Soil
Members of the Marantaceae household require a wealthy, peaty rising medium to remain hydrated. Nevertheless, in addition they require wonderful drainage.
G. ornata tolerates soils which can be barely acidic to barely alkaline, with a pH starting from 6.1 to 7.8.
And since prayer vegetation are vulnerable to brown ideas, it’s greatest to keep away from rising mediums that embody perlite, because the fluoride content material on this widespread ingredient could cause tip burn.
My most well-liked peat-free potting combine for these vegetation is definitely a combo – I like to combine one half coconut coir to assist retain moisture with one half De La Tank’s Houseplant Soil Combine.
This offers good drainage in addition to substances that can promote wholesome progress, corresponding to compost, biochar, and humic acid.
De La Tank’s Soil Combine
You’ll discover De La Tank’s Soil Combine in one-, eight-, or 16-quart baggage from Arbico Organics.
For those who don’t have already got a provide of coconut coir (often known as cocopeat) available for gardening use, you should buy it in a compressed block, which makes it extra space environment friendly.
Prococo Compressed Coconut Coir Block
You’ll find 10-pound blocks of compressed coconut coir additionally out there from Arbico Organics.
Water
G. ornata prefers moist soil, so don’t let it dry out a lot between waterings. I wish to water my prayer vegetation when the floor of the soil has simply barely began to dry.
Use a houseplant watering can to evenly hydrate the floor of the soil, watering till liquid runs out of the drainage holes within the backside of the pot.
Wait till the water has completed draining earlier than returning it to its ornamental pot or putting it again on prime of the drainage saucer.
You may also wish to strive the underside watering methodology for this plant.
Humidity
Prayer vegetation require larger than common humidity, and pinstripe calathea is not any completely different.
Purpose for humidity that’s between 40 and 60 %. For those who dwell in a local weather with humid summers, try to be all set and gained’t want so as to add any extra moisture to your air.
Throughout wintertime and for these of us in additional arid climates, just a few further measures will help.
I develop humidity-loving houseplants corresponding to pinstripe calathea in my arid local weather by maintaining them grouped with buddies, and positioned in terrariums.
The houseplant buddies assist to boost the ambient humidity, and the terrarium helps to carry the moisture in. (It additionally helps to guard my vegetation from my curious cats.)
Fertilizing
Prayer vegetation want a delicate fertilizing routine, so I like to make use of worm compost tea to nourish them.
For those who don’t have worm compost bins of your personal (but!), you’ll be able to fertilize your houseplant utilizing worm compost tea sachets.
To make use of this methodology, you soak these “tea” baggage in room temperature water and feed your vegetation whereas watering.
Teadrops All Objective Houseplant Fertilizer
You’ll find natural worm compost tea sachets from Earthworm Applied sciences through Walmart.
The place to Purchase
You’ll find pinstripe vegetation in nurseries and backyard facilities that carry a wide selection of houseplants.
Or you’ll be able to store on-line!
Pinstripe Plant
You’ll find pinstripe vegetation in six-inch pots from Quick Rising Timber.
Magnificence Star
‘Magnificence Star’ is a cultivated number of G. ornata.
Its darkish inexperienced leaves have flushes of pale inexperienced between the midrib and leaf margins, forming a light-weight inexperienced background behind delicate creamy pink stripes.
The stripes seem in a wispy, feathery sample and the undersides of the leaves are deep purple.
This cultivar tends to develop solely as much as 18 inches tall and large, with pink flowers.
‘Magnificence Star’
You should purchase ‘Magnificence Star’ in six-inch pots from the American Plant Alternate through Amazon.
Upkeep
You’ll solely must prune your pinstripe calathea if you wish to form it up a bit or if it will get the occasional brown leaf tip.
Like different prayer vegetation, G. ornata is kind of delicate to temperature and humidity fluctuations and it’s not unusual to search out brown leaf ideas, even on well-cared for specimens.
Be happy to prune off brown ideas with a pair of sterilized scissors. You may wipe the scissors down with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to sterilize them.
For those who get fairly neglectful and miss a watering or two, you may discover complete leaves which have gone crispy.
Trim again the lifeless leaf as shut as potential to the soil floor.
There are a lot of causes for brown leaves on prayer vegetation – discover ways to troubleshoot this subject in our information.
When it’s time to water, it is a good alternative to offer its leaves a fast cleansing.
Wipe every leaf down with a humid paper towel, prime and backside, and ensure the leaves stay comparatively dry.
As a reasonably gradual grower, pinstripe calathea will solely have to be repotted each two or three years – do that in spring when it’s actively rising.
