Kalatea - care at home for this elegant plant is not difficult, if you get a little acquainted with the basic rules of its cultivation. Find out how to care for kalatei at home, maybe even a beginner amateur florist.

In this article, read:

• 1 Basic Rules of Care for Kalatea
• 2 Physiological diseases of kalatei
• 3 Types of kalatei
• 4 kalatea zebrin care at home. Video
• 5 From Central America to your windowsill

The basic rules of care for kalatei

Very close to the maranta, kalatea is a rhizome growing 30-50 cm high. The leaves are large, oval, standing, on long thin petioles, with relief veins. Above the leaf is greenish-silver, with dark green broad stripes or spots along veins, the lower surface has a purple hue. Flowers and fruits have no decorative value, with the exception of the yellow flowers of the kind of kalateia, the striped grandflora. The lower part of the kalatei resembles peacock feathers.

In nature, kalatea grows in South and Central America. From large and sturdy leaves of the plant Aborigines have learned to weave capacious baskets in the local language kalathos (basket).

A popular tropical kalatei plant of the family of maranthocks. Lovers of exotic houseplants are attracted by large green leaves of bizarre forms. The ornament of the color of leaves is expressed by white, red, yellow drawings. In the drawings guessed the tail of a peacock or the heat of a bird.

Kalatea Bahema.

Fancy kulichki leaves kalatei Lancifolia.

Care at home: the lighting is not very bright, even better than the partial shade, in any case not direct sunlight.

Home care: the temperature - the plant needs constant heat and humidity, the ideal temperature is about 20 ° C (it is not possible for the temperature to drop below 18 ° C).

Home care: watering, regular, so as to moisten, but not soak through the soil layer, in winter it is impossible to water with cold water, the humidity of the air should be increased, it is recommended to spray the leaves.

Care at home: feeding - in the summer 1 time in 2 weeks, applying a liquid fertilizer, suitable for tropical plants.

Home care: multiplication by the division of rhizomes - this is done in the spring at a temperature of 20 ° C, each part of the rhizome for planting should have no less than 3 leaves and a significant number of roots multiplying by seeds is quite complicated.

The sheet of kalatei surprises with the mathematical harmony of the picture and the fantasy of nature.

Care for kalatei involves choosing a location: away from drafts and direct rays. The leaves must be wiped with a soap solution, removing the web from the mites.

The soil should be a mixture of fibrous and porous compost, formed by heather earth and universal humus in the proportion of 4: 1 with the addition of sand and sphagnum, good drainage is necessary.

Pests and diseases:

• if the flower of the kalatea is dry and the leaves are twisted, discolored zones appear on the leaves, which then wrinkle, which means that the plant suffered from cold;
• from excess water, the leaves become limp, and their edges curl and become brown;
• from lack of water, the tip or edges of the leaves wither, the same symptom may indicate the presence of a fungal infection, which must be treated with a propolis-based drug.

Containers: since the flower of the kalatea is a rhizome, it is suitable for a wide and deep bowl or a small cylindrical pot.

Things to remember:

1. The soil must always be moist.
2. When the roots fill the entire container, you need to transplant the plant, this is done in early March.
3. Direct sunlight instantly burns leaves.

Kalatea striped is a zebra.

Kalatea Medallion in nature.

Physiological diseases of kalatei

Physiological diseases are all damages or diseases caused by various deviations from normal environmental conditions. This can include excessive or inadequate watering, increased air humidity, unsuitable for planting or replanting kalatei in pots soil, surplus or lack of fertilizers in general or any specific nutrient element in particular. Too high or too low temperatures can lead to plant stress, which causes them irreparable harm.

The lack or oversupply of lighting also affects the development of many species, stopping their growth or anomalously strengthening it. And direct sunlight can cause burns on leaves and stems. In addition, in recent years, pathological changes or diseases of plants are increasingly observed due to the high content of harmful substances in the air (for example, tobacco smoke) or in water (excess chlorine, calcium).

The causes of physiological diseases in kalatei:

1. Heat and cold. High temperature causes a halt in the growth of kalatei, necrosis and litter of leaves. At too low a temperature there are pathological changes - yellowing of the leaves, wilting and necrosis of young shoots and kidneys, which can not be dismissed. A strong and prolonged cold period has a disastrous effect on all kinds of kalatei.
2. Water and air humidity. From lack of water in the soil, the plant wilts, its resistance to diseases and pests decreases. If this takes a long time, there may be zones of necrosis on the leaf blade and leaf tips. Reduced humidity also causes drying of the tops of the leaves of the kalatei. Excess water and humidity contributes to the development of many fungal diseases, decay of roots and root neck, followed by wilting and discoloration of leaves and shoots.
3. Lack or overabundance of light. Weak illumination of the plant kalateya contributes to the excessive, anomalous stretching of the flower, which starts the frail shoots. Excess of light is poorly tolerated by almost all types of kalatei. On the leaves begin to appear extensive burns, they become discolored, harden, decrease in size.
4. Power imbalance. The lack or excess of fertilizers in the soil is equally harmful for kalatei. The characteristic symptoms of poor plant nutrition are their slow growth and discoloration of the leaves. Blurry bluish-green spots with a purple hue on the leaves indicate a lack of phosphorus, slow growth, folding of the leaf edges, unsaturated color of the plant - about the lack of potassium, discoloration of the leaves, especially between the veins, - the lack of trace elements, especially magnesium and iron. Excess fertilizer leads to the ugly development of kalatei, as well as necrosis of leaf tips.
5. Harm from phytopreparations. Plant medicines, or phytopreparations are the means used to protect cultivated plants from various pests. Incorrect use of them can cause leaf discoloration, necrosis and abnormal coloring. You should carefully read the instructions on the packages and strictly adhere to the indicated dosages, you can consult with specialists about their use. It is not recommended to use phytopreparations in the hottest hours, and also to treat them already weakened (usually due to improper location) of the plant.
6. Chlorinated water. Tap water is too saturated with chlorine. Try to collect rainwater (if you do not live in an industrial zone) and add it to the tap for irrigation.

Purple kalateya Maria.

Calate leopard.

Калатея Люббера.

Types of kalatei

The most popular types of kalatei:

1. Kalatea Bahema. Растение в разное время выглядит по-разному, и кажется, что листья его шевелятся.
2. Kalatea Varshevicha has a characteristic feature: at night the leaves of the plant seem to fold: they rise upward, showing their lower part. Kalatea Varshevicha is valued for beautiful flowers.
3. Kalatea Vicha or Veicha - the surface of the leaves has an effective clear pattern.
4. Kalatea Rufibarba - the lower part of all the leaves of the plant and the petioles are covered with a small light fluff. Калатея Руфибарба one of the first has got to Russia and the countries of Europe.
5. Kalatea Crocata is one of the most beautiful blooming among the whole variety of species.
6. Kalatea zebrovidnaya or kalateya striped - the surface of the leaves of the plant has an effective clear pattern, from below the leaves are painted in purple.
7. Kalatea striped is the most commonly grown species in the home.
8. Kalatea Leopard has yellow flowers, which are collected in spicate inflorescences.
9. Kalatea is remarkable, or kalatea lansifolia - from below the leaves of the plant have a violet color. Lansifolia leaves have an elongated narrow shape and undulating margins.

Many kinds of kalatei with large leaves are suitable only for growing in greenhouses, so they are not widely used. Some species have a rather unprepossessing color, for which they are not appreciated by the florists.

It is not difficult to take care of kalatei at home, you should only follow certain rules.

Kalatea zebrina care at home. Video

From Central America to your windowsill

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