Calathea

Calathea Is a culture belonging to the Marantov family, considered one of the many representatives of this genus. In total, the genus includes about 130 plant species, so surely every gardener will be able to choose from all these species exactly those that will meet all his desires and requirements. In natural, natural conditions, you can most often meet calathea in South and Central America, but since the plant has a large number of advantages, it very quickly gained popularity in many other countries and regions around the world, and Russia is no exception in this case. ...

Introduction

Calathea today is especially popular precisely because of its decorative features and characteristics, and it is grown as an ornamental deciduous plant, since the foliage of the calathea is painted in very bright and variegated shades, which attract attention. Thanks to kalatea, you can decorate almost any house, it fits perfectly into the overall design and landscapes. But still, if gardener decided that he wants to grow this particular flower, then you should pay attention at least to the fact that calathea is a demanding culture that is very whimsical both to caring activities and to the conditions in which it grows. So only a gardener with experience and a desire to get a positive result can take up the cultivation of calathea, since the plant does not tolerate neglect and lack of attention.

Description of the plant and its features, caring for calathea

Most of the species today are grown as ornamental and deciduous plants for home decoration. Some species, for example saffron calathea or Varshevich's calathea - they begin to bloom in January or February, which, in principle, is not so typical for many ornamental crops, and already here calathea begins to gradually surprise even some seasoned flower growers. The plant as a whole takes root well even in slightly shaded places, without losing its decorative features and characteristics. Calathea is able to perfectly take root and grow at normal room temperature, but still it is worth remembering that in the room where this flower is located, the air temperature should not fall below 16 degrees, otherwise the plant will fade and begin to demonstrate its displeasure with the prevailing conditions.

When the plant enters the growing season, it should be watered as abundantly as possible throughout this time, but with the onset of winter, watering should be less and moderate, since in general the plant is dormant in winter, and some interventions are undesirable. Air humidity is another indicator that is worth paying attention to. The humidity level should be no more than 90%, in order to increase the humidity in dry rooms, it is necessary to pour some wet pebbles into the pallet. And then a pot with a planting is placed in the pallet and on tracing paper, the foliage can be periodically sprayed from a spray bottle in order to improve the general condition of the plant. Fertilizers - it is recommended to feed calathea about once every 14 days, not more often, especially in the period from April to August. For feeding, it is worth using a complex mineral mixture, which was originally intended for decorative deciduous plantings. The dormant period of the plant is not very pronounced, it may also feel that it does not enter it at all, but this is not entirely true.Most of the species and varieties from September to January are dormant, at this time the plant should not be disturbed at all, it is not necessary to apply top dressing or too abundant watering, as this can lead to a deterioration in the general condition of the plant. Younger plants are good at transplanting and should usually be moved from place to place annually. Older plants should not be transplanted so often - it will be enough to transplant once every two, or even three years, so that the plant does not experience too much stress and does not die. Calathea can be propagated in several ways - by cuttings, dividing a bush or seeds. There are no specific recommendations, although each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, we will also talk about them in this article a little later.

Among the pests, most often on the calatheas, you can find scale insects and thrips, as well as a spider mite, but this can be avoided if you regularly inspect the plant, monitor its general condition. The same applies to diseases - most often calatheas undergo rhizoctonia, if the flower is not looked after as it should, then obvious problems with the foliage can also begin, which will indicate that the gardener should change the caring tactics, otherwise the plant will have less chances on recovery, and this will be a sign that it is unlikely that it will be able to endure the unfavorable conditions of existence and development. of course, further we should talk about some of the features of calathea, since the plant is really quite interesting and unusual.

Unlike many indoor plants, calathea is a crop that has a brightly colored and very showy leafy part. At the same time, the plant has some more traits and other special characteristics that are also worth talking about, because they are undoubtedly worthy of attention. So, most species of calathea can grow underground roots, which form a more superficial root system, and it is from this system that numerous rosettes can form further.

The rosettes consist of large oval leaves, the length of which can be from 30 to 40 centimeters, and sometimes even more, and the leaves themselves differ in that they have very long petioles. The height of the bush can also vary from 70 to 90 centimeters, when the plant begins to bloom, then flowers form on it, but more experienced gardeners say that these flowers have no decorative value, which cannot be said just about the leaves.

Still, it is worth making a reservation that Varshevich's calathea and saffron calathea, which we already mentioned a little above, can give a rather bright and very spectacular flowering, although the flowers are unsightly, they hide behind very spectacular and decorative leaves. The leaves themselves can be painted in different shades - there are white and pink shades, cream and orange, much will depend not only on the varietal and species identity, but also on the conditions under which these crops grew in this case.

When calathea grows at home, indoor conditions, it should be borne in mind that it is very whimsical to caring activities. But there are some varieties and types of kalata that, in general, are not at all demanding when compared with some other varieties and species. In indoor conditions, it will be easiest for a florist to grow several types of kalata, so you should immediately focus on this. Among such varieties and species - calathea Bahema, decorated calathea, calathea Makoya, striped and Veicha (there is a slightly different name - Vicha, but it is worth remembering that this is the same variety of calathea). Like any other representatives of the Marantovaya family, the calathea has another distinctive characteristic.The fact is that with the onset of evening, the leaves of the calathea begin to fold, and then they rise up, resembling the palms of a person who is praying. In the morning, the leaves regain their previous position and shape. It is for this reason that calathea is called a prayer flower - precisely due to such a feature that distinguishes it from many other houseplants.

Now it's worth moving on to the part in which we will consider caring for calathea at home. Calathea is a tropical plant, and for this reason she is very fond of both light and warmth, which should be taken into account when choosing a place for planting. But it is also worth remembering that all the best must necessarily be in moderation, and if suddenly the plant is provided with too much sunlight, this can lead to the fact that the leaves darken, acquire a brown tint. If there is very little light, then the leaves will become faded, lose their decorative features and characteristics. For this reason, the flower should be installed in a place where it will be illuminated, and at the same time, it will be located in a slight shade. Also, the gardener must carefully monitor that direct sunlight does not fall on the foliage of the calathea, otherwise this will lead to their burns and, as a result, the plant will not only lose its decorative features and characteristics, but also there is a great risk of developing very dangerous diseases. because of what calathea can die as a result.

The temperature in the room where the flower is located and grows should change very smoothly, there should be no sudden temperature changes, otherwise it will cause great harm to the planting. A sharp cold snap should also not be allowed when the temperature is set below 16 degrees, this can kill the plant. It is also worth making sure that there are no sharp gusts of wind and drafts, they also do not have the best effect on the condition of the plant, on its growth, development and, of course, on the external characteristics. The next aspect in caring for calathea at home is watering. It is very important for calathea what water is used for irrigation. The water temperature should be about two or three degrees warmer than room temperature. The bush needs to be watered with warm water, ideally melt or rainwater is suitable for this. But if the gardener does not have the opportunity to water the calathea regularly with just such water, then you can take water from the tap in the evening, and also put two or three handfuls of peat wrapped in gauze or any other material in it. In the morning, this water can already be used to water the calathea, since overnight it will have time to get saturated with some substances from peat, become softer, settle and, of course, acquire room temperature.

In the spring and summer, the plant needs more abundant watering. Approximately some time after the soil has been moistened, the accumulated liquid should be removed from the pan. If this is not done, and water will accumulate, this will lead to overmoistening of the root layer and, accordingly, the root system of the calathea will begin to gradually rot. Experienced gardeners and florists give their recommendations. For example, they talk about choosing a certain mode of soil moistening for calathea, for this it is necessary to ensure that the soil in the pot is always constantly moistened, but in no case becomes too wet, otherwise it will just provoke some negative manifestations in the form of decay of the root system and, as a consequence, the death of the plant in this case will be almost inevitable.

Following the irrigation conditions, consider some air humidity conditions. As a rule, in order for a plant to grow normally and develop correctly in indoor conditions, it needs high humidity.It is best to maintain a level of about 90%, as these conditions will simply be the most ideal for calathea. But we are well aware that in indoor, home conditions sometimes it is almost impossible to maintain such a result and the level of humidity. Therefore, there are alternatives - the deciduous part should be regularly wiped with a damp cloth or sprayed with a spray bottle, using only warm and settled water. But this method can only work for those species and varieties of calathea that give fleshy and hard, smooth leaf plates, and these are far from all varieties that grow indoors today. If we are dealing with varieties and varieties where velvety leaves grow, then in no case should they be sprayed or cleaned, moistened with a sponge or rag. In this case, in order to maintain the most comfortable air humidity, it is recommended to pour moistened pebbles into the tray in which the pot is located. In this case, it is worth making sure that the bottom of the pot does not come into contact with the pallet itself, but it stands directly on the moistened pebbles. In general, of course, it is easier to grow calatheas in florariums, and aquariums are also excellent for these purposes, since the air humidity is always increased there, and it will be easiest to maintain a favorable humidity level. But gardeners and florists do not always have just such an opportunity, so they have to use all other available tools and techniques to grow a worthy and incredibly attractive flower.

Now I would like to talk about top dressing. As for this point, then it should be borne in mind that it is worth making exactly so much top dressing in the soil mixture so that the plant does not need absolutely any components and substances for some time. But in no case should you overfeed the flower, since it is because of this that huge health and appearance problems can appear, and sometimes they are almost impossible to eliminate, and the flower has to be thrown in without even having time to enjoy its decorative features and characteristics.

Top dressing must be carried out from April to August, while complex mineral mixtures are introduced into the soil mixture approximately once a week, which are intended just for decorative deciduous crops. Calathea Varshevich and saffron calathea are those species and varieties that need to be fed with complex fertilizers that are intended for decorative flowering indoor crops, since they give the most attractive flowering, and in this case they need even more support from gardeners, so it's worth keep this in mind if the florist wants to get an attractive, bright and memorable, and also abundant flowering of the calathea of ​​the varieties we have indicated.

When the bushes are still very young, they need an annual regular transplant. But already more mature plants need this a little less often, it is enough to transplant them once every two or three years, and they are transplanted in the spring. The pot for planting is not necessary the largest size, it should be low, but at the same time as wide as possible so that the root system develops normally, because it does not deepen, but is creeping. For calathea, a slightly acidic fertile soil is perfect, which will also be quite loose, since loose soil perfectly allows air and moisture to pass through, and these are the components that determine the decorative effect and success in the growth and development of calathea. It is best to purchase ready-made soil, which is intended for planting rhododendrons, or for planting maranium crops, and such mixtures are easy to find in specialized stores for gardeners.In general, if the gardener is ready, he can independently prepare the substrate, for this he should mix the following components in a 1: 2: 2: 2 ratio: calcined river sand, peat, humus and deciduous soil. If you follow all the rules in mixing, you can get a safe and sufficiently saturated soil in which calatheas will feel just fine. It is not easy to repot a plant carefully: there are several conditions, and even an algorithm to do it correctly and not harm the plant. First, a sufficiently thick drainage layer is laid at the very bottom of the container for planting, fresh soil is poured on top. After that, the bush gently rolls over into a new container, it is worth trying so that the root system is not damaged, and that the earthen lump does not crumble and collapse. The remaining voids in the container should be filled with fresh soil mixture. The main thing is to do everything slowly and very carefully, if the florist is doing this for the first time, then it is best to carry out the transplant under the supervision of more experienced florists who know a lot about this and can give advice on the transplant so that it goes more successfully. Also, on the Internet, on forums and sites, you can find more video materials that just tell you how to properly transplant a calathea of ​​any age and not cause any harm to it. These materials should not be ignored, because how the plant will further react to environmental conditions, and how it will grow, develop, and reveal its decorative features and characteristics, largely depends on them.

Reproduction

Now let's talk a little about the reproduction of calathea, let's start with such a method as dividing a bush. When calathea is transplanted into another container, the root system of the bush can be divided into several parts. But even then it should be borne in mind that the delenka must have formed roots and formed leaf blades. Delenki are planted in separate pots, the containers should be about 7-9 centimeters across, these pots are filled with soil, which is intended for planting arrowroot crops. These plantings should be removed to a more shaded place, and this place must also have high humidity. To ensure such conditions, experienced gardeners recommend placing plantings in a pallet that was previously filled with moistened expanded clay or pebbles. In this case, not far from the landings, you can put a device that serves to heat the room. It usually takes a lot of time to root the divisions, but experienced gardeners say that the result is really excellent. Again, the growth and development of planting materials depends entirely on how the gardener himself will care for the plants, and whether he will be attentive enough to them.

Propagation by cuttings is the second method, which is also popular when we are talking about the propagation of calathea. To do this, it is necessary to very carefully cut off the stalk from the mother bush, which is located directly above the ground. For rooting, the cutting is then sent to a slightly moistened soil, after which it can be covered with a plastic bottle or a transparent bag to create a greenhouse wet effect. The shelter can be removed when the grower makes sure that the stalk has given the first roots. Also, the gardener should take into account that the stalk sometimes may not give roots at all, and this happens quite often, so you should be ready not only for success, but also for failure. This will mean that initially the cutting was not the most viable, as well as the fact that, perhaps, in agricultural technology, the gardener made a mistake somewhere, and he should reconsider some of his actions in order to correct mistakes, and so that next time the cuttings are successful.

The next way is to grow kalata from seeds.This is perhaps the most laborious method, since even if a gardener has the highest quality seed material, this is not a guarantee of 100% seedlings, and seedlings in general. To do this, it is worth observing the following procedure. To begin with, the florist takes a bowl and fills it with a soil mixture, which consists of sand and leafy soil. Seeds are sown in this composition, the crops are immediately sent to a warmer room, where the temperature varies from 21 to 25 degrees, no more and no less. After the seedlings have appeared, and these seedlings have formed the first pair of normally formed leaves, they should be dived into a box filled with the same soil composition that we originally used for sowing seeds - sand and deciduous soil. When the plants grow up, become stronger, they can be transplanted into separate pots, where they will continue to grow and develop, then they can begin to bloom and show all their decorative qualities, which will become even brighter and more pronounced from year to year.

If suddenly the air is excessively dry in the room where the plant grows, then pests can settle in it - scale insects and spider mites, as well as thrips. Any of these pests makes themselves felt by the appearance of the leafy part of the plant - the leaves begin to turn yellow, gradually they curl up, and then completely die. Of course, gardeners immediately ask the question of how they can save the plant so that they do not have to remove and throw it away. The first sign that a pest has wound up on the plant is that an atypical sticky bloom appears on the leaf plates. You can spot cobwebs and dots painted in a white shade. As soon as the gardener noticed at least one of these signs, he should immediately start pest control, otherwise there is a great risk that nothing can be done in a neglected state and with a massive resettlement of this pest. In order to get rid of scale insects and thrips, the leaf part should be washed with a soapy solution. But even if after this treatment there are still pests on the plant, then you should already move on to more professional and radical measures - the bush is sprayed with a special insecticide, which is prepared in accordance with the instructions for use. It is also worth fighting spider mites with the help of special chemicals, while the gardener should remember about all the precautions and the fact that any of these means is used only in accordance with the instructions for use, otherwise you can harm not only the plant, but also your own health , and this is already very serious, and this should definitely not be allowed. Let's also talk about some of the possible problems that growers face when growing kalata - all these problems and difficulties arise due to the fact that the grower initially gave the plant the wrong care, and it gave such a response. The most common problems include:

- drying of the very tips of the leaves - if suddenly the gardener noticed that the tips began to dry very quickly, then this indicates that the air humidity for the calathea is insufficient, and it is generally very dry for the plant to function normally under such conditions. In this case, it is necessary to use a spray bottle much more often to moisten the plant, and the pot should be placed in a pallet, which is previously covered with wet pebbles or expanded clay

- dry spots located on the leaf plate - they usually appear when the bush is sprayed too often, and large droplets of moisture can accumulate on the leaves. When the sun's rays hit them, it leads to the formation of sunburn. So it is recommended to keep track of these, spray in the early morning or late evening.

- drying of foliage - a plant can give this reaction to sharp gusts of wind or drafts, as well as if the grower saves on watering, and pests can also settle on the flower - mainly thrips

- yellowing of the leaf plate - if only the lower leaves have turned yellow, then you don't have to worry too much about this. The yellowing of the foliage, which is located at the bottom of the bush, is a natural process, which suggests that the old leaves have begun to gradually die off, and new ones will appear in their place very soon. If not only the lower leaves turn yellow, then this indicates that the florist has overdone the dressing or is carrying out the watering procedure against all the rules and conditions. Also, the leaves can turn yellow not only due to a lack of moisture, but also due to the fact that a large amount of moisture stagnates in the root part of the soil, which causes similar reactions. Therefore, it should be remembered that watering and moistening are carried out only when the top layer of the substrate dries out by about two centimeters. If these norms are not observed, the roots will not be saturated with oxygen, putrefactive formations will begin to appear on them, the leaves will begin to actively turn yellow: if measures are not taken in time, this will lead to the inevitable death of the plant. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that a nutrient solution should be added to the soil, which is not prepared at a full dose, but at a dose that is half the amount declared by the manufacturer. Also, yellowing can be associated with the fact that in the room where the flower grows, it is too cold, and the plant reacts very badly to lower temperatures, it can make it clear with all its appearance that it does not like something, which means that something is urgently needed order change.

The leaves can curl profusely - this is either due to the fact that the room is too cold, or due to low humidity. Also, in this way, drafts can affect the plant. Absolutely any problems that we have listed arise due to the fact that the gardener does not follow the rules for planting calathea, as well as the rules for caring for it, and therefore the plant is deficient in attention. Therefore, in order for the flower to be not only healthy, but also very attractive, it is very important to properly care for it and give it everything that was originally prescribed by the rules of agricultural technology. Of course, as we can understand, each variety and type of calathea can be demanding in certain conditions and aspects. In the next part of this article, we will give a description of the most common types and varieties of calathea, talk about their features and what should be done in order to get excellent, bright and healthy plantings in indoor conditions.

Types of calathea and their characteristics

Calathea Bahema - the birthplace of this type of kalate is Brazil. Among all the other varieties and species, it is this one that is considered the most unpretentious and completely undemanding in caring activities. The bush has no stems; the length of the leathery leaf plates is about forty centimeters. On the leaves, you can see a pattern of a silvery-green hue, and also a dark green pattern is clearly visible on them, which is located along the entire central vein. The drawing looks incredibly attractive, due to which this type of calathea is incredibly popular among flower growers.

Calathea Makoya - another type of kalatei, which is also native to Brazil. In height, the bush sometimes reaches half a meter, the length of the foliage is about twenty centimeters, the leaf itself has a wide oval shape, and its width is ten centimeters. The front part of the plate is painted in a white, almost transparent shade, on it you can see clear veins that contrast due to their deep green color. The leaves also have pale red specks and a pattern that mainly consists of deep green stripes.In general, these leaves look incredibly attractive, and the variety itself, in principle, does not differ in any kind of exactingness, if we are talking about planting and caring for this culture.

Calathea painted - this culture has long leaf plates - about twenty centimeters, along the edge you can see a strip that has a greenish color. The vein in the middle is painted in the same deep green shade, it all looks incredibly interesting and decorative, so in principle this type of calathea also fits perfectly into any interior, it can become attractive to any grower.

Calathea leopard Is another species that does not have a stem. The bush reaches a height of about 40 centimeters to half a meter. The leaves are oval-lanceolate in shape, their width is from three to four centimeters, but the length is from ten centimeters. On greenish leaves, you can see dark green colored spots that are slightly oblong, more like leopard spots, and the plant looks very interesting and attractive.

Decorated calathea - This species is native to Colombian very humid forests, and this should be taken into account when choosing caring measures for planting. The bush is low, reaching a height of fifteen centimeters, no more. The oval foliage is about twenty centimeters long and the leaf is five centimeters wide. The front side has a greenish tint with a yellow tint; on the leaves you can see lines of pink or silver shades. But the reverse side of the leaves is purple, which looks incredibly interesting and really very decorative. This species also includes several varieties that also have their own characteristics and characteristics, and are also popular with flower growers who want to expand their indoor plantings.

Calathea saffron - this is the species that we have already mentioned several times in the framework of this article. The front side of the leaves is painted in a dark and rich green shade, but the reverse side of the leaves is almost brown in color. If the species has a long daylight hours, while being in indoor conditions, and the daylight hours lasts about ten hours, then the bush will bloom from January to February and will delight lovers of indoor crops with its bright external characteristics. The inflorescences of this species, in contrast to the inflorescences of other species, are really very spectacular and bright, they can be colored either in a rich yellow hue, or they can be bright orange.

Calathea Varshevich - also the kind that we have already mentioned in this article. The foliage of the species is velvety, its front surface has a slightly greenish pattern, which is located along the central vein. If you look at the back side of the leaf, then it will be painted in a purple hue. When this species blooms, spectacular inflorescences are formed on the bush, painted in white, pink or cream shades, it all looks very outlandish, and it is simply impossible not to pay attention to this, because not all types of calata are able to give such bright inflorescences and be so decorative and attractive.

Calathea striped - this species is also called zebra calathea - a plant native to the tropical regions of Brazil. The leaves are elongated, can reach forty centimeters in length, and about fifteen centimeters wide, look very powerful due to their size. From the inside, the leaf is painted in a pale red color, but its front side has a deep dark green color, they also have feathery stripes, as if it were a zebra color. In principle, this plant looks very attractive precisely due to its large leaves.

Calathea Veitch or Vicha - in height, this bush is perhaps the largest, it can reach ninety centimeters.The foliage is smooth, oval, the length of one leaf is about thirty centimeters, and the width is about ten. The surface is dark green in color, you can see yellowish stripes on it, which greatly adorn the leaf. The reverse side of the plate is purple with bright yellow stripes. The plant is very popular in indoor conditions, as it is not too demanding or whimsical, and therefore it is especially popular with gardeners and florists around the world.

Calathea red-bearded - the species received this name due to the fact that from the inside of the leaves and on the petioles, you can notice a slight pubescence, painted in a fiery red hue. The leaves of the species are elongated, the edge is not even, but slightly wavy. This species has several varieties, which also require attention from florists:

- blue grasse - on both sides the leaves are painted in a fresh green tint

- wavestar - from the inside out, the leaves have a lilac color, which looks very attractive and decorative. Also, flower growers often cultivate species such as calathea litze, orbifolia, queen of Maui and many others. All of them have their own characteristics and external characteristics, and they relate differently to indoor care.