calathea slows down. At home, the flower will be most comfortable in light partial shade.

Ideal for accommodating a tropical guest are windows facing west or east. But with the right approach, calathea can also be grown on the south side. The pot is placed as far as possible from the window, and the desired flower length of the day is created artificially. Such care allows for a more harmonious development of the plant. If the calathea is on the windowsill, its leaves are drawn to the sun and the flower is twisted to one side.

Heat and cold are equally destructive for a plant. He needs a moderate temperature. In winter, the air in the room with the flower should be warmed up to at least 16 ° C. The temperature is kept at the same level, preventing sudden fluctuations and protecting the plant from drafts. If these conditions are violated, the leaves of the calathea begin to wither and soon rot.

How to care for a Tropicana?

The origin of the flower makes it demanding on air humidity. You can increase it in different ways:

• fill the pallet with wet sand (expanded clay, pebbles, moss), while the pot itself should not come into contact with the liquid;
• regularly spray the air around the flower, making sure that no drops of water fall on its leaves (in hot weather, this is done up to 2 times a day, in winter 1 spraying per week is enough);
• use special electrical appliances.

Calathea reacts favorably to rubbing its leaves with a damp soft cloth or sponge. But such care should be done infrequently and carefully. Only those plant species are exposed to it, the leaves of which are smooth and tough. If they are soft and velvety, washing is contraindicated for them.

This indoor flower loves stability, it reacts painfully even to minor changes in the microclimate. To grow it successfully and bring less hassle, the pot with it is placed in an empty aquarium, having previously covered its bottom with a small layer of sand. This calathea looks original, it is not threatened by drought and drafts, and the constancy of the microclimate ensures the rapid growth of the flower. The sand at the bottom of the aquarium is periodically sprayed.

The frequency of watering depends on the air temperature in the room: the higher it is, the more moisture is required for the calatheer. In summer, it is recommended to maintain an interval of 3 days between treatments. In the autumn-winter period, it is increased to 7 days. To understand whether it is time to start watering calathea, the condition of the soil in the pot will help. If it has dried out by 4 cm, it is time for another moisturizing.

Particular attention should be paid to the quality of the water used. It should be clean and soft (wet or thawed). Occasionally, you can water the plant with just settled tap water, but this should not be a habit. Better to cook it in the evening. Water is collected in a bucket and 2-3 handfuls of peat are dipped into it, wrapping it in gauze. Watering calatheas is carried out in the morning. A mandatory requirement for water is its temperature. It should be 2-3 ° C higher than room temperature.

Advice

The pallet must be timely freed from the water drained into it, otherwise the roots of the calathea will rot.

Top dressing and pruning

The key to flower health is proper feeding. If there are other flowering indoor plants in the home garden, there will be no hassle with the purchase of special fertilizers. Any complex composition intended for them is suitable for Calathea. Its non-flowering varieties are fed with preparations for decorative deciduous crops.

It is important to remember that an excess of nutrients will harm the flower more than a lack of them. Therefore, the fertilizer concentration is made 2 times less than that recommended by its manufacturer. During the period of active growth (April-August), such care is carried out every 2 weeks. In autumn and winter, flower feeding is required every 1.5 months. If you carefully observe the calathea, it will not be difficult to detect signs of an excess of nutrients. The leaves of the plant will change color, becoming brownish.

You don't have to trim the calathea. The lower leaves of the flower turn yellow over time and die off. So that the plant does not lose its decorative effect, they are removed. Do the same with severely damaged and dried leaves.

Soil and pot replacement

The peculiarity of Calathea is that its vital activity inevitably leads to deterioration of the soil. With long-term cultivation in the same pot, the flower withers, and no care will help save it from this. A transplant is a vital necessity for him. While the calathea is young, the procedure is carried out every spring. Adult specimens (from 4 years old) need replacing the substrate at home less often - once every 2-3 years.

The new pot should not be much larger than the previous one. The main thing is that it should be wider. Calathea prefers slightly acidic, loose soil through which the roots of the plant can breathe easily. It is better to purchase a substrate for a flower transplant in a store. A mixture is suitable for arrowroot, azaleas or rhododendrons.

At home, soil for calathea is prepared from the following components:

• humus;
• peat;
• leafy land.

All the components of the substrate are taken in equal volumes, after which a little (0.5 part) of pure sand is mixed into it.

Advice

The root system of the plant will develop better, and the risk of flooding it will decrease if you add sphagnum moss, crushed charcoal, pieces of pine bark to the soil. They will play the role of baking powder and fertilizers.

A flower transplant is carried out according to the following scheme. A drainage layer of expanded clay is laid at the bottom of the pot. Its height should be 5-7 cm. Then the expanded clay is covered with a layer of prepared substrate. Calathea is carefully removed from the old pot along with the soil clod and transferred into a new container. It is important not to damage the roots of the plant, otherwise it will hurt for a long time. Fresh substrate is poured into the voids, slightly crushing it.

Reproduction

Depending on the variety of calathea, you can grow it in one of the following ways:

• from seeds;
• from the cutting;
• dividing the mother bush.

Most often they practice vegetative propagation of a flower. It is convenient to divide the calathea bush during the spring transplant process. A sharp knife is used for this, and the cuts are processed with crushed coal. In order for parts of the bush to take root, each of them should have 2-3 leaves and several well-developed roots. Having landed them in small (7-9 cm in diameter) containers, they create the necessary conditions: partial shade, high humidity and heat (20-22 ° C). The best option is to fill the trays of pots with wet expanded clay and put young calatheas near the heater (battery, radiator).

Plants will take root for a long time. When they take root, they are transplanted into a larger pot. You will have to spend a lot of time caring for young calatheas. The following conditions are important for them:

• constant temperature (preferably within 22-24 ° C, but not less than 20 ° C);
• abundant watering;
• frequent spraying of air;
• good, but diffused lighting (ideally, weak partial shade);
• feeding (with an interval between procedures in 3 weeks).

When the delenki are one year old, they are transplanted again. In the future, they need the same care as an adult flower.

Calathea cuttings are rooted in moist soil and in a mini-greenhouse (under a film or plastic bottle). Shelter is removed only when they take root. Reproduction of a plant by cuttings does not give a guaranteed result - it is rarely possible to get a new flower in this way.

Calathea seeds can be purchased at the store, but their germination rate is low. They are planted in leafy soil mixed with sand (2: 1). They need warmth (21-25 ° C) to germinate. When the calathea seedlings release 2-3 leaves, they dive into a common box filled with the same substrate. Fortified plants are planted in separate pots. Caring for calathea at this stage of its development is carried out in the same way as for young delenki.

Difficulties with calathea: why do the leaves of a flower dry?

If the needs of the plant are not met, the result will not be long in coming. Calathea will tell about her trouble by changing her appearance. If the spectacular leaves of a flower change color (turn pale, turn yellow, turn brown), and even more dry and curl, urgent measures must be taken. The delay can kill the plant.

Possible problems with calathea and ways to solve them

When kept in dry air, pests often attack calathea:

• spider mite;
• scabbards;
• thrips.

Feeding on the plant cell sap, they cause yellowing and leaf fall. But symptoms of infection can be recognized earlier. An alarming sign is the presence of a thin cobweb on the leaves of the calathea, a sticky coating or the appearance of light dots. Having found such symptoms, the plant is treated at home with soapy water. You can also use a more serious remedy - special preparations with an insecticidal effect (Fitoverm, Aktellik).

The beauty of calathea fascinates and delights, but not everyone succeeds in growing this indoor flower. And the main mistake here is the lack of knowledge about the requirements of a tropical culture. There are no impossible or difficult ones among them. But their regular violation will inevitably ruin the spectacular flower, which is popularly called the prayer flower - by the evening its leaves rise up, folding like palms in an appeal to the Almighty.

In the symbolism of plants, calathea is strongly associated with the idea of ​​family happiness, tranquility, harmony and mutual understanding. It extinguishes the energy of aggression, helps with self-determination, gaining self-confidence and inner strength, finding something for the soul, setting goals and successfully achieving them. Feng Shui connects Calathea with the Sun and Mars. These planets charge it with warmth, which the flower transfers to its owners, protecting them from colds and hypothermia. The plant improves health by getting rid of blood clots and preventing their formation.He is also credited with the ability to attract wealth to the house and help in sales. Believe it or not these signs is an individual matter. But even inveterate skeptics get aesthetic pleasure from the presence of an elegant calathea in the house.