Moving to a new house or equipping a long-familiar home, people often resort to the help of plants. It is so nice to see fresh herbs after a long and difficult day! And everyone, of course, chooses a set of plants home so that they please the eye and do not require special conditions. And so, browsing the Internet for home flowers, photos and plant names, beginners or already experienced flower growers come across a calathea. She is stunningly beautiful, although not as unpretentious as many other indoor flowers.
Calathea is a genus of plants with a large number of species. Among them there are specimens with narrow, sharp or almost round leaves, their colors also vary. In general, without knowing this, it is difficult to imagine that they are all relatives.
Most often you can find in the shops and florist houses the kalatea Varshevich. It is distinguished by dark green oval velvet leaves and a clearly visible central vein. Very broad, almost round green leaves with a beautiful pattern on the front side, burgundy from the inside - the plant has a painted, or painted calathea. Species with narrow leaves - lanceolate, or majestica - are also very interesting, you can also see very beautiful patterns on them. A plant of the species Makoya does fold its painted oval leaves at night - it is very interesting to observe this process.
Calathea, whose species number about one and a half dozen (and these are only the most popular!), Is, as you might have guessed, an ornamental-deciduous plant, and its flowers do not look very interesting, so admirers of this genus of plants are usually not particularly interested. Light pink or cream-colored small flowers are collected in an inflorescence on a short peduncle - not such an exciting sight.
Calathea, whose species differ so much among themselves, has, in general, the fame of a rather capricious plant, although in most cases flower growers still manage to get along with it without changing the usual living conditions too much. First of all, the flower does not tolerate direct sunlight, on the contrary, it will feel good in a rather dark corner. However, it is not worth it to completely deprive the calathea - the leaves can become smaller and lose their decorative effect. Sudden changes in temperature, and generally cold and drafts near its location, must not be allowed.
For watering, use soft water at room temperature. Calathea, whose species for the most part do not tolerate overflow, is also poorly tolerated by drought, so the owner of the flower will have to find a balance in this matter. Another serious problem of most apartments is the dry air, in which the plant, if it does not die, gradually loses its decorative properties, its leaves twist and die.
But the reproduction and transplantation of calathea is not difficult. Transplantation or transshipment is carried out annually. The pot should not be too large, on the contrary, most calories prefer crowding. During the transplant, the bush can be carefully divided into parts and transplanted.
Yes, caring for calathea can hardly be called easy, but the beauty of this plant is worth it!