Hailing from the South American jungle , this dark fleeceable beauty look like it belong in a confect shop class with its waxy , pinstriped leaf .
Calathea orbifoliais a pop indoor plant due to its striking appearance , air - purifying abilities , and non - toxicity for house with shaver and pet .
Like other Calatheas it is ordinarily known as a ‘ orison plant life ’ , folding its parting together at night and opening them to the Dominicus in the morning in a ritualistic , prayer - similar unconscious process .
A beautiful , larger extremity of the Calatheas that is native to Bolivia , the orbifolia is known for its silver striped leaves that are iridescent and extremely animated .
The across-the-board parting are textured and oval shaped , and fan out from the works get to any room feel like the heart of the rain forest .
But as a tropical works , it is a minuscule fussy and has quite a few specific needs that need to be wield to keep it healthy and lush .
It has lately been re - classified as Goeppertia orbifolia , but is still wide known as a Calathea and in this clause it will continue to be refer to as such .
If you practice the following guidebook to monitor its care , extension , and troubleshoot any problem , then you should n’t have any problem keeping this graceful flora in great wellness .
Quick Facts Table
Scientific Name
Calathea orbifolia or Goeppertia orbifolia
Horticultural Classification
menage : Marantaceae , Genus : Calathea
unwashed name
Prayer Plant
Native region
tropic of the Americas
fair size
100cm/3.2 ft high , leaves : 30cm/1 ft wide .
sunshine needs
Moderate and collateral
Temperature needs
15 - 21 ℃ ( ~60 - 70 ℉ )
water supply needs
Soil must be kept moist but not soggy .
Soil needs
Ideal pH is around 6.5 , slightly acidulent well draining soil
Bloom meter
Summer ( note that they do not usually blossom indoors )
heyday
White / purple
Calathea Orbifolia Plant Overview
If hold in ideal condition , within the first year the Calathea orbifolia can reach 2 ft ( 61 centimeter ) tall , making it a jolly fast growing houseplant . maximal height is ordinarily 3.2 ft ( 100 curium ) and the spread can be up to 2 ft wide due to the broad farewell and succulent foliage ( VanZile , 2021 ) .
The farewell are very active and reactive to light . It is a monocot meaning that it belongs to the same group as most grasses and has a fibrous root structure underground .
The orbifolia has white-hot flowers but it is not common for them to bloom indoors , and the with child leaves make up the foliage year round . If you are in a tropical region it can grow outdoors most of the year , but in temperate clime it ask to abide indoors as it can not stick out cold night temperatures .
How To Care For The Calathea Orbifolia
Above are the main requirement for proper Calathea orbifolia , now have ’s get right into our best tips for keeping them happy and healthy , let in how to pee orchidaceous plant , how to propagate them , and what potting mix to use .
1: Place Your Plat In Medium Indirect Light
The canonical idea with like for your Calathea orbifolia is to copy its native environment ( a good outlook to have with most plants ! ) Since it would typically grow on the shadowy jungle trading floor , Calatheas do not love direct sun , and it can actually do a lot more injury than good by burning the leaf .
Place it in a bright room that mother indirect light source ; not straight in the tad but not under a irradiation of sun either .
If you’re able to comfortably say in the pick out spot then that is a good indicant of whether it is bright enough . Please bring up how many hours of sunshine it need .
2: Maintain Indoor Temperatures Above 70 Degrees
Although it may not love direct sunshine , it surely loves fondness . It can tolerate anything in the kitchen stove cite above but the good temperatures for this works are around 20 level Anders Celsius or 70 degree fahrenheit , and it does n’t like sudden changes in temperature ( Carter , 2020 ) .
2: Maintain Higher Humidity Around Your Plant
humidness is a very of import ingredient to consider if you are in a teetotal climate , specially in the winter when indoor heating system can significantly dry out out your family .
Ideally the humidity levels should be at about 54 % , which you could measure with a hygrometer if you require to really micromanage your growing condition .
Greenhouses are a great spot for these guy wire for this reason , but if you subsist in a city flat , believe keeping it in your bath or your kitchen where humidity is usually the highest .
you’re able to also cloud the plant with a nebulizer nursing bottle , put the pot on a tray of pebble , or place it together with a group of other plants to increase the humidness .
3: Should Be Planted In Rich Soil
The aim of the game here is to recreate the Calathea ’s beloved jungle soil , which is very rich in organic thing . Go for a potting soil that is peaty with a slightly acidulent pH of around 6.5 ( VanZile , 2021 ) .
You require the territory to stay moist but ensure the pot has good drainage so that the roots are n’t log with body of water . Orchid bark , pumice stone and perlite are all helpful for ameliorate drain in the soil , but keep in mind that orchid bark stop down over time .
4: Feed Your Plant During The Spring And Summer
During the warmer fountain and summertime month , feed your flora every month but no more . These plant are sensitive to being over - fertilized and it can cause the foliage tips to turn brown .
Use a well balanced fertilizer with eminent levels of Nitrogen , Phosphorus and Potassium .
Compost is ideal as it is typically high in these categories and is by nature sourced . synthetical fertilizers are in high spirits in salts that build up in the land and can harm the sensible ancestor system of the Calathea orbifolia .
Water the works the day before fertilizing so that the nutrients do n’t traumatize and glow the rootage .
5: Water lightly but a lot
A very authoritative element to consider with the Calathea orbifolia is how often and how much you irrigate it . As it is aboriginal to tropic rainforests , it requires constant moisture and decently humid conditions , but like other potted plants it is very vulnerable to developing ascendent rot .
This typically come about when there is poor drain in the grunge or the potty has too few or jam drainage holes , so the solution terminate up sitting in boggy soil .
When invariably submerged in these condition the roots will quickly deteriorate and rot , and the seeable works will begin to die . unluckily , it is very hard to relieve and completely make unnecessary a plant once root putrefaction has sic in .
The respectable room to avoid this but still ascertain the Calathea has enough moisture is to water very frequently but with small measure each time .
To do this evenly , and also better the humidness , it can be a good thought to employ a spray bottleful to obscure the soil and leaves . apply a moist fabric to wipe leaves if they are very dusty .
Beware Of Your piss
Another affair to see with the water penury of this plant is that it is highly sensitive to mineral and salts that are often receive in rap urine . If discolouration begins to occur on the open of the leave of absence , you may need to mean about changing your pee source .
Rainwater is the lifelike source for plants , and you’re able to be certain it has no added mineral like atomic number 17 ( and it ’s chintzy than a piddle filter ) . Set up a little rain pee accumulator on your balcony or terrace and use it for all your indoor plant !
How And When To Prune Calathea orbifolia
This Calathea is easily accentuate and does not like being disturb very often . Keep this in head when pruning , pass around , or re - potting it- none of which ask to be done oft so resist the enticement and keep your work force off !
The pruning process ofCalathea orbifoliais relatively simple , just do not do any pruning right after pot or re - potting when the plant is most accentuate . Here is the basic process :
How To Propagate CalatheaOrbifolia
Propagating the orbifolia is unfortunately not as simple as pruning ( which might be why they are n’t all that easy to find ) , and require division at the root level .
stalk cuttings are very unmanageable to do and often stillborn , and seeds are hard to collect since they are not known to bloom in indoor environment .
Here how spread your orbifolia through naval division :
Pests and Diseases
Due to frequently moist soil , fungus and powdery mould can both be problem with this works . Spider mites , aphids , and thrip can also invade and quickly go around to other indoor plant unless quick dispense with .
Often these pests are very pocket-sized and can only be detected by signs such as small webs around the stems or discolor patch on the bottom of leave that are a yellowy dark-brown coloration .
There are a bit of ways to treat these fungus kingdom and pestilence , and one pop technique isusing a neem oil nebuliser on the leavesand ground , which is undecomposed for both critter and mildew and is naturally derived . Similarly , diatomaceous earth combine into the soil disrupts the aliveness cycle of gadfly and is good to dirt health .
Since some of these pests lay nut in the top layer of soil , check that to replace the top couple of inches when treat them .
Many plant growers will use a small amount of dish max mixed with affectionate water supply as a answer for bothpowdery mildewand jot , but use with carefulness as this intermixture can loot the plant life of instinctive waxes if used too generously !
Frequently Asked Questions
Misting is your best friend . Placing pebble in a tray underneath your flora can also increase vapour and create local humidity .
Placing it with other plants in a chemical group create more humidness , as does keeping it in a toilet or kitchen where there is much more wet . There are even small , self - standing greenhouse you could purchase online if your house is especially dry .
There are over 300species in the Calathea genus , but they are tropical and command like water and sun needs . There may be fragile edition on the practiced soil conditions and pH , and it is a just idea to research exceptional indigence and usual pestis as some things are metal money - specific .
The dear news is that none of them are toxic to humans or beast if ingested ( but they might give you a chip of a abdomen ache ! )
This varies on the type of mood you live in and how dry your mansion is , but a honorable start point is every few solar day or around twice a week . If you are find the soil is drying out quickly you may obscure every other twenty-four hour period .
embrown or curl leaf tips onCalathea orbifoliaare typically a symptom of many issue , so you might have to do some investigating through the operation of elimination . Underwatering or insufficient humidness is often the cause , so check with your fingerbreadth how damp the grunge is and mist more frequently if need .
foliage curling can also be triggered by too nerveless temperatures , so hear increasing your thermostat by a degree or two .
Overfertilization is another perpetrator for brown folio tips , so if you are frequently adding fertilizer put off for a while .
If the issue still persists , it could be the character of the water you are using so prove an unfiltered and unchlorinated water system source .
No you ’re not ! Calatheas move throughout the day in reply to light , and fold up their leaves together at night . It is a very animated works so do n’t be alarmed if something seems unlike when you re - enter the room it ’s in .
If the leaves become less animated it may be because they take more water .
As refer above , Calatheas do not like to be repot and it can actually do more impairment than near . Once a twelvemonth is fine while it is growing as long as there are no specific issue that need a new pot . Once it has reached maximum size you should n’t need to repot .
ForCalathea orbifolia8 - 10 inch potful are enough large , but you will desire to start smaller with newly distribute plants and pot up after a year and maybe again a year subsequently . As bring up before these bozo do not wish to be touch so do n’t pot more than need .
Plastic or ceramic might be the best pick forCalathea orbifolia , as terra - cotta pots are very poriferous and dry out the soil in spite of appearance . Make certain it has good drain holes at the bottom .
compose By
Amber Noyes was born and raised in a suburban California town , San Mateo . She holds a superior ’s level in gardening from the University of California as well as a BS in Biology from the University of San Francisco . With experience working on an organic farm , body of water conservation research , farmers ’ markets , and plant greenhouse , she understands what makes plant life thrive and how we can better understand the connexion between microclimate and plant health . When she ’s not on the landed estate , Amber loves inform masses of newfangled ideas / things related to gardening , specially constituent horticulture , houseplant , and growing plants in a small quad .
