Calathea is a grassy perennial from the Marantovian family. It is distinguished by surprisingly beautiful leaves and unusual flowers that resemble panicles with long legs. Calathea is a close relative of the arrowroot and ktenanty, but it has significant differences. Her homeland is Central and Latin America. Usually the plant is found in the middle tier of rainforests. In other latitudes, the flower is grown as a houseplant. His character is rather capricious, but the exotic beauty deserves special attention.
Appearance
Calathea is a perennial plant with a horizontal, creeping rhizome. On it, growth points with daughter sockets are formed. Large, long-leaved foliage forms a dense bush 50-150 cm high and 30-60 cm wide. 5-6 new leaves are added annually.
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. A thin sheet has a wavy edge. On its surface is an unusual pattern of spots, lines and dots. Usually it is symmetrical with respect to the central vein.
In spring or summer, inflorescences appear between the foliage. They are brighter or more ordinary-looking. Each grows on a long bare peduncle with a circular cross 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, bent or sharper, straight petals.
Signs and superstitions
Beauty calathea is considered a 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, and warmth. Quarrels and quarrels will quickly fade away, and a good mood will be in full swing. Guests are more likely to come to such a house. The atmosphere for everyone will be very comfortable. For households, an added bonus will be the fact that kalatea gives strength to character and self-determination to insecure people.
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 most popular:
Saffron Calathea (crocata). Plants live off the coast of the Amazon. Dark green leaves with a brown lower surface are oval in shape with wavy edges. In addition to the 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.
Calathea Locket. The inhabitant of the north-west 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; it can be seen in the evenings when the leaves turn.
Calathea is wonderfulshe 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 leaf is 24-27 cm long and 5 cm wide. Pile is present on the green petiole, and the surface is covered with dark green stripes and ovals.
Calathea Varshevich. A large dense bush consists of oval leaves with a soft, velvety surface. They have a dark green motley color and a purple-red back. Spike-shaped inflorescences of a white or cream shade consist of rounded bent bracts, similar to rose petals.
Calathea striped (zebrina). Tropical beauty up to 60 cm high consists of large oval leaves on long, fleshy petioles. The length of the sheet plate reaches 40 cm and the width is 16 cm. The bright green surface of the sheet is covered with stripes and darker spots that form a symmetrical pattern. The flip side is reddish. On short pedicels, compact white and purple inflorescences bloom.
Calathea rufibarba, red-bearded. The plant forms a low but sprawling bush with narrow, shiny leaves. On top of the foliage is almost a monochromatic bright green color, and on the back it is painted in lilac-pink. This species does not tolerate spraying.
Calathea decorated (ornata). The species lives in the Colombian tropics and is compact in 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 inflorescences with white or purple corollas grow 6-8 cm in length. They grow on peduncles up to 30 cm long. The variety of calathea Sanderian reaches 50 cm in height. It consists of broadly oval leaves of dark green color with brown stains.
Calathea Makoya. Ornamental plant up to 50 cm high is found in moist Brazilian forests. It is distinguished by large, wide-oval foliage with a shiny, variegated surface. On a light background are dark green stripes extending from the central vein.
Calathea Bahema. The most unpretentious appearance with leathery lanceolate leaves covered with a silver-green pattern. Their length reaches 40 cm.
Round-leaved calathea (orbifolia). A plant up to 75 cm tall grows broadly oval, almost rounded leaves with a shiny green surface covered with brown stripes perpendicular to the central vein.
Calathea Lubbers. Tall plant with oval leaves up to 40 cm long. They are distinguished by asymmetric motley colors. On a dark green leaf are lemon yellow spots.
Breeding methods
Calathea propagated by cuttings, seeds and division of the bush. Seed propagation is considered the most difficult and time-consuming. Use as fresh seeds as possible. They are sown in shallow containers filled with sheet soil and sand. A distance of 2-3 cm is required 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, they fill up fresh soil to a height of 1 cm. The grown seedlings open for several hours a day, and then completely remove the shelter. They are dived 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. Cuttings are watered and covered with a film. Regular spraying is required. The air temperature should be + 22 ... + 24 ° C. They also provide dim, diffused lighting. A transplant into a new pot is carried out a year later.
A strong adult bush during spring transplantation can be divided into parts. Any damage to the roots requires a long recovery, therefore, during the manipulation, maximum caution is required. Part of the earthen coma is removed and the horizontal roots are broken into a small number of delenes. Using a knife is not recommended. The fault places are sprinkled with crushed ash and new plants are planted in small diameter pots with special soil. Begin by keeping flowers in high humidity and ambient light. The optimum temperature is + 22 ... + 25 ° C.
Home Care
Calathea is a very capricious and demanding plant. Not every grower can grow it at home. A flower develops much better in a greenhouse. Nevertheless, with due attention, the chances of getting a beautiful green bush are quite large.
Lighting. Plants are shade-tolerant, but deep in a dark room they will be uncomfortable. You should choose a fairly bright room without direct sunlight. With a lack of light, the motley pattern fades, and with an excess of it, the leaves can fold.
Temperature. For normal calathea growth, a stable air temperature is required without sharp fluctuations and drafts. In April-October, it should be within + 21 ... + 24 ° C. The rest of the year is around + 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 a warm shower. Next put trays with wet expanded clay or plain water. Spraying is done 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. In the heating season, special humidifiers come to the rescue. If creating a comfortable environment for calathea fails, it will begin to dry the leaves and dump them completely. However, you should not hurry to throw out the earth with roots. Often new sprouts appear in the spring and the bush is reborn.
Watering. Calathea needs frequent watering so that the soil is always slightly moist. The water used is very soft, well purified. Rain will be the best option. The temperature of the liquid should 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 a solution of the mineral complex for decorative and deciduous crops. When caring for saffron calathea during budding and flowering, it is advisable to use fertilizers for flowering plants. If the soil is fresh enough and nutritious, half of the portion indicated in the instructions is enough.
Transfer. The plant is transferred to a larger pot every 1-2 years. The tank must have drainage holes. A thick layer of shards, brick chips or expanded clay is poured at the bottom. The soil for planting is made up of:
- river sand (1 part);
- deciduous humus (2 parts);
- peat (2 parts);
- sheet land (2 parts).
Possible difficulties
Calathea can suffer from fungal infections. Basically, they develop at low temperatures or in a warm and humid room when water stagnates in the soil. It is very difficult to save the plant. An urgent transplant with fungicide treatment is needed.
Spider mites, thrips, and scale insects pest out of parasites. To prevent pests from spoiling the leaves, insecticides are treated.
To assess the correctness of care, just look at the plant. If the bush has grown a lot of whole, bright leaves and blooms regularly, then everything is in order. Serious errors affect the beauty of calathea:
- leaves wither and twist into a tube - lack of moisture in the air and watering;
- leaves turn yellow - exposure to draft or low temperatures;
- brittle faded leaves - insufficient lighting;
- brown dry spots on foliage - exposure to direct sunlight.
