Foliage Plants Rose Painted Calathea by Elyssa Goins 2 years ago by Elyssa Goins Elyssa Goins is an experienced house plant hobbyist who maintains over a hundred plants. She is a gardener, beekeeper, and a proud mother of four. She is a member of the American Horticultural Society, has a published study in the National Social Science Association, and loves to talk about her love of plants. For the past twenty years, she's been all about growing and caring for various fruits, veggies, herbs, livestock, kids, and houseplants. Managing a big garden to feed four growing kids and raising dairy goats has taught her so much about being an excellent plant parent and now is her time to share with you. Published: September 8, 2022Last Updated on September 26, 2023 This article was fact checked. Helpful: 100% Share 0FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail 422 Table of Contents Toggle DescriptionFactsRose Painted Calathea CarePotential Problems The Rose painted calathea is primarily kept for it’s tropical looking patterned leaves, with purplish colored undersides. Just like other species from the Calathea genus they’re easy to care for when the undemanding care instructions are followed. View on Amazon Description The Rose painted calathea, with it’s clump forming habit is a species that’s more than happy growing and being displayed indoors showing off it’s striking leaves and suits growers requiring an undemanding plant. They also make an attractive choice of plant displayed on balconies and patios when temperatures are warm enough. How it looks: It’s all about the foliage with this one. The green elliptic leaves display pinkish colored stripes from the midrib. The midrib is also pinkish in color, although this and the stripes will turn white when the plant matures. These leaves fold up slightly when night time arrives which gives a grower the additional feeling of the plant being alive. The leaves grow at the top of the stalks and reach up to 30 inches tall. Flowering: Calathea roseopicta will bloom during the summer with small white and purple flowers which are non-showy, but still nice to see. Displaying: Two important factors to consider when displaying this plant is not to seat it near cold drafts or in direct sunlight. Displaying within a shaded room where you can place the plant at a height level with a table will enable you to show off both sides of the leaves. Facts Origin:Brazil.Names:Rose Painted Calathea (common). Calathea Roseopicta (botanical/scientific).Max Growth (approx):Height 20in (50cm) or more.Poisonous for pets:Non-toxic to cats and dogs. Rose Painted Calathea Care Temperature:Average room temperatures of 65-75ºF (18-24ºC) are suitable, and no lower than 60ºF (15ºC). Sudden temperature drops and cold drafts should be avoided.Light:Like many plants, the Calathea enjoys bright light without direct sunlight. North, east or west facing rooms are suitable.Watering:This species enjoys being in moist soil at all times. Avoid using hard water and use either tepid rain or distilled water. Watering needs to decrease naturally after the growing season, before and during winter.Soil:A peat based potting mix is required. 2 parts peat and 1 part perlite is one mixture that will be fine.Re-Potting:Re-pot during spring once every two years, only in a slightly larger pot if the roots have taken all the room with the current pot.Fertilizer:Fertilize with a balanced diluted solution every 2 weeks from April – early October.Humidity:Humidity needs some attention with Calatheas. Misting helps, but you may also need to place the plant pot on a humidity tray with pebbles or increase the humidity with a humidifier.Propagation:Propagate by division when the plant matures. After re-potting the divided plants do not over water. Potential Problems Leaves curling and spots: Your likely to have been under-watering your plant. Is the soil dry or has it been drying out frequently? This is easy to resolve by watering and being more consistent with keeping the soil moist at all times.Leaf tips brown: Most likely cause here is dry air and lack of humidity. The solution is to increase humidity levels.Leaves dropping: Again, the air could be too dry and the humidity may need to be increased.Limp stems: You may have been over-watering the plant during the winter and providing low temperatures. Follow the above watering and temperature guidelines. View on Amazon Was this helpful? Submit Cancel Thanks for your feedback! Elyssa GoinsElyssa Goins is an experienced house plant hobbyist who maintains over a hundred plants. She is a gardener, beekeeper, and a proud mother of four. She is a member of the American Horticultural Society, has a published study in the National Social Science Association, and loves to talk about her love of plants. For the past twenty years, she’s been all about growing and caring for various fruits, veggies, herbs, livestock, kids, and houseplants. Managing a big garden to feed four growing kids and raising dairy goats has taught her so much about being an excellent plant parent and now is her time to share with you. Share 0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail previous post Kaffir Lily Plant – Crimson Flag next post Zebra Howorthia 0 0 votes Article Rating Subscribe Login Notify of new follow-up comments new replies to my comments Label {} [+] Name* Email* Website Δ Label {} [+] Name* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. 4 Comments Oldest Newest Most Voted Inline Feedbacks View all comments Susan 8 months ago Every calathea I get ends up dying. The upper leaves brown at the edges, and lower leaves seem to turn black and dry up. Is this a watering/humidity issue or a bacterial/fungal issue? Thanks Elyssa Goins Admin Reply to Susan 8 months ago Hi Susan, hang in there! What you are describing sounds like watering, at least the most likely. First of all, calathea is sensitive to water quality. If you have chlorinated water it could be a contributor and FYI they don’t like cold water but room temp. I would recommend a thorough watering until it drips out the bottom of your pot. Wait until the top inch of you pot is dry and then heavy water again. Do this the same, not one inch this week and 3 inches dry a few weeks later. We don’t want to over water but they also can’t go dry. When you bring the next one home lets repot with a 3:1 mixture of potting mix and perlite. This will help with drainage. Do this consistently and I believe you will see a different result. Let us know how it goes. Joanne Burwell 7 months ago You said a west facing window is suitable but you also said to avoid direct sun. My picture window is a double paned window that faces northwest and gets direct sun in the late afternoon. Does the 2 panes of glass offer enough protection from the harmful rays of the sun? Elyssa Goins Author Reply to Joanne Burwell 7 months ago Direct sunlight will be too much but if it is late afternoon for a short period you may be ok. The first sign of too much sun will be the color fading some, if it is really strong it can burn the leaves. If the sun is not very strong that time of day at your house, I would put it there a few days and watch the color closely.
