Brightening your indoor garden with Calathea leaves is a stunning idea. Though there are numerous variants to choose from Calathea species, put whatever you want as each has its unique splendor of fascinating and bold patterns on its leaves.
To help your gardening strategy grab guest attention, today’s article will cover Calathea Setosa or, more specifically, Calathea Setosa Grey Star, which vividly features large, thick leaves with dark green and silvery-grey stripes on the top. Listen to our necessary Calathea plant care and propagation talk to have Calathea Setosa Grey Star’s colorful neon-greenish inflorescences.
About Calathea Setosa grey star
A delicate evergreen cultivar of the Marantaceae family is called Calathea Setosa Grey Star. Setosa, which appears in its name, alludes to the plant’s hairy leaf stems.
Calathea Setosa is also known by its common names as-
- Prayer Plant
- Compact star Plant
- Zebra Plant
- Never Never Plant
- Peacock Plant
Calathea is renowned for its broad, vibrant leaves. They are well-liked in locations with little light due to their large leaves. More resilient than other varieties, Calathea Setosa’ Grey Star’ features silvery-grey leaves with green stripes and purple undersides. It grows in a cane-like, erect fashion. Your interior will quickly acquire a sleekier jungle vibe from its understated appeal with a medium to a high level of care.
Calathea belongs to the Marantaceae family but is more potent than its relatives. Low humidity plus dry conditions won’t harm it for long. It can swiftly reach a height up toward a meter or more if the right conditions are provided.
Popular choices for medium-dark sections of your home include the foliage plants Calathea, Maranta, and Stromanthe, as well as Calathea Setosa Grey Star. Most Calathea species are found in tropical Americas, particularly Southeast Brazil.
Calathea selection suits the best for
- For Spaces That needs more diversity
- For spaces with partly shade patios
- For rooms with higher humidity atmosphere
- For areas having medium indirect light
- For areas having low to high indirect light
Calathea Setosa leaves
The leaves of the Calathea Setosa are typically large and vividly colored. Silvery green foliage with a reddish-grey accent covers the Calathea Setosa grey star. The undersides, with their peculiar purple hues, are equally lovely. According to nyctinasty biology, the leaves fold up at night and unfold in the morning to follow the sun.
Calathea setosa flower
Calathea flowers bloom in the summer and come in various colors, including yellow, purple, and white. They require more fertilizer. The asymmetrical form of the flowers is composed of three petals and three free sepals. Calathea bracts are generally more beautiful than the blossoms.
How to grow calathea setosa
Calathea care is not too complicated, but one must know some basics to grow Calathea species at ease to be successful quickly. This plant needs good attention to make it happy. In that sense, we have shown here how to care for Calathea from different aspects. Follow these tips for Calathea Setosa as given below.
Calathea light factor:
Calathea plants require sunlight to grow, but it shouldn’t be direct. This is because they develop on the ground in jungles and woods, where they receive little light from the branches of the trees. A Calathea plant’s leaves will scorch and lose their brilliant colors in direct sunlight.
Bottom line: care Calathea with Indirect light
Calathea Temperature factor:
Calathea plants do not particularly enjoy the cold. Since they come from tropical regions, they favor temperatures between 65 and 80 degrees. Temperatures above and beneath can harm the plant, with the leaves curling being the first sign.
Bottom line: Calathea temperature should be cold but not colder
Calathea Water factor:
Water Calathea plants use distilled water or water that has undergone some purification. Calathea prefers damp but not soggy soil or other planting materials. They don’t like a lot of water because it could make them drown. Don’t overwater a Calathea plant, so it sits in standing water when you water it.
Bottom line: Calathea soil moistening but not sogginess is excellent.
Calathea Humidity factor:
Keep a humid environment for your Calathea by spraying it frequently, positioning it next to other plants, or setting it on a partially filled pebble tray. In damp, moist areas like kitchens and bathrooms, Calathes flourish. Keep the pot in the bathroom or kitchen, where the air is more likely to be humid, or place it on a humidity tray.
Bottom line: Calathea humid placing results fast.
Calathea winter care tips
Maintaining the plant in a warm room between 15 to 20°C is part of the Calathea winterization technique. Keep the plant away from draughty windows and doorways. As the days become shorter and darker, move your Calathea plant to a somewhat sunnier window, but keep it out of direct, strong sunlight. Make sure the plant is not too close to a draughty window.
Bottom line: take Calathea cold protection.
Calathea propagation
You can start Calathea plant propagation after a mature plant is in good health. The best way to propagate Calathea is through division in the spring or summer. Since division is a vegetative way of plant propagation, it is the most popular.
Remember that splitting the plant will change the final result you’ve worked so hard for. If your plant grows large enough, it will spread and form clumps that can be pulled out and expanded.
Water the plant a few days before you, and plan to divide and repot it. Remove the plant’s container with care. Divide the roots into isolated new growing zones. Make a clean, precise cut to split the root system if required.
A portion of the root system should be present in each clump, and each leaf should be affixed to a stem. Repot into a suitable-sized container and maintain the soil’s moisture level. Avoid overwatering the ground and letting it become damp.
Cut the stem below the node and place it in potting soil to prepare it for cutting. Regularly check on it and water it. The roots begin to form after at least two weeks. Now that you have a fresh Calathea Setosa in your collection, you can transplant it wherever you like.
Bottom line: Calathea propagation rocks for division method
Calathea repotting
In a pot, Alethea is grown. Due to the possibility of root-bound situations, they must be repotted annually. When a plant is root-bound, its roots completely cover the soil, forming a ball-like shape.
It needs to be repotted because the roots become crowded. When repotting, the potting mixture should be changed, and a larger pot should be used than the one previously used. Remember to place pebbles on top of the soil and cover the pot’s drainage hole with others.
Bottom line: Calathea root management needs declustering.
Calathea Pruning Tips:
Trim any dead or damaged leaves from the Calathea as necessary using sharp, long-tipped plant scissors. Pruning is required at least once or twice a year because the plant proliferates. You may prevent this plant from growing excessively tall by pruning it in the spring and summer.
Bottom line: Always use sterilized tools for pruning Calathea to shield the plant from sickness.
Calathea potting mix
Calathea soil mixture should be nutrient-rich, well-drained, and porous. Calatheas detest being very dry. Check to see if the soil seems dry by putting your finger in it every few days. If it does, water liberally and drain any extra water.
Although Calathea requires damp soil, avoid overwatering. Faintly acidic to neutral, as pH 6 to 7 is better. Try a mix of potting soil, charcoal, orchid bark, and Perlite in the following ratio.
Potting soil: charcoal: orchid bark: Perlite = 5:2:2:1.
Some gardeners, however, have been told to make this mixture differently in specific proportions, in which they have had success.
Garden Soil: Perlite: Coco peat: Manure = 2:1:1:1.
Bottom line: Calathea enjoys moist soil—but not wet soil.
Calathea Pot selection: clay, plastic, or terracotta?
Despite popular opinion, Calathea thrives in breathable pots that moisten the roots without becoming soggy. Recent studies and publications support another finding. The soil is kept at the ideal moisture level because terra cotta wicks away extra moisture.
However, if you reside in a dry area or have a propensity for under-watering, you should stick with a plastic pot. Any pot should include a drainage hole since too much water might lead to root rot.
Bottom line: Calathea Setosa grows best in a clay pot.
Calathea Fertilizer Factor:
They don’t have insatiable appetites. Once every three months, you can fertilize them with vermicompost, seaweed solution, and balanced NPK. Additionally, slow-releasing fertilizer, which supplies nitrogen for a longer time, is an option. Further, you can include Perlite in your potting mix to make it better at retaining water.
Bottom line: Calathea loves nitrogenized nutrition
Calathea setosa diseases and treatment tips
The issue may be your tap water if your Calathea’s water and humidity requirements are met, yet it still develops burnt edges and becomes yellow. Before watering your plant the next day, let it sit overnight or use filtered water instead. Use a damp cloth to bring back the leaves’ original sheen.
Calathea’s sake Yellowing leaves and burned leaves are signs that your plant has been damaged by direct sunshine, overwatering, or irrigation with fluoridated tap water.
Calathea leaves with brown or black marks on them have either received excessive N-Fertilizer or have been overwatered. Water with less nitrogen and let the soil return to normal.
Cold temperatures and underwatering both cause leave to fall. Hard water usage, weather changes, and less watering also lead to leaf bending and drying out.
Calathea sets leave curling: what to do?
Calathea leaves curl as a defense strategy to slow transpiration and prevent further water loss in response to dryness. Underwatering, low humidity, high temperatures, root rot from overwatering, illness, and overfertilizing are common causes of this problem.
Just give it enough distilled or purified water until you see water draining from holes at the bottom to avoid those negative consequences.
Calathea Freddie vs. setosa
The Freddie offers more pointed foliage with serrations, while the Setosa has a similar coloration but a more oval shape.
Calathea setosa varieties
200 or so species once classified as Calathea have been changed to Goeppertia. Currently, there are over 60 species of Calathea. As a result, there are many diverse types, each with eye-catching designs on their leaves.
Common Types of Calathea are:
- Calathea lancifolia or Rattlesnake Calathea
- Calathea Orbifolia
- Calathea ornate or Pinstripe Calathea
- Calathea roseopicta or Calathea Dottie
- Calathea veitchiana or Medallion Calathea
Faq
Is Calathea Setosa Toxic To Cats?
You may have questioned if Calathea is safe for cats if you own one of these attractive plants. No, Calathea won’t hurt your cherished dog or cat. Only gastrointestinal issues could result if your cat eats many plant leaves. The USDA claims that Calathea is safe for both cats and people. Therefore, if your cat attacks or eats your plant, nothing more than the plant’s aesthetic value will be damaged.
Conclusion
Just be ready to decorate your Homes or garden with Calathea Setosa grey star plants next holiday. They will be an eye-catching green beauty for sure. With the upbeat splendor of neon-like silvery green with greyish exquisiteness, their striking leaves are just amazing. Use this plant as a botanical ornament of your aesthetic sense by following our gardening guidelines correctly.
The end
Hi, This is Evan, A Gardener and Writer with Vast Experience in Gardening. I Usually Write practical and valuable guides on various gardening topics. In this Blog, I try to cover many gardening topics, from lawn care to vegetable gardens. This Blog offers practical gardening advice for a variety of plants.
