How to Grow Calathea rotundifolia? Detailed Guide to Cultivation Methods and Precautions

Calathea rotundifolia is surely familiar to many people; it is a very common plant. Calathea rotundifolia has high ornamental value, so many people choose to grow it. Surely what everyone cares about most before growing it is its cultivation methods! Let us learn about them together below!

How to Grow Calathea rotundifolia

1. Strengthen control of room temperature; 18°C at night is most suitable, and during the day it should reach 20-22°C.

2. Ventilate appropriately at noon to maintain the best planting humidity.

3. Observe and care for the plant, watch for the occurrence of diseases, and do not water too much.

4. Promptly cut off diseased leaves and isolate diseased and disabled plants.

5. Strengthen the management of fertilizer and water; when watering, water gently and slowly, not too quickly, to prevent splashing onto the leaf surface.

Cultivation Methods for Calathea rotundifolia

1. Temperature. Calathea rotundifolia likes a warm and mild environment, so it is not tolerant of heat, fears high temperatures, and has poor cold resistance; the suitable temperature for its growing environment is 18-30°C. In late spring and early summer, when the ambient temperature exceeds 25°C, shade frames should be set up, and the environment should be sprayed with water to create a cool, ventilated, moist, and shaded environment. In winter, the ambient temperature must not be lower than 10°C; if the room temperature is below 5°C, Calathea rotundifolia will suffer severe frost damage. Generally speaking, at the end of autumn, the calathea should be moved promptly to a sunny place indoors for protection and overwintering.

2. Light conditions. Calathea rotundifolia likes semi-shade and avoids exposure to high-temperature sun; the leaves must absolutely not suffer severe scorching. This causes the leaves to become dull and lusterless, losing their original beauty. Therefore, in winter it should be placed in a greenhouse for supplementary light. In daily life, it can be placed indoors as a potted ornamental plant, and it should be placed in front of a window with sufficient scattered light.

3. Water conditions. Calathea rotundifolia likes a moist environment, so during the growing season it should be watered thoroughly once a day, and spraying on the leaf surface and around the environment should also be strengthened to maintain a certain humidity and not be too dry. In winter, watering should be strictly controlled; too wet potting soil will lead to poor drainage and root rot, causing the leaves to wither. When spring is in full bloom, the plant will put out new leaves again. The emergence of new leaves should not be accompanied by too much watering; as the new leaves increase, the amount of watering should gradually increase, which is beneficial to the healthy growth of the plant.

4. Soil conditions. Calathea rotundifolia likes well-drained, fertile, slightly acidic humus soil. The potting soil should be mixed and prepared using humus soil fertilizer plus river sand.

5. Fertilization method. During the growing period, Calathea rotundifolia should be given a thin organic fertilizer once a week. Potted plants are suitable for placement in homes and public places for viewing. When entering the high-temperature summer season, when the temperature is higher than 32°C, fertilization of Calathea rotundifolia should be stopped. In late autumn and early winter, stop all topdressing, otherwise it will cause root rot in the plant.

Precautions for Calathea rotundifolia

In winter, the potting soil of Calathea rotundifolia should be kept slightly dry to help it overwinter; usually, watering should not be too excessive, otherwise root rot or root diseases may occur; if the plant is too shaded, the silver-gray stripes on the edges of the leaves of Calathea rotundifolia will darken, affecting the ornamental effect. When fertilizing, attention should be paid to the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; nitrogen fertilizer must not be applied alone, otherwise it will affect the leaf color.

Pest Control for Calathea rotundifolia

1. Scale insects on Calathea rotundifolia. Control method: For the control of scale insects, spray them during the nymph stage. At this time, most scale insects have just hatched, and the scale has not yet formed, so pesticides can kill them; spray once every 7-10 days with a 1000-fold solution of 40% omethoate.

2. Red spider mites on Calathea rotundifolia. Control method: Keep the air circulating and the environment ventilated, with humidity above 40%; frequently spraying water on the leaves can prevent red spider mites from multiplying into a disaster. A 1000-fold solution of 20% dicofol can be used for spraying and killing.

The cultivation methods for Calathea rotundifolia are actually quite easy as long as you master the techniques. You can start by understanding its growth habits. In the later stages of cultivation, strong management of pests, fertilizer, and water is needed; only by doing these tasks well can you ensure good growth and high ornamental value.