Easy Tips to Care Calathea Ornata and Propagation

Calatheas are undoubtedly popular houseplants due to their vibrant and beautiful foliage. They look pretty when placed in your place and they can also make your interior look more eye-catching. There are a lot of types of Calatheas. Among them, there is Calathea ornata.

Calathea ornata, which is also known as the Pinstripe Calathea thanks to its distinctive markings, is as pretty as the other Calathea varieties. This one has large green leaves with pink stripes. No one can deny its beauty. However, it can be a fussy plant and hard to take care of at times. It is not easy to keep this one healthy, let alone live. If you are currently growing Calathea ornata or are planning to grow one, you might need easy tips to care for it and propagate it.

Water

Watering Calathea ornate is relatively easy. On how to water it depends on the amount of light the plant is getting. If it is in lower light situations, water it less often. Please water it when the top inch or two of soil feels dry. When talking about the water, actually, not every kind of water can be used to water this plant. This plant is known to be picky about the quality of water. The best waters to use include distilled water, rain water, snow melt, dechlorinated, and filtered tap water. Avoid using hard water, soft water, and fluoridated water as they can make the plant grumpy and browned.

Soil

Calathea ornata is fond of moist soil. For those who want for your plant to grow well, you will have to find a soil that retains a lot of water. By finding one, it will benefit both you and the plant. With it, you do not have to water it as often and the plant can sit in moist soil for a long time. If it is hard for you to find such soil, you can just water the plant more often in order to keep the moisture of the soil.

Light

In fact, Calathea ornata will grow in medium amounts of indirect light, similar to the other tropical plants. It is better for you to put it near east or west facing windows. Besides, you can also keep this plant near south facing windows where the light is filtered by trees or curtains. While some people assume that it is good with bright direct light, it is actually not true. If the light that it gets is too bright, the pink stripes will fade to white. Not only that, it is also possible for the leaves to burn. Actually, this kind of Calathea can also handle low light. It does it better compared to some other varieties of Calathea.

Temperature

It is worth noting that the location plays an important role in helping Calathea ornata to grow. Just like any other tropical plant, this one likes warm temperatures, ranging from 65 to 85 degree Fahrenheit or 18 to 29 degree Celsius. If you want your plant to grow well, you will need to make sure that your indoor temperatures drop no lower than 60 degree Fahrenheit or 15.5 degree Celsius. It is really important to keep an eye on the location to place your plant.

You have to know that all houseplants, especially tropical ones like Calathea ornata, tend to face some issues caused by cold drafts or other sudden temperature changes. Placing it above a heat register or close to a window can lead to such issues.

Humidity

As a tropical plant, Calathea ornata loves the place with plenty of humidity. While it is true that misting the leaves of the plant twice a week with room temperature water is effective to maintain adequate moisture levels, you are also encouraged to place it in a room with naturally more humid. Some of the most recommended places include the kitchen and bathroom. These two have plenty of access to humid conditions. In case it is unlikely to keep Calathea ornata in these places, you can consider placing a humidifier close to the plant to help draw moisture to the plant and keeping it there. Aside from that, you can also place the plant on a tray covered with a layer of pebbles. Make sure to add the pebbles to the water periodically to maintain humidity around the roots of the plant without making them root.

Fertilizer

When it comes to fertilizing, Calathea ornata is considered relatively low maintenance. However, you can still fertilize your plant every four weeks or so to take advantage of the fertilizer. Please do it especially during the spring and summer when the plant naturally grows a bit more.

During the winter, fertilizing is not that needed because it naturally drops off in growth as the colder weather approaches. It means you do not have to do that every four weeks or so. If you are wondering when is the right time to fertilize this plant during winter, you can do it when it is actively growing. If it is not actively growing, then don’t do it because giving it too much fertilizer can actually burn it. Not only that, it can also prevent the plant from exiting its dormant stage. If you are thinking that giving the plant too much fertilizer is good as you assume that it will lead to increased production then you are totally wrong. Instead of producing more, the plant will become tall and lanky and not lush and verdant. When it is the time to give it fertilizer, which is when it is growing, please use the balanced one to support growth. Dilute liquid fertilizer to half strength for best results. Actually, you can also use organic fertilizer such as compost tea.

Propagation

Unlike some other plants, the sad news is that there is no way for the Calathea ornata to be propagated through cuttings. Instead of cutting, it has to be propagated by division. Propagating the Calathea ornata by division can be done by simply dividing two or more plants from one pot and repotting the separated parts.