Calathea Picturata is another attractive member of the Calathea plants genus, with wonderful contrasting leaves. The plant lovers adore the foliage, famous for vibrant colors in the center of leaves with dark-colored periphery on the leave’s edges.
Prominent Family Members: Calathea Vittata, Calathea Leopardina, Calathea Crocata, Calathea Rufibarba, Calathea Ornata, Calathea Orbifolia, Calathea Lutea
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How do you care for Calathea Picturata?
Calathea Picturata has specific humidity, temperature, light, and water demands. Providing the plant with optimum living conditions will result in a thriving Calathea with vibrant leaves. Let us discuss all these requirements and how to keep this nature’s bounty in perfectly healthy condition.
Adding Calathea Picturata to your Houseplants Collection
The contrasting patterned leaves of Calathea Argentea are lovely, and any houseplant lover will love to add the plant to their home collection. However, whenever you buy a new houseplant, it is necessary to thoroughly inspect the plant for any disease or presence of pests.
This step is vital to eliminate any disease spreading to your existing house plants from a newcomer. Keep your Calathea Picturata away from the existing plant for two weeks. You can move the plant to its permanent location once you are satisfied with its health.
Light requirement for Calathea Argentea
Sunlight hitting the leaves directly can put the plant under a lot of stress and dehydrate it. Once the plant losses its moisture, the beautiful green color of leaves will fade, and the plant will not look vibrant. A sign of exposure to direct sunlight is a massive pack of dark spots on the leaves and curling due to intense heat.
You shall make a permanent place for Calathea Picturata with moderately bright light, where the plant will flourish dynamically. Never place it in front of a window with direct sunlight.
Humidity and Temperature for Picturata Plant
Picturata plant is native to the Brazilian rainforest, which is highly humid and hot due to continuous rainfall throughout the year. They remain happy and grow fast, close to that humid Brazilian environment. The lack of humidity symptoms is crisping of leaves and edges become brown. Please use a humidifier or a pebble tray to keep the humidity above 50% in such a scenario.
Temperature also plays a vital role in its growth and liveliness. Calathea Picturata will flourish between temperatures of 65 to 80º F. The plant starts losing its strength and freshness above and below this range. The plant cannot tolerate sudden temperature variation; therefore, keep it safe from hot and cold drafts.
Watering requirements for Calathea Silver
Calathea Picturata requires frequent watering; however, the leaves start wilting, drooping, and curl if the soil remains wet. Being native to northern Brazil, where the climate is constantly hot and humid, the Picturata plant flourishes best in moist soil. You will have to usually water the plant twice a week in summer; however, a watering routine shall be devised to monitor the soil moisture level.
Water the plant only when the top one inch of soil has become dry. Do not overwater because fungal diseases can develop in soggy soil, ultimately leading to root rot. If you notice yellowing of your plant leaves and loss in their vitality, immediately stop watering and let the soil dry.
We recommended using filtered water or distilled water as Calathea Picturata is sensitive to excessive minerals in tap water. Rainwater is the best option for watering if you have excessive rains in your living place.
The best soil for Picturata Calathea
We recommend using well-draining soil for planting Picturata Calathea. The soil shall also have the moisture-retaining capability to remain moist for a long time.
You may use premix soil available in the market for African Violet as it is suitable for Calathea Picturata. If you want to have your mix, add one part each of perlite, peat moss, and orchid bark to three parts of common houseplant potting soil to make the best soil mixture for Calathea Argentea.
Fertilizer for Calathea Argentea Silver
Calathea Argentea requires extra nutrients for its healthy and lively look in the growing season. You may use the nitrogen-based houseplant fertilizer diluted for Calathea Picturata. Please be careful about the recommended ratios of fertilizer and water because the strong solution will start burning the plant leaves. Always water the plant before fertilizing.
If you notice any sign of over-fertilization like leaf burning and brown edges, flush the soil with running water for two to three minutes.
Repotting Calathea Picturata
A growing Calathea Picturata plant will require repotting after every two years. If you notice the roots coming out of the container bottom or emerging from the top surface of the soil, its time to repot the plant. If repotting is not carried out, the roots will not have room for further growth, and the result will be stunted growth of the plant.
Repotting is a simple process of taking out the plant gently from the existing pot and planting it in a new bigger container. The best time to repot your Calathea is in the spring season, and please take care of the following points for successful repotting.
How do you Propagate Calathea Picturata?
You can successfully propagate the Calathea Argentia plant by division of rhizomes. A rhizome is a shoot having a root system, stem, and leaves. Other propagation methods like seeds and cuttings are not viable for Calathea Picturata.
Rhizoctamious shoots will develop in a new plant
The most suitable time for propagation is in spring at the start of the growing season and is convenient to carry out along with repotting activity.
Once the roots are out of the pot during repotting, take a cutting of roots with stem and leaves to make a new shoot for propagation. Plant the shoot in nutrient-rich, moist soil and place the baby plant in a dark, humid place. New growth will appear on the baby plant in two to three weeks. Shift the plant to its permanent location after noticing new growth development.
Is Calathea Picturata safe for pets?
Calathea Picturata is a safe plant and is entirely harmless to pets and kids. Similarly, Calathea Picturata Argentea is also a non-toxic plant, and you shall not worry about your kids or pets playing around with these gorgeous plants.
Pests, Diseases, Common Problems and Queries
Pests and Diseases
Plants free from pests and diseases are healthy and grow faster than infected plants. Keep an eye on the development of an infestation and frequently inspect the leave’s undersides as spider mites, mealybugs, and scales make their colonies there. Mild infection can be controlled by manual cleaning and applying Neem oil with a soft cloth, whereas use a pesticide for strong invasion of pests.
Browning of leaves
The diseases which primarily affect the Calathea family members like Picturata and Freddie are fungal diseases like leaf spots and root rot. Overwatering causes root rot as the wet environment around roots invites fungus for infection. On the other hand, leaf spots occur because of water droplets that remain on the leaf surface for a long time after misting. To avoid these diseases, make an appropriate schedule to water your Picturata plant and wipe out leaves after misting.
Is Calathea Picturata an indoor plant?
Yes, Calathea Picturata can be grown indoors. In nature, Calathea Picturata is found in dense forests of the Amazon, growing in a warm and humid climate with exposure to low light. You can successfully grow the plant indoors by depicting the plant’s natural environment.