The temperature might be too low for your plant. Humidity: This plant loves humidity so consider a pebble tray or humidifier. Air humidifier placed near the plant will work well too. As such, it is important to make proper adjustments. In contrast, you’ll only need to water sparingly during the colder months. Unfortunately, stem cutting doesn’t work with this plant. Fortunately, this also happens to be the temperature most homes have. Zebra Plant (Calathea zebrina) This easy-to-care-for evergreen houseplant has light-green ovate leaves with dark green zebra-like patterns and stripes. • Native Range: Tropical Americas. Your local plant store (or online shop) may carry a mix that is geared towards calatheas so it’s always best to check and ask. If you prefer do it yourself potting mix recipes, a good one for your calathea zebrina is mixing 2 parts of peat with 2 parts of perlite and 1 part potting soil. Follow the steps below in the repotting section to take the plant out of the container. As such, you don’t want to use hard water when watering this plant. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Untangle any roots and trim off unhealthy looking ones. When pruning, always make sure to use sterilized tools. Adding fertiliser during growing season is beneficial to the plant. Family: Marantaceae Native Origin: South America USDA Hardy Zone: … A mix of potting soil, moss, perlite and bark. Then, allow any excess moisture to drip out. Not watering zebra plant enough will result in leaves curling and yellowing. Additionally, division is a great way of controlling or reducing the size of the parent plant since you take a part of it off. Many gardeners mistakenly believe that high heat and strong light are requirements necessary for the Calathea zebra houseplant and its tropical cousins. Indirect light – Calathea plants need bright, but not direct, sunlight to grow. For scale, horticultural oil works well. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a11af34e3b181551747ceee3b9952b51" );document.getElementById("b96312caa9").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Caring for this plant does require developing a watering and misting routine (if needed), but all in all the zebra plant is fairly easy to keep alive and pretty (as far as calatheas go). Calathea Zebrina Those dark green stripes displayed across the light green leaves are the guilty ones for this plant’s name. PLANT CARE TIPS. Even with non toxic plants, nibbling plants should be avoided and keeping plants away from pets, especially if they like to eat them, is best. Thus, you want to pour water on the soil until the liquid starts dripping from the pots drainage holes. There are many other ways you can mix different ingredients as well. Its most striking feature are the light green stripes that adorned the darker green leaves. Your calathea zebrina is sensitive to fluoride, chlorine and other chemicals in water. Recommendations for growing success: Light: Partial shade to indirect sunlight. Misting helps raise the humidity of air around the plant so it’s something all calatheas really enjoy. Both methods are free which is why I highly recommend them over distilled or filtered water. You’ll also want to time it together with propagation (if you want to propagate) because the plant doesn’t like being moved. Many experienced gardeners will want to make their own potting mixes. The striping of the leaves of the zebra plant are inspiration for its name. Like all houseplants, calatheas need a … While it may seem counterintuitive for a plant that is considered tropical, calathea plants actually prefer filtered, indirect light or shade. The biggest advantage here is you don’t need to mix ingredients yourself or experiment. Calatheas like humidity and will benefit from misting every couple of days. Calathea need plenty of diffused light, however direct sunlight may cause their leaves to fade and lost their markings. The best way to avoid either extreme is to understand how the weather and the plant’s growing seasons affect evaporation and its water consumption. Light. This allows water to seep out in little amounts. No direct sunlight for Calathea's otherwise you will lose the markings. You can use your hands or a sterilized knife. As such, as long as it gets medium light indoors, it will be happy. If the temperature is above 55 or 60, then you’ll want to check the water situation. After you are done, let the excess water run out from the pot. Botanical Name: Calathea orbifolia. It’s simple and ready made for you. With cold drafts, its leaves will get yellowish and wilt. It will do really well in a room that has a high air humidity. Otherwise, you’ll see the plant struggle and the tips of its leaves turn brown or curl up. Carefully take the plant out of its container. The good news is, when you move it to brighter light, the leaves will recover. Calathea Care Guide Light. And, if you turn the leaves over, you’ll see they have dark red hue to them. Your email address will not be published. The best way to determine proper watering routine is to check the soil on your plant regularly and keep a diary. Gorgeous looks as well as being human and pet safe (non-toxic) plant, this one is one of our plant favorites, even if it can be dramatic at times. When repotting go up only 1 to 2 pot sizes per repotting. And, the best way to do so is to give it the proper requirements above. Fill the pot/s with soil up to about a quarter or a third. They're used to growing beneath a canopy of trees on the jungle floor and are therefore adapted to brief dapples of sunlight instead of constant harsh rays. Lighting: Bright, indirect light Water: Once top two inches has dried out. A North facing windowsill would be the first choice here, but any other situation will be acceptable providing you can provide shielding from the direct sunlight these places would receive at some point during the day. Rinsing the plant under running lukewarm water will take care of the problem. This gives them the freedom to adjust it to their preferences. It doesn’t flower but offers abundant greenery. You can estimate it by placing the plant beside it to see how much soil you need to put below. While not easy, it gives your plant a chance to recover and revive. Also, inspect the roots. Spray the leaves, using a spray bottle, with water regularly (don’t mist them too much, the leaves should not be left wet). It should not be exposed to direct sunlight as it will burn the leaves. Calathea Leaves Curling Can Be Due To Incorrect Watering. One look at it and you can quickly tell why. If you notice roots coming out of the pot holes or roots that grow above soil before your scheduled repotting, it’s time to repot now. Calathea Zebra Plants do well with bright, indirect light. The plant is a member of the Marantaceae family which makes it closely related to the prayer plant. This is because they grow on the floor of jungles and forests where they get limited light through the tops of the trees. Unlike temperature, this is tricker for most homes, especially during the winter when air gets dry. Again, here early detection is key because pests tend to spread to other nearby plants. Again, do go for well draining soil. Truly worthy to add to your collection! This one can become a pretty tall plant and has rich foliage. Otherwise, move your plant to somewhere warmer. It’s time to repot! Peperomia Watermelon Plant Care and Information. Frequent watering, warm climate, indirect sunlight and good air humidity are required to keep this plant happy. Keep in mid toxicity information on plants can change. The soil should be slightly moist most of the time, but not wet. Calathea are among the “lower” light plants if you would like to call them that, but they still need to be in front of a window for best results. Too much light. The key here is that you want the soil to retain enough water without overdoing it. You’ll be able to tell because roots will start showing up from under the container. This ensures the entire rootball is soaked. • Spread: 2-3 ft. The Zebra plant makes for a beautiful table accent where you can enjoy the purple underside of the leaves. Water heavy on minerals? Soil that isn’t soggy a week after checking the moisture reaches the roots above for )... 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