Calathea is distinguished from other plants by its original leaves. They have such a beautiful pattern that many flowers are inferior to them in beauty. This South American beauty requires careful self-care at home. For its successful growth, it is required to comply with all conditions of detention in the complex. But especially, this concerns the protection of the plant from cold and drafts.
Instructions
Step 1
Airy, light, rich in organic fertilizers will be ideal for calathea. You can buy ready-made soil for azalea or arrowroot, you just need to add sand to it. Its acidity should be about 6-6.8 pH. You can make the soil yourself from 2-3 parts of leafy earth, 1 part of peat, 1 part of humus and 1 part of coniferous land, it is good to add a little sand. It is also necessary to add a little crushed coal to this composition, because calathea does not tolerate the lime contained in the soil. With an increased content of it, the plant may simply die. Feed the flowering calatheas with mineral fertilizers for flowering plants, the rest with fertilizers for decorative leafy plants. Fertilized from April to August every two weeks. In winter, reduce feeding to once every one and a half to two months. Please note that the flower does not like excess calcium and nitrogen in the soil. Calathea should be transplanted strictly every two years, at the very beginning of spring. A third of the pot must be filled with drainage, as in summer, the plant requires abundant watering.
Step 2
The plant should be watered as the topsoil dries up. In summer, watering is required plentiful, and in autumn and winter, more moderate. The water should be at room temperature, softened with a pinch of peat wrapped in cheesecloth and thrown into the water. The soil in the pot must be moist, with excessive dampness, the plant rots, so the water from the pan must be drained. Lighting is required bright diffused, without direct sun. If it is located on the south window, the plant has brown foliage, on the north window - small dull leaves that have lost any decorative effect. Calathea prefers moderate temperature, in winter and autumn 18-25, and in summer 23-30 degrees. Does not tolerate drafts and sudden temperature changes, which leads to wilting of the plant.
Step 3
Calathea is propagated by seeds, which is difficult and rarely used by amateur flower growers, and by dividing rhizomes. The second method requires a mixture of equal amounts of leafy soil, peat and sand. The separated plant is planted in this soil composition in a small pot. After a year, the plant is considered an adult, and requires appropriate care. If propagated by seed, the seeds are planted in a mixture of two parts of leafy soil and one part of sand in small pots. Caring for small plants consists of maintaining a temperature of at least 22 degrees, regular watering and spraying, and protection from direct sun.
