It's no wonder why the calathea plant -- also commonly known as the cathedral, peacock or zebra plant -- is such a popular household plant. Its beautiful foliage of bright white veins against green, red and cream leaves provides interesting and unique texture to any room of your house. Easy to care for, the calathea plant will have everyone thinking that you have a gifted green thumb.
You should water your calathea when the top of the soil is dry. in general, you will need to water them once a week. however, in colder climates or low light levels, you should wait at least 2 weeks before watering.
The ideal blend of soil for plant growth is called loam. Often referred to as topsoil or black dirt by landscape companies, loam is a mixture of sand, clay, and silt.
It is important to never remove more than a third of the foliage in any one year and to cut just above a node on the stem.
Calathea plants do not like the cold very much. They are from tropical areas of the world and prefer temperatures between 65-80 degrees. Temperatures above and below that can cause damage to the plant, first evident in the curling of the leaves.
Here’s a handy guideline: increase pot size by 2.5-5 cm (1 to 2 inches) in diameter for plants that are growing in pots 25.4 cm (10 inches) in diameter or less. For larger plants, those growing in pots greater than 10 inches in diameter, increase the pot size by 5 or 7.62 cm (2 or 3 inches) in diameter.
Leaves on a Calathea can be seen to move around regularly, looking as though they are waving to you. They move around to adjust to the light, and often draw in during the night hours. Keep an eye out for the spreading movement when they first see daylight!
