Caring for Calathea Orbifolia Plants

HOUSE PLANT HOW TO'S  

Calathea Orbifolia 

Orbifolia is perennial plant that is native to Bolivia, found originally on the forest floors of Bolivia. However, these plants are increasingly more seen across the world becoming stylish house plants.

Calathea is a member of the Marantaceae or Prayer Plant family and include a number of beautiful varieties.

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Where should they live? 

As a plant originally found on rainforest floors it needs to be kept in a warm (16-20 degrees) and humid room. So a bathroom would be an ideal position for this house plant! 

How much light? 

Keep this plant away from direct sunlight, it can cause the beautiful patterns on the leaves to fade. The best position for this plant is in partial shade or natural bright light. 

When to water + feed?

This plant will thank you if you can provide it with natural rainwater, saving you money on your water bills! Alternatively, water with distilled or filtered water.. these plants are very sensitive to chemicals added to water directly from our tap.  

Always make sure the pot drains well to avoid the plant from becoming waterlogged. Make sure from spring to autumn the soil is kept moist for a happy plant :-)  Feed once in Spring, Summer & Autumn. 

Why is my plant turning brown? 

If the leaf tips or edging is turning brown there could be a number of things wrong… the air is likely to be too dry, you may have over fed your plant.. or it may be due to watering with hard water (a particular problem in the south-east of England). 

Top Tips:

This plant loves humidity! A tip to help this plant thrive in your home is to stand it on a pebble-filled tray of water and mist it daily to replicate the conditions of the rainforest..

Plant Friends: Place this plant with any other types of house plant to help with humidity levels.