How to propagate Calathea roseopicta? Division and cutting propagation methods
Calathea roseopicta prefers a warm, humid, shaded environment. The optimal growing temperature is 20-30°C, it needs plenty of water and does not tolerate drought. It is fairly heat-tolerant and slightly cold-tolerant, and can overwinter safely above 5°C. It fears frost, and prefers loose, fertile, moist, well-drained acidic soil. So how do you propagate Calathea roseopicta?
How to propagate Calathea roseopicta: Division propagation
As Calathea roseopicta grows, the plant gets bigger and bigger, and if it grows vigorously it needs repotting every 1-2 years. Therefore, division propagation can be combined with repotting. Divide in spring when the temperature rises, or year-round if the temperature and humidity are suitable.
Remove the Calathea roseopicta plant from its pot and shake off the soil, then use a small knife to cut the clumped plant apart along the direction of underground rhizome growth, preferably keeping stems and leaves or leaf buds on each piece. It can be divided into several clumps and then potted separately. Place the potted Calathea roseopicta in a more shaded spot for care, control watering, and only water normally once it has resumed normal growth.
How to propagate Calathea roseopicta: Cutting propagation
Calathea roseopicta is also often propagated by cuttings. Generally, cutting propagation of Calathea roseopicta can be done at any time when the temperature is not below 20°C.
Cutting propagation of Calathea roseopicta generally uses the tender tips of the top shoots; select a 10-15 cm long tender shoot and cut it off. Observe the leaf size, generally keeping one third or one half of the leaves, prepare the cutting, and place it in a cool spot to let the wound heal, or use a little rooting powder to speed up rooting.
After preparing the Calathea roseopicta cuttings, insert them into the seedbed, preferably at a spacing of 5×10 cm. The seedbed can use an airy soil mix of river sand, vermiculite or perlite and other media low in organic matter, and the soil should be sterilized before insertion. After cutting, Calathea roseopicta should be covered with a 60% shade net to maintain suitable temperature and air humidity; its management method is the same as for division propagation.
After cutting, Calathea roseopicta generally roots in 30-50 days, but the survival rate of cuttings is not as high as that of division propagation, generally around 50%.
How to grow Calathea roseopicta, how to propagate Calathea roseopicta
Calathea roseopicta has a full plant shape, luxuriant branches and leaves, and beautiful leaf color, so it has high ornamental value and is a very good indoor foliage plant. Next, let's talk about how to grow Calathea roseopicta and how to propagate it.
How to grow Calathea roseopicta
1. Temperature
Calathea roseopicta is native to tropical and subtropical regions, and prefers a hot, humid and semi-shaded environment. Its suitable growing temperature is 20-30°C, the best daytime growing temperature is 18-21°C, at night 16-18°C, and the safe overwintering temperature is 10°C. Therefore, in summer, prevent high-temperature exposure and place it in a cool spot; in winter, take care to protect it from the cold and move the plant to a windless, warmer indoor spot to overwinter.
2. Light
Direct sunlight is taboo; it grows better under indirect radiation or diffused light. Especially in summer, direct sunlight easily causes leaf scorch. If leaf scorch is found, immediately move it to a spot without direct light, or to a place with shading facilities or under tree shade, and cut off the scorched leaves to prevent other pathogenic bacteria from invading through the wounds. At the same time, strengthen water and fertilizer management to encourage it to grow new leaves and regain its fresh appearance.
3. Water
Every year from March to October is the peak growing season for Calathea roseopicta, and the most suitable relative air humidity for its growth is 75%-85%; high air humidity helps the leaves unfurl. Especially during the period when new leaves emerge, if it is too dry, the leaf margins and leaf tips of the new leaves are prone to withering and curling, and later become deformed. Once leaves wilt, they cannot recover. Therefore, during the growing season, water frequently and mist the leaves often; in summer, water 3-4 times a day, and do it promptly. The best watering method is to spray the leaves in the morning, water the soil surface at noon or in the afternoon, and water the whole plant in the evening, but be careful that the soil does not become too sticky or too wet, otherwise it easily causes root rot and disease. After entering autumn and winter, the growth of Calathea roseopicta slows down, so watering should be gradually reduced; depending on weather changes, water once a day or once every 2-3 days. Especially when the temperature is low, keep the soil dry to protect it from cold damage.
4. Soil
The soil should be fertile, loose and well-drained; compacted soil and waterlogging are taboo. Mostly use fertile humus soil and porous coarse media as the substrate. Generally, use equal parts of leaf mold and peat soil mixed together; you can also use pond mud, peat and perlite mixed in a 2:3:1 ratio; or use loose, organic-rich leaf mold plus 1/3 perlite, plus a small amount of base fertilizer.
5. Fertilizing
Follow the principle of "frequent but light application"; during the peak growing season, apply a mixed fertilizer of peanut bran and compound fertilizer, or decomposed compost, once every 2 weeks. The nutrient composition of the fertilizer should be mainly nitrogen, followed by phosphorus and potassium. Since Calathea roseopicta is a foliage plant, appropriately increasing nitrogen fertilizer can make the leaf color more beautiful. In addition, you can use urea with a nitrogen content of 46% to make a 0.1% solution, add monopotassium phosphate with more than 50% phosphorus and more than 30% potassium to make a 0.2% solution as a foliar top dressing; applying it in the morning when the dew has not dried or in the evening gives better results. When spraying, use a fine-nozzle sprayer to spray both the front and back of the leaves thoroughly, once a week; after 3 consecutive sprays, stop once, then continue spraying consecutively. Pay special attention that the fertilizer concentration should not be too high, otherwise it easily causes leaf scorch and fertilizer damage, and in severe cases can even cause the plant to die. During the winter dormant period and when summer is too hot, stop fertilizing.
How to propagate Calathea roseopicta
1. Division
Calathea roseopicta is generally propagated by division; spring when the temperature is around 20°C is the most ideal time, but as long as the temperature and humidity are suitable, it can also be done year-round. When propagating, use a sharp knife to cut apart the root blocks with stems and leaves or leaf buds; for small-scale propagation, the cut root blocks with stems, leaves and leaf buds can be placed directly into clay pots; for large-scale propagation, they should be placed on a seedbed; when the temperature and humidity cannot meet the requirements, cover with plastic film; be sure to make the temperature inside the film reach 20-28°C and the humidity above 80%.
2. Cuttings
Cutting propagation generally uses tender top shoots; the cuttings are 10-15 cm long, and depending on leaf size, keep one third or one half of the leaves. Treat the cuttings with 500 ppm naphthalene acetic acid for 2-3 seconds; indole acetic acid, indole butyric acid and ABT rooting powder can also be used. After treatment, insert the cuttings into the seedbed, preferably at a spacing of 5×10 cm. Cover with a plastic film arched shed, and the management method is the same as for division propagation. Cutting propagation can be done at any time when the temperature is not below 20°C. The cuttings root in 30-50 days; but the survival rate of cuttings is not as high as that of division propagation; generally around 50%.
The above is the introduction to the cultivation and propagation methods of Calathea roseopicta. We hope it can help everyone. For more home knowledge, please stay tuned.
Cultivation methods of Calathea roseopicta, how to propagate Calathea roseopicta
The leaves of Calathea roseopicta are quite beautiful, so many people plan to get one as a potted plant, but worry about their own cultivation skills, so they want a comprehensive understanding of the cultivation methods of Calathea roseopicta. Therefore, below we will explain it, and also share with you how to propagate Calathea roseopicta, so you can grow a few pots yourself and place them in different places or in one place, which is a real delight.
Cultivation methods of Calathea roseopicta:
1. Soil: Calathea roseopicta prefers loose, fertile, moist and well-drained acidic soil. For potting, you can use equal parts of leaf mold, garden soil and river sand mixed with a small amount of base fertilizer as the growing soil; the soil should be nutrient-rich, loose and airy.
2. Watering: Calathea roseopicta does not tolerate drought, so during the growing season it must be given sufficient water to keep the potting soil constantly moist, and pay attention to spraying the leaves; especially in summer and autumn when the temperature is higher and the air is dry, it must also be sprayed frequently on the leaves and the surroundings to maintain relatively high air humidity. But be careful not to let the potting soil become waterlogged, so as not to affect root aeration and cause poor growth or root rot; after late autumn when the temperature is lower, control the amount of watering and just keep the potting soil slightly moist.
3. Light: Calathea roseopicta prefers shade and direct sunlight is taboo; it must not be placed in the sun, otherwise the leaves will fade and lose their luster, and in serious cases cause sunscald; but it should also not be placed in dark and poorly ventilated places for a long time, so as to avoid yellowing and dropping of leaves.
4. Fertilizing: During the growing season, apply liquid fertilizer 1-2 times a month to ensure robust growth and luxuriant branches and leaves.
5. Pests and diseases: The common diseases of Calathea roseopicta mainly include leaf spot and leaf blight. In the early stage of the disease, spray 200-fold Bordeaux mixture 2-3 times every half a month. It can also be controlled by spraying 600-fold 65% zineb wettable powder. The common pest is mainly scale insects, which easily occur when ventilation is poor. During the nymph stage, spray with 1000-fold 50% fenitrothion emulsifiable concentrate to kill them.
Cultivation methods of Calathea roseopicta (basic knowledge):
Best propagation time: Division of Calathea roseopicta is best done after the temperature warms up in spring.
Best growing soil: Calathea roseopicta prefers loose, fertile, moist and well-drained acidic soil
Growing humidity requirement: The most suitable relative air humidity for the growth of Calathea roseopicta is 75%-85%; high air humidity helps the leaves unfurl.
Best growing temperature: The most suitable growing temperature for Calathea roseopicta is 20-30°C.
Best growing light: Calathea roseopicta prefers shade and direct sunlight is taboo; it must not be placed in the sun, otherwise the leaves will fade and lose their luster, and in serious cases cause sunscald; but it should also not be placed in dark and poorly ventilated places for a long time, so as to avoid yellowing and dropping of leaves.
How to propagate Calathea roseopicta - division propagation
As Calathea roseopicta grows, the plant gets bigger and bigger, and if it grows vigorously it needs repotting every 1-2 years. Therefore, division propagation can be combined with repotting. Divide in spring when the temperature rises, or year-round if the temperature and humidity are suitable.
Remove the Calathea roseopicta plant from its pot and shake off the soil, then use a small knife to cut the clumped plant apart along the direction of underground rhizome growth, preferably keeping stems and leaves or leaf buds on each piece. It can be divided into several clumps and then potted separately. Place the potted Calathea roseopicta in a more shaded spot for care, control watering, and only water normally once it has resumed normal growth.
How to propagate Calathea roseopicta - cutting propagation
Calathea roseopicta is also often propagated by cuttings. Generally, cutting propagation of Calathea roseopicta can be done at any time when the temperature is not below 20°C.
Cutting propagation of Calathea roseopicta generally uses the tender tips of the top shoots; select a 10-15 cm long tender shoot and cut it off. Observe the leaf size, generally keeping one third or one half of the leaves, prepare the cutting, and place it in a cool spot to let the wound heal, or use a little rooting powder to speed up rooting.
After preparing the Calathea roseopicta cuttings, insert them into the seedbed, preferably at a spacing of 5×10 cm. The seedbed can use an airy soil mix of river sand, vermiculite or perlite and other media low in organic matter, and the soil should be sterilized before insertion. After cutting, Calathea roseopicta should be covered with a 60% shade net to maintain suitable temperature and air humidity; its management method is the same as for division propagation.
After cutting, Calathea roseopicta generally roots in 30-50 days, but the survival rate of cuttings is not as high as that of division propagation, generally around 50%.