Calathea home care photos of species and names

Diseases and pests

All diseases of the Trapicans are associated with improper care. Leaves dry or turn yellow due to insufficient watering, with the exception of the lower ones, which periodically die off. They need to be cut off in time.

A marginal foliage burn is associated with a lack of nutrition, especially potassium and phosphorus. If the pH of the soil is disturbed, all micro and macro elements will be poorly absorbed. This happens if the soil contains a lot of calcium, magnesium from tap water. It is better to use boiled, cooled water for watering and spraying so that no spots remain on the pattern.

Another common problem is the curling of calathea leaves. This is due to the low humidity - the flower tries to retain water and closes up from the heat.

In the middle lane, parasites live that suck juices from leaves and stems - spider mites, aphids, scale insects, thrips. Some are difficult to spot due to their small size.

If the plant looks drooping, does not grow, you should examine it closer - the presence of sticky plaque, cobwebs, clutches of eggs on the back of the leaf plates indicates infection. Parasites can enter indoor plants from the street.

To cure calathea, it is isolated from other plants, washed with a solution of laundry soap, and transplanted into new soil.

In the case of a spider mite, special preparations are needed that kill adults, larvae and eggs.

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Features of caring for calathea at home

Calathea is considered to be a capricious and demanding indoor flower. In fact, whims have nothing to do with it. It was created by nature to survive in certain conditions, namely the humid semi-darkness of tropical forests. Therefore, before caring for the calathea, you should be able to create for her the temperature, humidity and illumination to which she is accustomed.

Lighting and location

Although the houseplant calathea is light-loving, it loves diffused light or partial shade and cannot stand the bright sun at all. Therefore, the flower pot is best placed on an east or west window with moderate, diffused lighting. However, keeping it on the windowsill is not at all necessary; you can also place it at a distance from it, placing it on the floor.

Calathea herself will let you know how correctly you have chosen a place for her. With a lack of light, its leaves will fade and lose patterns, if there is too much light, they will begin to dry and curl up into tubes. It is worth noting that this tropicana tolerates the lack of sunlight much easier than its excess and it will be much easier to decide how to reanimate the calathea in this case.

Another important condition is the absence of drafts. She categorically does not tolerate them.

How often and with what water to water

The soil in which the calathea grows should always be moist, but not swampy, it should not be allowed to dry out, but it also needs to be watered often, but not too abundantly. From spring to autumn during the growing season, watering is carried out approximately every 3-4 days (if the flower is cultivated on zeolite every 6-7 days).In winter, when the calathea enters a dormant period, watering is reduced, carrying them out only as needed, making sure that the soil in the pot does not dry out.

Water for irrigation must necessarily be settled (ideally thawed or rainy) at room temperature or (even better) warmed up 2-3 degrees higher than the temperature in the room. Despite the fact that arrowroots are very fond of moisture, excessive abundant watering can destroy them. Therefore, in how to care for a calathea flower, be guided by its appearance, and not only by recommendations.

Humidity

In the tropical forests in the homeland of most members of the Maranth family, the air humidity is approximately 90%. This is precisely the main difficulty of caring for calathea at home. In no case should a tropical guest be placed next to heating devices. In this case, the leaves of the calathea turn yellow and dry, and if it is not rearranged, it will die. It is best to place the flower pot in a glass florarium. The air humidity there is consistently high, but this solution is not suitable for everyone.

Therefore, in order to recreate at least a semblance of such an atmosphere, it is necessary to spray calathea from a spray bottle every day from spring to autumn, whenever possible. Care must be taken that large drops do not linger on the leaves, they can damage them, causing the appearance of brown spots. Many people doubt whether it is possible to spray a flower in winter. It is possible and necessary, but not as often as in the summer. Water for spraying is the same as for irrigation: standing, room temperature or slightly above the temperature. In addition, the sheet plates can be wiped with a damp sponge; Calathea loves this procedure very much. But only if their surface is glossy. In no case should you wipe rough velvety leaves. It is also useful to put the pot on a pallet with wet sphagnum or expanded clay.

Room air temperature

Heat-loving calathea prefers moderate temperatures in the range of + 18-24 ° C. Heat and cold are contraindicated for her equally. In winter, depending on the type of arrowroot, the air in the room should not fall below + 16-19 ° C, in summer the indicators should not exceed the border of +25 ° C.

Drafts and temperature changes are also detrimental to all types of calathea. Therefore, unlike most indoor plants in the summer, it cannot be taken out onto the street or balcony.

Top dressing

In spring and summer, feeding is carried out once every 2-3 weeks with a complex liquid fertilizer for decorative deciduous plants, reducing their concentration by half of that indicated by the manufacturer. In winter and autumn, feeding is reduced to 1 time in 5-6 weeks. For flowering species (Calathea Saffronnaya, Makoya and Varshevich), fertilizers for flowering plants are better suited.

It is impossible to overfeed calathea, especially with nitrogen and calcium-containing fertilizers. With an excess of these substances, it turns pale and loses patterns. If the flower is damaged by pests, it is also recommended to suspend feeding. But if the calathea leaves turn yellow, curl and dry gradually, most likely, it lacks nutrients and needs to be fed regularly.

Calathea: signs and superstitions

There are plants that seem to be chained to themselves. This property rightfully belongs to kalatea. Looking at its leaves, sometimes it seems that these are paintings painted by abstract artists, in some species the drawing has a strictly geometric shape, which is so rare in the world of plants. In variegated tropicana, there is a property inherent only in their leaves to move. That is, fold up at night and open in the morning. These movements are easy to observe and even hear how the leaves, clinging to each other, rustle.

The birthplace of Calathea is the tropics of Africa, Central and South America. There it is still of economic importance - baskets are woven from leaves. But the main thing in a flower is not this, but the fact that this flower is considered in astrology as a flower of people born under the sign of Aquarius.Any plants of Aquarius stimulate people to search for new, unconventional solutions in all areas of life.

Whoever you are, whatever you do, the plants of this sign will help you look at the old with new eyes. And if you are tired of acting out of habit, if you want to surprise people with an unusual, not like everyone else's, vision of problems, plant one or more Aquarius plants in your home or at work.

Aquarius-innovator took under his patronage plants similar to himself - the same original, unusual, rare, called "white crows" among plants. It is these plants that are best for people born under the sign of Aquarius to have at home, because they will first of all help Aquarius maintain emotional and physical health, improve the energy of the atmosphere in their home.

Astrology believes that a flower helps a person to move away from their usual affairs for a while in order to figure out what he really loves, in which he can most fully realize his abilities. This property is useful for dull people who think that they are living in vain, who have lost all hope for a happy, interesting life.

Calathea Pinkish-colored, Lubbersa, Striped, Decorated, Makoya - all these types of flowers give a good mood, a surge of energy, an active attitude towards life. They are useful for people who are indecisive, overly dreamy, and so who want to increase their influence on others.

Thanks to kalatea, a person becomes easier to communicate, it is easier to make acquaintances, quickly finds a common language with people, and the very fact of communication for a person becomes more pleasant. The process of human learning is accelerated, with it learning becomes more exciting. As for commercial activities, the spotted plant helps a person find ways to make quick profits.

And if you know people who are silent, who are tired of conversations, communication for whom is a heavy duty that has nothing to do with getting pleasure, people who are hard at science, or those who, doing business, constantly cry that work is boring and there is no money, give them a beautiful calathea.

Watch an interesting video that tells about the signs and superstitions of this beautiful Tropican woman.

That's all for me. Treat yourself and your loved ones with these beautiful flowers. Well, I say goodbye to you, until we meet again.

How to care for calathea at home

This flower is not at all for those new to flower cultivation. Calathea always requires remarkable attention. In the wild, this amazing flower grows on the banks of rivers and lakes, therefore it loves abundant watering and high levels of humidity.

When and how to water?

Watering calathea should be done in moderation, while remembering that the plant does not tolerate cold water and after a very short time reacts to it with a painful look, and if watering with cold water is carried out constantly, then the flower dies. The optimum watering temperature is room temperature. The quality of the water also matters - the increased acidity will immediately affect the plant, so the water can be defended, boiled or softened in other ways.

The second important factor in watering is the amount of water. If the top layer in the pot is dry, it's time to give your pet a drink. A common option is to put a tray with water under the pot with the plant, because water cannot stagnate in the pot itself - the roots of the plant immediately begin to rot.

Watering quantity:

In the summer, 2-3 times a week,
In winter - once every 7-9 days.

It is important to remember: the soil must dry out between waterings! The goal of the grower is to give the calathea a drink, and not flood it with water.

What kind of lighting does Calathea prefer?

The flower is from shade-tolerant plants, but the main thing here is not to overdo it: on the contrary, from a chronic lack of light, the attractive color of the leaves is lost, they become small and their growth slows down significantly.But direct rays of sunlight are not beneficial either: the leaves are burned and become faded, and also curl. Therefore, the best option is partial shade.

Temperature for the normal existence of kalatei

You will have to tinker with the temperature: calathea is a heat-loving plant, however, the temperature range for its normal growth and development is 15-25 degrees. In winter, the temperature should also not be lower than the lower norm of the specified range, but temperature drops should be avoided - a sharp change in air from warmer to colder and vice versa leads to the death of calathea: the leaves begin to wither, rot. Cold drafts are also dangerous for this plant, therefore, when choosing the location of the flower, this factor must also be taken into account and not placed next to an opening door or window.

Plant growing humidity

Calathea, as a tropical plant, simply adores high humidity in the air - it should be almost 90 percent. But this is ideally, in fact, this figure can be reduced to 55-60 percent, because it is difficult to achieve such humidity in apartments. As an option, some amateur flower growers grow calathea in aquariums, terrariums and florariums.

When growing calathea on a windowsill, it is sprayed or, as an option, you can wipe it with a damp sponge

Important: when spraying directly, you need to try to humidify the air around the plant, and spray it as little as possible, since water drops lead to the appearance of dark spots on the leaves. Spraying temperature should be at least 26-28 degrees

Both summer and winter spraying is carried out in the same way: 3-4 times a week.

Fertilizing calathea, the choice of fertilizer

During the growing season, every 12-17 days, the flower is fertilized using liquid fertilizer for deciduous ornamental plants, which is diluted 1: 1 with water. Calathea is very sensitive to trace elements such as nitrogen and calcium.

The type of calathea - saffron - is fertilized using a special fertilizer for flowering plants. You should not get carried away with overfeeding the flower in question, since it is very sensitive to an overdose of all types of trace elements.

Watering and humidity

Watering calathea should be started with attention. Water needs to 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 rainwater, but this often may not be the case, in this case, a couple of handfuls of peat, wrapped in a cloth, are dipped into a container with plain water, and in the morning it will be possible to water the flower.

In the 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.

The air humidity is required to be very high. It is almost impossible to obtain the required 90%, but this is solved by frequent spraying or moistening the sheets with a sponge. But remember that if you have a calathea with velvety leaves, then you cannot 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.

Calathea - types of flower with names and photos

The birthplace of Calathea is the tropics of South America and Africa. In nature, there are about 130 species of flowers. Calathea is a perennial herb with a height of 20 cm to 1.5 meters. Its main decoration is variegated with a clear pattern of light and dark green or almost black large leaves, 20-30 cm long, oval or elliptical.

The leaves are always turned towards the sun. The flowers of the plant are collected in spike-shaped inflorescences of various colors - white, yellow, purple. The flowering time is from April to July, after which a small fruit capsule appears. But the plant is valued primarily not for flowers, but for beautiful foliage, although there are magnificent flowering specimens.

As I already wrote, Calathea belongs to the arrowroot family and is very often confused with its "sister" - arrowroot.In fact, they have a rather large difference in sheet colors. But in decorative floriculture, it is Calathea that is most often grown, and in particular the following types:

Calathea Makoya is a dense bush of paper-thin, light-colored leaves with dark stripes. On the upper side of the leaf, against a light background, there is a beautiful dark green pattern.

On the underside of the leaf is a burgundy pattern. Leaves are elongated, oval, set on long, straight petioles. Plant height 30-50 cm. This is one of the most common and spectacular types of flower.

Calathea Wonderful or Lancet-leaved - one of the most unpretentious that is grown indoors.

The flower grows up to 50 cm tall. The leaf can be up to 45 cm long, on its outer side there is a symmetrical pattern of dark green ovals on a light green background, and the lower surface of the leaf, like many others, is purple.

Calathea Medallion or in another way Roseopicta is a very interesting species. Wide oval green leaves are covered with clear pink lines radiating from the pink midrib.

This drawing brightens over time. The reverse side of the leaf is dark pink. The plant is compact and does not take up much space.

Calathea Striped or Zebra-like. The pattern on the leaves resembles a Medallion, but the striped leaves are velvety, elongated, juicy green, and the pattern is clear dark green stripes diverging from the central light vein. The underside of the leaf is purple.

Calathea Mix - if Striped has dark stripes on a light green background, then Mix has light stripes on elongated leaves on a dark green background. vice versa.

It is interesting!

Calathea Rufibarba or Redbeard - it is called the redbeard, since the lower part of the leaves and petioles are covered with a light fluff.

The leaves of the flower are oblong, slightly wavy at the edges, of various shades from light green to dark green, without a pattern.

Calathea Lubbersa - the flower is distinguished by the unusual color of the leaves.

If most arrowroot leaves have a symmetrical pattern, then Lubbers leaves are painted with asymmetrical spots of yellow and green, and the underside of the leaf is green.

Calathea Orbifolia - differs in round, wide leaves with clear symmetrical stripes of approximately the same width of dark green and light green color.

Calathea Leopardovaya is a plant up to 40 cm high. A distinctive feature is short and narrow leaves without petioles.

On top of the light green leaves, there are dark green oval spots, diverging from the central vein, the lower part of the leaves is lilac-pink.

Calathea Lancifolia - this flower is higher than the previous one, its height reaches 80 cm. The leaves of Lancifolia are wavy, oblong, somewhat reminiscent of malachite.

A dark green border along the edge of the sheet emphasizes its beauty. Below the leaves are a beautiful crimson shade.

Calathea Tasmania or Crocata is one of the varieties with small terry leaves that look like velvet. Tasmania has beautiful orange flowers.

Calathea Queen of Maui is a very beautiful flower with pale and dark green colors mixed in the color of the leaves. And along the central vein, another flower is drawn, as it were.

Calathea Varshevich is a very beautiful flower, not only with beautiful leaves, but also flowers. She has oval, velvety dark green leaves, the underside of the leaf is painted in burgundy tones, and there is a light green pattern on the upper side of the leaf.

White, cream, pink flowers are collected in an inflorescence in the form of an ear, which is located on a low peduncle.

Calathea Bahema is probably the most undemanding species, with dense pointed leaves reaching up to 40 cm in length. The flower is shaped like an ear of wheat.

This is only a small part of the variety that exists, but we can say that it is the most widespread.

Conditions of detention

Calathea is considered a capricious flower, because for each item of content, its own criteria are defined for it.Failure to do any will lead to the loss of decorativeness or death of the plant.

Lighting

The inhabitant of the tropical zone, growing in familiar conditions under the closing crowns of the first tier, "transferred" his habits to artificial conditions. Kalatee is contraindicated in direct sunlight. Burn marks remain on its delicate leaves from ultraviolet radiation. At the same time, the lighting should be in both winter and summer 16-18 hours a day. In the summer, after 18 hours, the calathea should be protected from the sun, in the winter it must be illuminated with a lamp. It is necessary to place the pot with calathea on the east, west, south-east, south-west sides of the windows.

Temperature regime

Drafts, temperature drops, air cooling below 20 degrees in winter, heating above 27 degrees in summer are fatal for calathea. She turns yellow, sheds leaves and dies.

Air humidity

The required moisture level for certain species of calathea reaches 90% during flowering. The minimum humidity allowed when growing indoor tropical plants is 70%. It is especially difficult to maintain the humidification mode when the heating is on during the cold season.

In the first case, the pot is placed in a container, for example, in an aquarium, at the bottom of which a layer of pebbles and moistened moss is poured. The drainage layer in the pot must not come into contact with water. On hot days, you can spray water next to the calathea pot. Glossy leaves are wiped with a damp cloth or irrigated. Calatheas with velvety leaves are not sprayed or wiped. To increase humidity in winter and summer, humidifiers are used for such flowers.

Watering mode

Calathea is moisture-loving, but dies when the soil is waterlogged. Watering is regulated by the state of the top layer of soil in the pot. It should dry 2-3 centimeters deep, only then it is permissible to add water. Excessive moisture will lead to root rot and death of the flower. The quality and temperature of water for irrigation negatively affects the plant. It should be kept for 24 hours, heated 2-3 degrees above room temperature.

Top dressing

Top dressing is carried out with flower fertilizers at half the specified rate. In the spring-summer period - 2 times a month. In autumn and winter - once every 45 days.

Features of care during flowering

Calathea blooms for 3 weeks in the spring and summer, a separate species in January. At this time, peduncles appear with small buds of orange, white, bluish hue.

During this period, the plant requires a double rate of feeding, attention to light, soil and air moisture. Flowering ends with the formation of seed balls, the maturation of which lasts about a month.

In some species of calathea, flowers are hardly noticeable, they do not play any decorative role. In this case, you can remove the peduncles to reduce the stress on the plant.

Priming

In tropical forests, the soil layer is formed from the deciduous humus of evergreen plants. These are neutral or slightly acidic soils. For a comfortable growth, kalatea needs land that is similar in characteristics to natural ones.

You should purchase soil for planting a flower in flower shops. It is cleared of weeds, root pests. When self-preparing the land, the following requirements should be taken into account:

there should be no clay impurities in the sand;
leafy humus is taken under old trees;
peat should be dry, crumbly.

The sand is calcined in an oven at a temperature of 120 degrees for 10 minutes. There should be no grass roots in a coma of earth. The soil is sifted through a coarse sieve and warmed up at a temperature of 50 degrees for 20 minutes. The ratio between the soil components: 1: 1: 1. A balance is used for accuracy. Comparison by volume will be incorrect, since sand is heavier than peat and humus; humus is heavier than dry peat. Violation of the proportion will affect the survival rate and growth of calathea.

Reproduction, planting and transplanting Lancifolia

Most often, the division method is used for plant propagation.Its essence lies in the fact that when transplanting the plants, the rhizomes are slowly, carefully separated. It is advisable to carry out the procedure at an air temperature of about 22 degrees Celsius.

A less efficient breeding method is seed germination. In order to grow Calathea lancifolia, it is necessary to prepare a substrate of sand and leafy soil. In the future, sprouts should form, which need to be planted in separate containers and looked after.

Cuttings

The next way is grafting. The bottom line is the separation of the above-ground stem and transplanting it into a separate container with moistened soil. You can stretch cling film or a plastic bag - this will create a greenhouse effect, which will have a beneficial effect on the growth and development of the cuttings

It is important to note that when separating the cuttings, it is necessary to pay attention to the presence of the apical parts of the shoots on it. This is necessary for the further development of the sprout.

For planting sprouts, a substrate is required containing the following components:

leaf humus;
peat briquettes;
sand;
Earth.

Ready-made soil can be purchased in specialized stores, soil for azaleas is also suitable. The sprouts must be carefully planted in the finished substrate in a container, at a temperature within 24 degrees. You can transplant such a plant in a year. Up to 3 years of development should be transplanted every year, after 3 years - once every two years in the spring.

Soil for calathea

As drainage, rubble or sand with foam is placed at the bottom of the pot. All soil from the previous container must be removed from the root system, carefully placed in a container and covered with ready-made soil (soil for azaleas or rhododendrons is suitable).

It will also be interesting: Kalateya Varshevich - caring for a plant at home?

Types of calathea with photos and names

The following types of calathea are most popular in floriculture:

Calathea bachemiana

Brazilian species, considered the most unpretentious of all presented. It is a stemless bush, consisting of long (up to 40 cm) lanceolate leaves. They are silvery green in color. Each leaf is decorated with more intense stripes located on opposite sides of the central vein.

Calathea makoyana

Another Brazilian variety that forms half-meter bushes. It has foliage up to 20 cm long and 10 cm wide. The petioles can be up to 14 cm in size. On the front side, each plate is colored light green and covered with dark patterns and pale reddish specks. Leaf veins also have a dark green color. From the inside, the foliage has the same patterns, but is painted in burgundy tones.

Calathea picturata

It has foliage about 20 cm long. In this species, it has light green foliage with a darker contrasting border. From the inside out, the leaf blades have a rich beetroot hue.

Calathea leopardina

Another stemless bush. Reaches about 50 cm in height. The leaf blades can be up to 12 cm long and 3.5 cm wide. On the bright green background of the leaf, there are darker green elliptical specks extending from the central vein.

Decorated calathea (Calathea ornata)

Colombian species that lives in tropical rainforests. A miniature plant that grows only 15 cm in height. Foliage, diverging to the sides, reaches 20 cm in length. Its width is about 5 cm. On the front side, the dark green foliage is decorated with pink or silver stripes, and the back side has a purple hue. This calathea has several subspecies, differing in the pattern on the leaves.

Calathea crocata

The species belongs to the number of decorative flowering. It has foliage that is dark green on the outside and cherry brown on the seamy side. With sufficient lighting (at least 10 hours) at the beginning of winter, the bush may begin to bloom.During this period, inflorescences are formed on it from nondescript flowers hidden behind large noticeable bracts. They have a bright yellow or orange hue and are on long peduncles, resembling real flowers. To achieve flowering of this species, you need a short daylight hours (no more than 10 hours), therefore, most often such flowers appear from autumn to early spring.

Calathea warscewiczii

The foliage of this species has an elegant velvety texture. In this species, the leaf blades are colored in a deep shade of green with lighter veins and have slightly wavy edges. The underside of the leaf is purple in color. The species also belongs to the flowering species. Its inflorescences are pink, creamy or snow-white in color and are located on low, reddish peduncles. Flowering lasts about 3 weeks.

Calathea striped or zebra-like (Calathea zebrina)

The species comes from the Brazilian tropics. It has elliptical foliage up to 40 cm long and up to 15 cm wide. On the inside, the leaf plates are reddish, and on the outside they are deep green, with bright green stripes along some veins.

Calathea veitchiana

It forms tall bushes up to 90 cm in size. It has glossy oval foliage up to 30 cm long and 10 cm wide. The outer surface of the plates is colored dark green and covered with yellow-green stains, the underside has a purple hue and is complemented by yellow stripes.

Calathea rufibarba

The name of the species is associated with the reddish pubescence of the petioles and the underside of its leaves. It has long leaf blades with a slightly wavy edge. They are painted in shades of green on the outside and brown on the back. Among the varieties of such a calathea, "Blue Grass" - a variety with completely green foliage, and "Wavestar" - with a purple underside.

Other types of calathea grown at home also include:

Calathea is wonderful or lanceolate (with a dark pattern on light long leaves);
Queen of Maui (with a light pattern along the central vein);
Litze (with wide light stripes on the leaves);
Lubbers (with bright light green spots);
medallion or roseopicta (with variegated green-pink foliage);
orbifolia (with wide striped foliage).

Calathea Lancifolia: home care

In general, home care for calatheas, including Lancifolia's calathea, is the same for all representatives of the genus. At the same time, Calathea Wonderful is considered one of the most unpretentious and persistent. Her leaves begin to turn yellow and fall off when most of her sisters are already beginning to die. At the same time, you need to understand that, despite the relatively docile nature of the Lancifolia calathea, caring for it must be correct. She is able to withstand not quite suitable conditions only for a short time, but not fully adapt to them.

After the purchase

Immediately after purchase, wipe the calathea leaves with a soft, damp sponge, thus cleaning them from dirt and dust. Then treat the plant with a growth stimulant such as Epin. From the shipping pot, it must be transplanted into a permanent container of a larger diameter, but not immediately, but after a week. During this time, the flower must adapt to its new place of residence.

The soil

The plant needs a nutritious, slightly acidic soil with good aeration. These requirements are met by a ready-made substrate for arrowroot or cenopoly. Some growers recommend adding crushed charcoal, vermiculite or coconut chips to increase air permeability. If you add 1 part of perlite to 2 parts of the soil, you can do without a drainage layer.

Lighting

For Kalathea Insignis, placement on the east and west windows is suitable. The light should be soft and diffused, they love partial shade, they cannot stand the bright sun. They tolerate a lack of light quite easily, but from an excess of it they turn yellow, wither, twist and shed the leaves.The recommended daylight hours are similar to those in the tropics, about 16 hours. In winter, in the evening, it is advisable to additionally illuminate the flower with phytolamps, at least a couple of hours a day.

A place

Calathea Lancifolia does not have to be placed on the windowsill. She feels good in the shade, grows well in the back of the room, and her color only becomes brighter. This is one of the few plants that is easy to grow even in the bathroom. The increased humidity of this room will only benefit him. The only condition is the presence of a window.

Humidity

The most important condition for Calathea Lancifolia to care for is to provide it with sufficient moisture. If the air is dry near the flower, the tips and edges of the leaves immediately begin to dry, specks appear on them, they grow worse and lose color. The pot with the plant can be placed on a pallet with wet sphagnum and constantly kept moist (but not waterlogged) by spraying. It is necessary to spray the leaves themselves, always from a sprayer with a fine nozzle, making sure that large drops of water do not fall on their surface, stains remain from them.

Watering

Calathea Lanceolis, like any other calathea, prefers moist soil, but an excess of moisture for it is just as harmful as its lack. The leaves, and after them the roots, begin to rot and the plant dies. From spring to autumn, the flower is watered with soft, lukewarm water as the substrate dries to a depth of 1-1.5 cm, in winter - by 2.5-3 cm.This usually happens every 3-4 and 7-8 days, respectively.

Transfer

Calatheas are transplanted in spring, young plants annually, adults, 4-year-olds and older every 2 years, in a pot 4-5 cm larger in diameter than the previous one. The transplant must be carried out by the transshipment method, Calathea Lancetolistnaya does not like it when its roots are touched. A drainage layer is poured at the bottom. Another way is to pour zeolite or Zeoflora soil into the space between the earthen lump and the walls of the pot. In this case, no additional drainage is needed. After transplanting, it will not be superfluous to spray the flower with Zircon solution. This will help him to settle down in a new pot faster and more painlessly.

Experienced florists recommend putting the calathea in a transparent plastic bag after transplanting, creating greenhouse conditions for it in this way. The bag is not completely closed, and every day it is lowered a little lower, until the flower fully adapts. The fact that Lancifolia has taken root well in a new container is usually evidenced by new leaves.

Pests

Calathea Lanceoliferous is less susceptible to pest attacks than many indoor plants, but it is not immune to them either. Most often, she suffers from spider mites, thrips and scale insects, which appear on the leaves when the air in the apartment is dry. Do not be lazy to regularly inspect the plant. The sooner pests are noticed, the faster it will be possible to get rid of them. The insects themselves are very small, you can see them through a magnifying glass, and only the results of their vital activity are visible to the naked eye.