In today’s article, we will talk about the jungle velvet calathea plant. This plant is not the only calathea plant worth worshiping. There are many types of calathea that are beautiful and will simply shine in your home.
This tropical plant is also known as the prayer plant due to its growing ways and habits, which we will talk about in more detail below in the text.
If your home lacks greenery or even purple plants, since some species are purple, then you are in the right place. Who doesn’t want purple house plants?
Today you will learn all about these plants, and then, run to the flower shop for them.
Let’s learn basic care guide tricks about the jungle velvet calathea plants.
Calathea Jungle Velvet Features
Labeled with the name Jungle Velvet Calathea, you will often find plants from the same family Marantaceae – namely the genera Maranta, Stromanthe, and Ctenanthe.
Also, they all share the name “prayer plant” because the leaves of all of them move during the day. Besides these, there are many types of prayer-plants that are truly breathtaking.
In the morning when they unfurl their leaves, in some species the leaves bend so much that they look as if the plant is withered and as if it needs to be watered.
But if it’s not time to water, don’t fall for this look. Most of the plants in this prayer plant family have a pinkish-purple back side of the leaf, which looks pretty cool when they raise their leaves in the evening.
These plants got that name because of the specific movement of the leaves that are open during the day, they look almost as if the plant has withered, and as the day goes on and the sun gets a little quieter, the leaves start to close, until some of them even stand up completely.
Jungle Velvet Calathea Natural Habitat
These lovely indoor plants originate from tropical areas. They usually grow in tropical forests, and they are native to USDA growing zones 10 and 12.
The native habitat is Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and close areas. They thrive well in partially shady tropical areas. You won’t find this plant in colder regions since they need warm temperatures to thrive.
Jungle Velvet Calathea Height/Size
When provided with perfect conditions, such as moist soil, direct sunlight, and other things needed for this plant care, they can grow between 20 and 40 feet.
It’s more possible for outdoor plants of calathea jungle velvet to grow 40 feet since they thrive perfectly in their natural habitat.
There are no roots disturbed issues, the root system is perfect, soil moisture is fin, and due to nature which does the job with a watering schedule, root rot issues won’t occur.
Care Guide For Velvet Calathea Plants
Once you have a jungle velvet calathea plant in your home, soon enough you’ll make sure you took some stem cuttings for a mother plant to propagate them. Jungle velvet calathea isn’t a hard maintenance plant, once you purchase it, you’ll see how easy it is to take care of it.
The most important things are its position, soil, and fertilizer. That’s not much right? In order to give and provide a perfect care guide for calathea jungle velvet, let’s learn more then.
Is Bright Indirect Light Good Choice?
Bright light combined with direct sunlight it’s the best choice of light for this tropical fussy plant. Calathea warscewiczii doesn’t thrive well in shady places.
When you’re planting a new plant of calathea, then it’s very important for them to be placed in a bright light position. Plant parents, remember this!
Along with soil moist, this is the second most important thing about these plants. Soft velvety leaves and other plants that are similar to this plant will never grow in shade. You’ll notice their droopy appearance right away.
Jungle Velvet Calathea: Choose A Right Potting Soil
There are a couple of things you need to pay attention to when choosing potting soil for your calathea plant.
Potting mix and pebble tray are definitely good choices for this plant, but you also need to choose soil that absorbs water well. Soil has to have adequate drainage too. Dry soils are more than a big firm no for these plants.
Soil moisture in summer and springtime is very important for this plant. They don’t grow well, almost at all soggy soils.
They can also grow well in coarse sand soils and regular soil mix. Of all the calathea types, this one maybe has the smallest ratio of soil types and choices. It’s simply like that with Calathea warscewiczii plant. It’s best to plant calathea houseplants in nursery pots.
Watering Schedule For Stunning Tropical Plants Calathea
One of the most important things to know during their watering period is drainage holes. If you sometimes even overdo it, which is allowed once or twice, there are drainage holes to the rescue.
Without them, your plant has a problem with standing water, and especially if your soil is waterlogged soil, then you definitely have to pay attention to this.
Tap water, distilled water, and rainwater are all good choices for this plant. You don’t need to water them often.
Once a week is enough, and in cases where the temperatures are noticeably high, then you can do it twice a week. In conditions of poor light, water them less, and in conditions with more light, more water is needed.
Temperature For Calathea Jungle Velvet
The perfect temperature ratio for these tropical plants is between 65 and 80 F. They can thrive well in 60 and 55 F as well, but just not as good as its best temperature ratio.
They don’t thrive well at all in low temperatures. Their root system can freeze if you grow them outside, they look droopy, and much more. Sudden temperature change isn’t flattering for them as well.
Humidity Levels For Jungle Velvet Calathea
High humidity levels are very important for this plant they’re exposed to high humidity in their native habitat. That means they should be in a room with a humidity level between 60 and 70%.
If your room doesn’t have much humidity, you should buy an air humidifier then. This topiary shrub grows well in a bright bathroom due to high humidity and light of course.
Just as you can buy a moisture meter for tracking water in the soil, you can buy a humidity meter as well.
Fertilizer For These Prayer Plants
Most tropical plants and especially those from calathea family need organic fertilizer. To increase those deep purple undersides and to avoid leaf edges browning, use organic amendments from the beginning.
Perfect conditions would be coco coir combined with compost fertilizer with a good regular watering schedule. Add bright sunlight to that and you have a perfectly healthy plant.
Pruning Tropical Plant Calathea Jungle Velvet
There is no need to prune your calathea jungle velvet plant if everything’s okay with it. If you do that, you’re just damaging your plant for no reason.
Your cut edges have to be recovered and that’s too much for your plant. It’s pointless if your plant is healthy.
You should prune your jungle velvet calathea when you notice problems on its leaves such as brown tips, or yellow leaves or if you simply spot damage made by some pests.
If you notice brown tips on the leaves or yellowish leaves on the top, it means that your plant is either too exposed to the sun, has too much water, or, has experienced a sudden change in temperature. In this case, prepare a sharp pair of scissors or a knife and trim your calathea plant.
To prevent further damage, make sure the scissors or knife are sharp and do it in one go if possible. In this way, you prevent the problem from spreading to the rest of the leaves. The plant will “recover” very quickly from pruning.
Propagation Of Jungle Calathea
If you thought this was another plant to propagate using the easy stem-cutting option, I’m sorry, but no. This plant, and all plants from the Calthea family, cannot be propagated using the stem cuttings option.
You can propagate them in two ways, from seeds, and by root division when repotting for example. You should propagate your calathea jungle velvet to reduce and maintain its size apart from wanting your friends or family to have it as well.
Propagation Of Jungle Calathea Jungle Velvet From Seeds
This is the most difficult method, because even high-quality calathea seeds may not germinate. To propagate jungle velvet calathea from seeds, do it like this:
- Sow the seeds in pots with a mixture of leafy soil and sand and grow them at a temperature of 55 to 60 F (not lower or higher!).
- When a pair of leaves appear, divide the seedlings into boxes with the same soil mixture, and later, when they are strong, plant them in individual pots.
This is definitely an unreliable planting because you never know if it will succeed, no matter how much love and care you put into those seeds. However, if you manage to do it right, you’ll be a happy owner of calathea jungle velvet soon enough.
Propagation Of Jungle Calathea By Root Division
Before you want to transplant your plant, it would be good to water it a little more for a few days before that. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to pamper yourself.
- Gently dig the plant out of the soil and remove it from its pot without damaging its roots.
- Separate the roots to take pieces for new growth.
- Sometimes it is necessary to divide the root system. Do this with a sharp, quick, clean cut. It is important to check that each clump has a root system.
- It would be good if each leaf was also tight to the stem, not torn, loose, damaged, etc.
- Transplant the plant in this condition into a new pot of the appropriate size.
- It is important to keep the soil moist in the coming period.
- Do not overwater and allow standing water problems to occur.
- Don’t expose them to direct sunlight, but don’t expose them to full shade either, neither is good. It is best to use bright indirect light for a new plant.
- The temperature should be between 60 and 70 F.
- Humidity is very important for these plants, we already know that.
- You MUST provide it with plenty of moisture during this period.
- Fertilizer promotes growth and keeps the leaves looking good, so fertilize it when you plant it, preferably right away.
- It is best to buy a half-strength mixture on small, young parts every two weeks to once a month. do not fertilize your plant while its soil is dry, only fertilize it when its soil is moist.
Repotting Calathea Jungle Velvet
Young jungle velvet calathea requires an annual transplant, and matures, once every two to three years. Transplantation is carried out in the spring. The soil for calathea must be slightly acidic, airy, and loose, just like for other arrows or rhododendrons.
It is better to buy it in a specialized store. Air circulation is very important in soil. But if you want to make your own soil mixture for Calathea, then for this you need to mix one part of humus, peat, leafy soil, and coco coir.
First, you need to place the drainage material in a thick layer in the container, then a layer of fresh soil, on which you need to carefully, trying not to destroy the earthen clod and not to damage the roots, cross the calathea, and then add so much new soil from the side that it fills the entire space of the container.
Overwintering Of Stunning Plant Calathea Velvet
In the winter season, you should reduce watering. When the soil dries that means it’s your time to water it again.
Soil moisture is also a great thing, but it’s better for your velvet jungle calathea during spring or summertime. Too moist soil just isn’t the best option for the winter months.
Pruning and fertilizing also shouldn’t be done in the winter months. This is much better for the early spring season or early summer.
If the temperature drops too much in the wintertime, and your calathea is on the terrace, it’s best to bring it inside. They don’t do well in low-temperature conditions.
Pests Of Evergreen Perennial Plant Jungle Calathea
If we talk about the indoor flower calathea, pests in the form of parasites are most often found due to various problems in the care and cultivation of the plant:
Spider mite-Symptoms of the parasite are a white bloom on the back of the leaves. Over time, cobwebs can be seen on the plant.
The tick is very small and difficult to see. The leaves first turn yellow and then fall off. The pest prefers dry air, so the flower must be sprayed often. In addition, mechanical treatment with an insecticide is carried out.
Shield-After infection, small round plaques appear on the stem and leaves. Over time, the leaves fade and dry. The plant can be cured if it is treated with a solution of laundry soap. To consolidate the results, it is necessary to spray with Fitoverm.
Thrips-Small dots appear on the leaf plate, which gradually turn into spots. On the ground, you can see small oblong insects that move in a jumping manner.
If parasites are found, it is necessary to rinse the plant in the shower and spray it with Intavir. To improve the result, you can repeat the spraying twice. The same solution is used to treat the soil in which the flower is located.
Diseases Of Tender Tropical Plant
Below we bring you some of the most common issues/diseases that jungle velvet calathea can face during its growing process.
Watering issues/Root Rot-First of all, attention should be paid to watering. Excessive soil moisture and cold or hard water are factors that can negatively affect the quality of flower growth and development. After watering, no drops should remain on the leaves of the plants, as this is not always useful.
The mildew-Soil composition also plays a significant role. Fatty and rotten soil can harm the growth of Calathea. The cause of rotting is almost always excess liquid retained in the soil due to poor drainage. If moss, mold, or mildew appears on the surface, it should be removed immediately. Low capacity will slow growth.
Yellowing leaves-Leaves can dry due to a lack of lighting or high temperature in the room. Fertilizers play a special role – they should be applied according to a certain schedule, in the proportions indicated by the manufacturer. When folk remedies are used as a supplement, mineral complexes must be applied in much smaller quantities.
FAQ
As always, we bring you the FAQ section to answer all of the unanswered questions about jungle velvet calathea. Let’s more about jungle velvet calathea so we can wrap its care guide up.
Is Calathea Jungle Velvet A Rare Plant?
Jungle velvet calathea is a rare variety of prayer-plants. You won’t find them in the flower shops as much as you find cacti plants or some other popular houseplants. You will probably have to order them from flower shops, and if they already have them, you’re very lucky!
Is Calalthea Jungle Velvet A Good Indoor Plant?
As we mentioned at the very beginning, if we take its size as an example, it’s most likely for outdoor plants to grow taller since they’re growing in their most perfect natural environment conditions.
But if we put that aside, and we assume that you’ll take care of your plant very well and provide it with all needed conditions(well-draining soil, direct sunlight, etc) as any other plant, it’s a good indoor plant.
Is Velvet Jungle Calathea Plant Toxic?
If you have kids or pets, there is no need to be concerned. This plant isn’t toxic and it’s perfectly safe for kids, pets, and you of course. All types of calathea plants are non-toxic and safe for both pets and humans.
Is Jungle Velvet Calathea Expensive?
The jungle velvet calathea plant is not expensive. Its regular price, if you find it in a flower shop, is up to about $50, although you can buy it for $42 or $45. There are also expensive (more expensive) types of calathea plants, they are bigger and look more expensive, but this is not one of them.
Which Calathea Plant Is Easiest To Take Care For?
Calathea lancifolia, also called rattlesnake plant is a low-maintenance plant. You’ll forget you have it in your home. It doesn’t require much water, where you place it, it can stay there forever and you don’t even have to fertilize it more than once a year!
Final Thoughts
Today we learned everything you need to know about the jungle velvet calathea plant. This beautiful green perennial plant will complement everyone’s home with its greenery and the shine of its leaves.
If you haven’t had it before, this is an excellent opportunity to get this rare plant and make yourself and your home happy. What’s better than a house plant that looks amazing and is not toxic to you, your family, and your pets?
If you already have this plant in your home, we sincerely hope that the tips written in our article were useful for you and that you learned additional things about the care of this plant.
That would be all for today! See you soon with more similar topics.