Calathea Setosa
Calathea Setosa is also known by its common names as Never Never Plant, Compact star Plant, Zebra Plant and Prayer Plant. It is native to a tropical climate. This plant is regarded as an air purifying plant which makes this so much more valuable to keep indoors. They are mid-sized plants reaching the height of 40-70 cm and can be grown in pots of 16 cm diameter and 15 cm height. They are famous for their striking foliage beauty. It is an evergreen plant with large and broad leaves. Different species of Calatheas are available with different kinds of foliage. The leaves are bicoloured and variegated, meaning – They are silver with dark green veins on the dorsal side and purple on the ventral side. The leaves show a unique movement called nyctinasty. The leaves close at night and reopen in the morning. As the leaves close in dark like that people palms in prayer. They are called Prayer Plants. All the prayer-plants come under the common family, Marantaceae. The stem of this plant is hairy. Both sides of the leaves are shown in the picture below:-
The most common and popular species of Calathea are:-
✓Calathea veitchiana (Medallion calathea),
✓Calathea lancifolia (Rattlesnake calathea), ✓Calathea ornata (Pinstripe calathea)
✓Calathea roseopicta (Calathea Dottie)
They originated from the tropical rainforest of Brazil. That’s why they prefer a humid climate with decent temperature.
Calathea Setosa Care
This plant needs good attention to make it happy. We need to care for this plant in different aspects. Some Caring tips for Calathea setosa are:-
✓As they are native to the rainforest, they need good moisture. The soil should be kept moist but not soggy. You can irrigate once a week or when the upper part of the soil becomes dry. Frequent watering but in a small amount. The frequency of irrigation can be reduced to once per three weeks during winter. Overwatering causes the root rot of the plant.
✓These plants are adapted to rainwater. Rain is like distilled water. Calathea doesn’t like hard water. So, It is better to use distilled water from mineral water bottles or you can collect rainwater and use it to irrigate your Calatheas.
✓Low humidity restricts the growth of calathea, So – It is mandatory to do misting. Misting is the process of spraying the little water in the plant body especially on leaves. This prevents the plant leaves from being brown. You can buy a humidifier from the market or you can just place the pot over the tray containing water. The water in the tray evaporates and maintains the humidity around the plant.
✓In nature, These plants grow in the canopy of large trees. That means- They cannot tolerate direct sunlight. Filtered/Partial Sunlight but a good amount of sunlight should be provided. It is better to keep the plant near the south-facing window. Bright indirect sunlight is best for this plant. Too much sunlight fades the beauty of its foliage and very low light causes the leaf variegation to disappear.
✓During the winter season, they get stressed due to the dry climate and during June/July they get stressed due to the hot air. So, Proper care should be done by regular misting. A normal room temperature of 15-25 °C is most suited for Calathea Setosa Plant.
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Fertilizer
They aren’t voracious feeders. You can fertilize them with Vermicompost, Seaweed solution and Balanced NPK once every 3 months. You can also add slow-releasing fertilizer like osmocote which provides the nutrient for a longer duration. You can also add Perlite to increase the water holding capacity of your potting mix.
Repotting
Calathea is grown in a pot. Therefore, It is necessary to repot them every year as there can be root bound condition. In root bound condition, the Roots of the plant cover all the soil and make it like a ball. Roots become crowded and it needs to be repotted. While Repotting, the potting mix should be changed and a pot with a larger size than the previous size should be used. Don’t forget to put pebbles over the drainage hole of the pot and keep some pebbles at the top of the soil.
Pot And Potting Mix
Calathea Setosa grows best in the clay pot.
Potting Mix:-
Garden Soil:Cocopeat:Perlite:Manure = 1:1:1:2
The soil should be porous, well-drained and rich in nutrients.
Propagation
The most common method of Propagation is Division and Stem cutting. It is a vegetative method of propagating plants. For cutting, you can cut the stem just below the node and plant it in potting mix. Water it and check it regularly. After 2 weeks and more, the roots are formed. Now, You can transplant it wherever you want and you got new calathea Setosa in your collection.
Common Problems
•Leaf Curling And Drying Out Of Leafs
✓Causes:- Use of hard water, Temperature Fluctuations, Less Watering
•Yellowing Leaves
✓Causes:- Overwatering
•Brown Leaves
✓Causes:-Excessive N – Fertilizer, Underwatering
•Dropping Of Leaves
✓Causes:- Underwatering, Cold Temperature
Final Verdict
Thus – Calathea Setosa is truely an amazing plant that you can add in the list of your indoor plants.
This is whole information on Calathea Setosa: Plant Care, Common Name And Propagation.
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