Calathea Orbifolia

Calathea Orbifolia

Calathea Orbifolia Quick Overview

Size

When kept indoors with proper care you can expect your Calathea Orbifolia to reach 100 centimetres in length and the leaves can get as big as 30 centimetres in width.

Light Requirements

Calathea Orbifolia prefer to be positioned in medium indirect light for best growth and require this to thrive. A sign your Calathea Orbifolia is getting too much light is the leaves fading or getting damaged. This can be resolved by changing the position of your plant to somewhere that better suits its light requirements.

Temperature

Calathea Orbifolia will perform best when in an area which maintains a temperature of 65-75˚F (18-24˚C). Being kept outside of this temperate range for prolonged periods of time can lead to poor plant health.

Humidity

Maintaining a high humidity (50% or higher) will assist in keeping your Calathea Orbifolia happy and healthy. If your plant is housed in a spot with a humidity level consistently outside of this range click here for tips on how to increase or decrease humidity levels.

Watering Requirements

You can expect your Calathea Orbifolia to require water when the top inch or two of soil is almost dry. When watering your Calathea Orbifolia be sure to water enough to just moisten the soil, but occasionally you can water your plant thoroughly, allowing the water to drain completely. Aside from solely relying on the watering frequency to tell when your plant is thirsty, a tell tale sign that your Calathea Orbifolia needs water is if you notice your plants leaves aren’t folding up of a night or leaves becoming less dynamic.

Fertilizing requirements

As a rule of thumb your Calathea Orbifolia should be fertilized every month during spring to fall. This will assist in keeping your plant alive as well as promote healthy growth.

Soil Requirements

Calathea Orbifolia requires a well draining soil. A good mix to use would be two parts peat/coir and one part perlite as it needs to be well draining and retain moisture without the soil getting soggy but still allow the plant to breath.

Diseases & Pests

The most common diseases and pests that you can encounter whilst caring for your Calathea Orbifolia are aphids, whitefly, mealybugs and thrips. The most common disease you can encounter whilst caring for your Calathea Orbifolia is root-rot. For a wide range of information on combating a large range of indoor plant diseases and pests click here.

Toxicity

Calathea Orbifolia are considered to be non toxic.