Calathea flower medallion: home care, especially cultivation and reproduction

Many people were attracted by the unusual beautiful flower "calathea medallion", which is native to South America, seen on the windowsill. It is a perennial flower that belongs to the Marantov family. The plant is very moody and needs careful care, so it is better to purchase it for experienced flower growers. If the cultivation technology is violated even a little, the "calathea medallion" will die.

In fact, the flower is unusual for its variegated colorful leaves. The bright and effective color of the plant delights and drives many people crazy. "Calathea medallion" has a flower with wide oval-shaped plates, in the center of which there is a still light leaf with a large number of pink and yellow veins and wavy white edges. This color looks very unusual and original. The leaves themselves grow in the form of tubes, which gradually unfold. With the onset of the morning, the plates occupy a horizontal position, and in the evening they are arranged vertically. If you look at the underside of the leaves, they will have a dark pink color.

Flowering "Calathea medallion" is not very plentiful and effective. The only virtue of a flower is its leaves. Flower corollas are endowed with such value - the seeds that form in them are collected for reproduction.

However, flower varieties can be very effective. These include the calathea medallion hybrids. Many gardeners, for example, strive to have a "calathea medallion" with leaves painted with purple shades.

Which place is more suitable for a flower?

As stated earlier, "calathea medallion" is native to South America. More precisely, from the tropical forests located in the lower tier. Therefore, it is used to growing in the shade. Experts advise keeping this plant in partial shade. If the flower pot is placed in the sun, the plant may survive, but its leaves will be faded. The ideal place for the "calathea medallion" is the north side of the window. Although purple hybrids are best placed on the west or east window behind the curtain. The air for a flower needs very humid (90%). Such conditions cannot be created either in the house, or in the apartment, or even in the bathroom. That is why the flower needs to be sprayed often. If you do not do this, the plant will die.

Necessary soil for "calathea medallion"

The soil should consist of:

- one part of peat;

- one part of the land, mixed in equal quantities with humus;

- ¼ parts of charcoal, ground coal;

- ½ part of sand.

This composition can be made independently, or you can buy a ready-made mixture intended for flower crops of the Marantov family at a flower shop.

To make the flower convenient and comfortable, broken shards are placed on the bottom of the pot and pebbles are poured.

How to care?

"Calathea medallion" requires frequent watering, but without stagnant water. You can't keep the soil in the pot moistened all the time. This will lead to the death of the flower. It will start with the fact that the edges of the leaves of the plant turn black, then they will fall off. Therefore, watering the flower is done if the ground dries well and is slightly damp. For irrigation, take water that will stand in the room for several hours. Being a tropical plant, the flower will not tolerate cold water.

Also, "calathea medallion" cannot live in overdried soil. For this reason, the leaves of the flower will dry up. Spraying is a must here. This procedure should be mandatory and frequent. However, the spraying must be correct. Only the air where the flower is located is subject to humidification. Do not spray water on the leaves themselves. Otherwise, dark spots and burns form on the green plates. Spraying is carried out several times every day. If this is not possible, but you can do the following: the pot with the "calathea medallion" is placed in a large container, and the space between the walls of the pot and the container is filled with moss, which is moistened. However, drying out of the moss should be avoided. But in this case, spraying must be continued, it will simply be possible to do this procedure less often.

How to feed the plant?

At different times of the year, the flower is fed in different ways. So, in spring and summer, "calathea medallion" is fertilized every two weeks, using complex formulations intended for deciduous decorative indoor plants. This flower does not like oversaturation with dressings. Therefore, only half of the dose indicated on the package should be applied. Moreover, if you do not want your plant to disappear, use this advice without fail. Top dressing ends at the end of summer.

Flower transplant

"Calathea medallion" has a superficial root system, which requires complex care and transplants, which need to be carried out periodically. Young shoots are transplanted into new containers once a year, and adult crops - every two years. The procedure is carried out only in the spring and with the utmost care. First, drainage is prepared, which is poured into a new container, on top - the same soil that was described earlier, and spread it with a two centimeter layer. The roots of the plant are carefully placed in a pot, sprinkling with the available soil. The soil is not strongly compacted. Otherwise, the roots of the plant will rot. Make sure that the growth point of the flower remains on the surface. It cannot be buried. The pot is filled to the very top. The transplanted plant is watered and placed in a shaded, cool place for several days.

How to propagate a flower?

It is very difficult to breed a flower at home and not many succeed. Still worth a try. The option of dividing the bush is not acceptable here, since the "calathea" for which careful care is needed at home, it may not be tolerated. The best way would be to propagate by cuttings. How to do it? An aerial branch with several leaves is cut from an adult plant. It is not deeply placed in moist soil and covered with a plastic transparent bottle or plastic bag for rooting.

You can propagate "calathea medallion" and seeds, which are mixed with sand and earth in a ratio of 1 x 2, and then poured into a bowl. The container is also covered with polyethylene film. Germination is possible at temperatures from +22 to +25 degrees. When the roots appear from the seeds, they are sprinkled with a two-centimeter soil.

Harmful insects that can attack calathea

If the "calathea medallion" is not often sprayed, it can be attacked by a spider mite. It settles on the plant from the underside of the leaves, enveloping them with thin threads. The size of the mite is so small that the human eye does not notice them. But if a pest appears, the flower must be sprayed with an insecticidal agent. Sometimes the "calathea" is attacked by thrips, which are located on the underside of the culture in huge colonies. The plates begin to change color. To cure the flower from this pest, use an insecticide or a solution with the addition of soap. After processing, the bush should be fed a little.

Another flower pest is the scale insect. These are small black bugs that drink the sap of the plant. They can also be destroyed with soapy water by sprinkling the green parts of the calathea.

Flower diseases

It happens that a flower, receiving proper care, begins to hurt. This becomes noticeable on the yellowed leaves. This can happen if too much feeding has been applied or the flower is cold. "Calathea medallion" should be kept indoors at temperatures from +16 degrees and above. The optimum is + 25 degrees. If you notice that the leaves of the flower are curling, it means that the plant does not have enough moisture or the location is not suitable.

In addition, the flower does not like to be near household appliances. Place the plant pot away from equipment that emits electromagnetic waves.