Calathea 'Ornata'

Getting Started with Your Calathea 'Ornata'

1. Light: Your Pinstripe Plant does best in bright, indirect light. Gentle morning sun is fine, but strong direct sun can scorch the leaves and fade the pink stripes. It also tolerates lower light, which makes it useful for brightening dimmer rooms.
2. Potting and Drainage: Use a well-draining, peat-based mix in a pot with drainage holes. The soil should stay evenly moist but never soggy, so excess water must be able to drain away and the saucer should be emptied.
3. Placement: Calathea 'Ornata' grows about 2 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide indoors, making a striking tabletop or floor plant. Keep it between about 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, away from cold windows, drafts, and heating or cooling vents. Humid bathrooms and kitchens with good light are ideal.

Care Instructions

1. Watering: Water when the top inch of soil starts to dry, keeping it evenly moist but not soggy. It is picky about water quality, since chlorine in tap water can brown the leaf edges. Filtered, distilled, or rainwater will keep it happiest.
2. Humidity: Calathea 'Ornata' loves humidity, ideally around 50 percent or higher. Native to tropical South American forests, it is a perfect fit for bathrooms or kitchens where humidity is naturally higher. In dry homes, a humidifier makes the biggest difference.
3. Fertilizing: Feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength about once a month in spring and summer, and skip winter feeding. Overfeeding can brown the leaf edges, so it is better to feed lightly.
4. Pest Monitoring: Spider mites are the most common pest, especially in dry air. Check the leaf undersides for fine webbing or pale speckles, wipe the leaves with a soft cloth and filtered water, and treat any infestation with insecticidal soap.

Maintenance and Long-Term Care

1. Repotting: Repot every one to two years in spring into a pot one size larger, using a well-draining, peat-based mix. Water well afterward and keep humidity high while it settles in.
2. Pruning and Cleaning Leaves: Trim brown, crispy edges with clean scissors for a tidier look, and remove fully damaged or yellow leaves at the base. Wipe the leaves gently with a soft, damp cloth and filtered water to keep the pinstripes crisp.
3. Propagation: Calatheas are propagated by division rather than cuttings. When repotting in spring, gently separate a clump with its own roots and several leaves, pot it in fresh mix, and keep it warm and humid while it establishes.

Additional Tips for Calathea 'Ornata'

1. Pet Safety: Calathea 'Ornata' is pet friendly and safe for curious cats and dogs. Calatheas are non-toxic houseplants, so you can enjoy the elegant pink pinstripes without worrying about a pet nibbling on the foliage.
2. Brown Edges: Brown, crispy edges are usually caused by low humidity or chemicals in tap water. Raise the humidity with a humidifier or pebble tray and switch to filtered or distilled water.
3. Fading Stripes and Curling: The pink pinstripes typically become more vibrant as the plant matures but can fade to white on older leaves, which is normal. Too much direct sun also fades them. Temperatures below about 60 degrees can cause curling and leaf damage.
4. Moving Leaves: The leaves fold upward at night and lower in the morning, a daily movement called nyctinasty. It is part of the prayer plant family, and the movement is a sign of a healthy plant.