Calathea Triostar Care And Growing Tips

Are you on the hunt for a houseplant that will add a pop of color to your indoor space? Look no further than the Calathea triostar! With its stunning green and white variegated leaves, accented by a touch of pink, this plant is a favorite among gardeners and plant enthusiasts alike.

But, if you’re new to plant care, be warned – the Calathea triostar is not the easiest plant to maintain. However, with the right care, this beautiful plant can thrive in your home.

To keep your Calathea triostar happy, you’ll need to provide it with a well-draining potting mix, medium filtered light, purified water, moist but not soggy soil, over 50% humidity, and moderate temperatures.

In this article, we’ll delve deeper into calathea triostar care tips, so you can enjoy its vibrant beauty in your home. So, if you’re ready to take on the challenge of caring for a Calathea triostar, read on and discover the secrets to success!

Calathea Triostar Overview

Also known as the prayer plant or velvet calathea, the Calathea triostar is a rhizomatous tropical perennial with short stems and supporting leaves about 6 to 12 inches long. It has many different kinds of leaf variegation, and each plant has different leaves. The leaves curl at night, helping them store raindrops back home.

Native to the rainforests of Costa Rica, you can grow the Calathea triostar in shady spots outdoors in USDA zones 9 to 11. It prefers medium light and can burn easily with steady direct sunlight.

The prayer plant can generally grow up to 2 to 3 feet high and weed indoors but can grow a bit smaller indoors.

The Calathea triostar does best in average household temperatures and can tolerate cold to a certain degree. This stunning plant grows white or pink flowers with orange, tube-shaped bracts during winter and early spring. However, they will hardly produce flowers indoors.

It features extended, broad leaves that are glossy, variegated canvas with vibrant green and creamy white irregular splotches, glowing with pink hues from their reddish undersides. Even though it produces gorgeous flowers, its stunning contrasting foliage makes this great plant unique.

See Also: Calathea Triostar Vs Stromanthe

Calathea Triostar Care and Growing Tips

Compared to most other houseplants, the Calathea triostar is not easy to care for, so it is not a plant for beginners. It will require so much attention and care if you want it to remain healthy by imitating the environment it enjoys. This plant thrives in warm, humid conditions.

These conditions make it a perfect houseplant, as it can sit in a window with sufficient indirect light.

However, you must keep it away from a radiator or air conditioner. You can turn the plant around at least once a week to help secure a good, even distribution of leaves. Mist the plant to enhance humidity and use well-draining, fertile soil that is moist but not soggy.

Sunlight Needs

The Calathea triostar often grows in a filtered sunny spot in its tropical habitat. In other words, it is a sun-loving plant that enjoys bright indirect sunlight, but exposure to direct light conditions will easily damage it.

Therefore, finding an area with enough indirect light would be best. You can adjust your plant’s location depending on the seasons and the sun’s strength. The best way to check if your plant is receiving enough light is through a light monitor.

Soil Needs

Calathea triostar will do best in light, well-draining soil, breathing, and holding moisture without becoming too wet.

To enhance fluffiness, the best way to achieve the proper mix is by combining peaty houseplant potting soil with plenty of perlites. You can use an organic medium since it also drains appropriately.

Calathea triostar will also thrive in a shallow container; as a larger, complete specimen, a more profound medium can keep the soil more consistently moist.

Avoid going too large to avoid encouraging stagnant lower regions. Also, note that drainage holes are essential for these activities.

Please, placing a layer of pebbles underneath the pot is not good, as it will only enable additional moisture retention under the roots. To prevent the light soil from falling out, cut a small piece of a coffee filter, wet it, and place it over the pot’s drainage holes.

Watering Requirements

Frequent and the right amount of watering of your Calathea triostar is significant; hence, the plant will be forced to look unhealthy without the appropriate routine.

Keep the soil steadily moist but not soggy. In colder climates, you can keep this plant a bit dry and ensure that only the top inch of the soil is dry before watering again.

Knowing the quality and temperature of the water for your Calathea triostar can be tricky. Avoid tap water since the plant is sensitive to the chemicals in natural water. Hence, it would be best to use distilled or spring water and not allow the water to be too cold.

Whenever you see your plant’s leaves turning yellow or brown, it is a sign that you have either overwatered or underwatered. Once the leaves start turning brown, remove the plant from the pot and place it in water for some hours before you drain, rinse, and repot.

Yellowing of leaves is a sign of waterlogging in the soil; hence, you must allow the water to dry out before watering again. In this case, you must be patient, as it can take about two weeks. You can now repot the plant if the soil fails to dry out.

Temperature/Humidity Needs

Calathea triostar will require an excellent warm spot since it enjoys slightly warmer temperatures. Ensure you avoid placing it close to AC vents or any drafty windows or doors because the cold air from those spots can result in long-term shock.

Always inspect the area you keep your plant with a digital thermometer, as it can help to prevent drafts or hotspots.

Humidity-wise, the Calathea triostar loves high humidity. Suppose your home or area lacks proper humidity for your plant.

In that case, you can mist it with a spray bottle every few days or adopt a humidifier to maintain a consistent humidity level. Humidity is one of the essential care factors for this calathea specie.

Fertilizing Needs

Calathea triostar is not a heavy feeder, but it would help if you fertilize it with a diluted, balanced fertilizer every two weeks to keep it healthy.

However, only allow the solution to be strong enough or apply the fertilizer frequently to avoid root burn.

We recommend you go for organic fertilizer since they are less strong and don’t require any diluting exercise. However, do not fertilize your Calathea triostar during its dormancy during the winter months to avoid harming your plant.

Pruning & Maintenance Needs

Your Calathea triostar doesn’t necessarily require regular pruning. However, you can cut off any damaged leaf and prune the stem at the base using sterilized shears. Again, pruning damaged leaves is a natural maintenance activity to keep your plant in check.

You can expect some leaves of even healthy Calathea triostar plants to dry up or wear out randomly. However, pruning can prevent light from reaching other plants; hence, you must only remove one-third of the foliage simultaneously.

Potting & Repotting

Your Calathea triostar requires repotting at least once in 12 to 18 months. The plant has a fast-growth nature yet would like tightly compact roots. Once it starts growing out of its drainage holes, it is an obvious sign that it needs repotting.

How to Propagate Calathea Triostar

Photo by KimonBerlin via Wikimedia

The best time to propagate your Calathea triostar is in early spring before the arrival of the growing season. This plant has several propagation methods, but the easiest way is by the division method.

The following steps are required for the propagation of your calathea plant by division method;

1. Remove the plant from the pot and gradually remove the soil from the roots.
2. Find a rhizome with a shoot and at least three leaves and cut it away from the mother plant with a sharp knife.
3. Place the mother plant back into the container.
4. Put the rhizome cutting in a different pot that has enough space.
5. If the new shoot is very young and has few roots, it would be best to use sowing soil. You can go for soil that is lower in nutrients and helps young plants to produce strong roots.
6. After sowing the daughter plants, you must water them thoroughly and give them enough humidity by adopting an indoor greenhouse or putting a plastic bag over the young plant. Remember to air it out frequently to avoid mold from growing.
7. If you find new leaves emerging, it is a sign that you have successfully propagated Calathea triostar.
8. In spring, you can repot your plant using more nutrient-rich soil.
9. Young calathea plants will require more care to encourage them to produce strong roots.

Toxicity

Unlike several other houseplants, the Calathea triostar is not a poisonous plant. In other words, it is almost harmless to humans and pets. However, it would help if you did not allow your kids or pets to consume it as a precaution to avoid any potential threat since it is not edible.

Common Problems With Calathea Triostar

There are several common problems that you can associate with the Calathea triostar. But the most common ones include curling leaves, drooping leaves, yellowing leaves, and edges browning.

1. Curling Leaves

Once you notice the leaves of your Calathea triostar twisting themselves and curling, it could be caused by two factors, namely, under-watering and cold stress.

To prevent under-watering, always ensure the first few inches of the soil are dry before watering again. For cold stress, ensure the plant isn’t closed to open windows or drafts.

2. Drooping Leaves

Given that the Calathea triostar likes moist soil, leaving her soil to dry out too much will cause drooping of leaves.

So, inspect her soil and only water when the first few inches of soil are dry. Remember, calathea leaves operate with light; hence, they look droopy during the day and move upwards during the evening.

3. Yellowing Leaves

Once you notice the leaves of your Calathea triostar turning yellow, it is a sign of overwatering. However, if the lower leaves occasionally turn yellow, it is a regular occurrence, especially during the winter.

4. Brown Edges

If your Calathea triostar leaf edges are turning brown, it could be because of a bad reaction to tap water. In such cases, you must use filtered water or rainwater subsequently.

It could also be a lack of humidity levels; hence you must place your plant in a humid room close to a humidifier or atop a pebble tray.

Another potential cause of browning tips of your Calathea triostar is under-watering. To prevent or control this issue, always check your soil to see if the top half inches are dry before watering, and ensure the soil is moist but not too wet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Calathea Triostar Easy To Care For?

Calathea triostar is relatively easy to care for but often requires specific growing conditions to do best. For instance, it will thrive in a bright indirect light spot like an east-facing or north-facing window, enhancing its stunning colors.

Is Morning Sun Good For Calathea Triostar?

The Calathea triostar primarily lives on forest floors, so that it will survive in low to medium light conditions.

However, you must place it in a brightly lit room but away from direct sunlight. Most of them can tolerate the harmless morning sun but hate harsh afternoon light that will easily burn their leaves.

Why My Calathea Triostar Leaves Are Not Praying?

If your Calathea triostar leaves are not praying at night as they should, with their leaves consistently pointing downwards, it is a sign of excessive or too little light. Hence, your plant will require a noticeable difference in light and dark for the leaves to unveil and close.

Where Do You Prune Triostar Leaves?

If you are pruning the leaves of your Calathea triostar, you must do so at the point where they are joined to the primary stem using pruning shears.

Why Do Calathea Triostar Leaves Curl?

The most common explanations for the curling leaves of your Calathea triostar are low humidity, watering deficiencies, or even water quality.

Several minerals present in tap water, such as chlorine, fluoride, and hard salts, can make your plant become stressed and possess curling leaves.

Conclusion

You can add a tropical feel to your indoor collections with this stunning Calathea triostar plant. It is a famous tropical nerve houseplant growing near the ground in rainforests and features incredible nerve-like patterns on its leaves.

However, with the excellent care routine above, you’ll keep your calathea specie happy and healthy.

Happy Gardening!!!

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