Botanical Name: Calathea sp. 'Corona'
Corona Prayer Plant deserves its place among the showy plants of the Maranta (Marantaceae) family.
Its broad, silvery-green leaves taper to a point and are edged with a wide band of dark green.
'Corona' is one of the most popular among the named varieties in the Calathea genus. Its handsome markings and colors make it easy to see why.
New leaves are curled as they emerge, showing their purplish red undersides. And like its family members, this tropical foliage plant folds its leaves at night as hands in prayer.
The secret to keeping it happy is to provide high humidity. Do anything you can to keep the relative humidity above 50%. Place it on a humidity tray or use a room humidifier. Calatheas also love to be misted with rainwater.
Display Ideas: Group calatheas with other humidity-loving plants, such as bromeliads and ferns. Or show off a single plant by placing it on a pedestal plant stand by itself.
Repot calathea in spring to give it fresh potting mix. Need a new container? Check out stylish, new house plant pots here.
Watch for spider mites. Dry indoor air in the winter months encourages these pests to invade house plants, another reason to keep the humidity up. You'll first notice faint webbing on the undersides of leaves.
Origin: Central America and Brazil
Height: Up to 18 in (45 cm)
Light: Moderate to bright light. No direct sun.
Water: Keep soil evenly moist. Do not allow the soil to get soggy. Use distilled water or rainwater because this plant is sensitive to fluoride and salts in tap water.
Humidity: Moderate to high humidity
Temperature: Average to warm 65-85°F, 18-29°C
Soil: Any good potting mix that drains well.
Fertilizer: Feed every 2 weeks spring and summer with a 10-10-5 liquid fertilizer diluted by half. In fall and winter, feed monthly.
Propagation: Division. Divide rhizomes of mature plants in spring or early summer.
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