Calathea Ornata plants are beautiful with the many leaf varieties. They make for a stunning addition to your home. But how to care for Calathea Ornata? This pink striped leaf plant has specific requirements that need to be met in order for it to thrive. Although, once you figure out what they need, Calathea Ornata is relatively easy to care for.
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What is a Calathea Ornata?
There are many different varieties of Calathea. The Calathea Ornata specifically is a tropical plant with an upright shape and pink striped leaves. This plant can reach up to about 2 feet tall/wide depending on its habitat.
When healthy, this beautiful plant has dark green leaves with pink stripes going across that look like they’ve been painted on, and the underside of the leaves is a deep purple. This plant has a few different names including the pinstripe plant (for it’s leaves’ stripes), and the prayer plant (for how the leaves move throughout the day).
Having the right environment is essential for Calathea Ornata to thrive. So let’s get in to how to care for this plant!
Is This Plant With Pink Striped Leaves Easy To Care For?
From personal experience, I would not say that this is an “easy to care for plant.” This is one of the indoor plants I have struggled with the most to make it happy. The real key for this plant is – once you find the place this plant likes in your home, don’t move it!
And since this is a plant that naturally grows in the jungle, it prefers humid environments that you may not get naturally in your home. With these ideas in mind, lets look at how to care for Calathea Ornata to let it thrive in your home.
Water Requirements
This plant likes to have water. Since it’s a jungle plant, it’s used to moist soil. But with saying that, these plants are prone to root rot if they sit in water. So it’s important to let the soil dry out at least 80% between watering, and you don’t have to water this plant until the water comes out of the drainage holes like many other plants.
And with all houseplants, the watering requirements of this plant do change between summer and winter, needing less water in the winter than summer.
My experience: The pinstripe plant does like water, but since it also doesn’t need much light, it needs to be watered a lot less often than some of your plants that may not seem like they need to be given as much water, just since there’s no sunlight evaporating the water from the soil. (I water mine every two-four weeks).
Light Requirements
The light requirements for this plant with pink striped leaves are medium light. This is a plant that loves indirect light. Put this plant in an area where either it gets bright but indirect light for most of the day or light amounts of morning light.
If you put this plant in too much light, the leaves will start to bleach and you’ll lose the beautiful color you expect from this plant. Also, too much light can cause the plant to dry out faster.
While this plant is used to being shaded in nature by other plants, make sure in your home it still is in a bright space. If it doesn’t get enough light, the leaves will start to curl and die off.
My experience: Too much light (2+ hours of direct sun) and the leaves bleach themselves, and not enough light (in a room with windows, but not in the brightest area) and the leaves will curl and brown.
Keep reading: calathea leaves turning brown
Humidity Preferences
Humidity is the key for this plant’s success. It loves humid environments, and does not do well in dry environments. So make sure that you have a misting system for your houseplant, or get a humidifier if the environment of your home is dry.
My experience: This is the hardest part for keeping my plant happy. The best place it seems to do with humidity is in the bathroom with the steam (which has a tinted window). You can always put the plant in the bathroom after a shower to help it get a bit of humidity if it doesn’t normally live there.
You may be interested in: 5 Easy Plant Humidifiers
Other Care Tips For Your Calathea
Have it in a smaller pot. This plant doesn’t need a huge pot to thrive in, as it prefers being tight in the soil and this will help with keeping the soil moist but not soaking wet – which will prevent root rot.
Also, this plant loves to be fed! Feed the calathea twice a month with fertilizer to help it grow in spring and summer. Just be sure to dilute the fertilizer properly so you don’t burn the roots.
How Big Do Calatheas Get?
How big do these calatheas get? With the right care and environment, these plants can reach two feet in height and two feet in width. This is more likely to happen in nature or in very humid environments that mimic the floor of a rainforest.
Where’s The Best Place To Have Your Pin Stripe Plant?
While we’ve talked a lot about requirements for your pin stripe plant, where is the best place to have it? Unless you’ve got a frosted window or semi sheer curtains, I would not recommend growing your calathea in window that gets direct sun. North facing windows are a good choice for this plant though! If you can, I would recommend having this plant in your bathroom (if you’ve got windows). The humidity that is associated with taking a shower or bath will help keep your calathea happy and thriving. Otherwise, put this plant in a room that gets direct afternoon light but keep it away from direct sun.
In Summary: How To Care For Calathea Ornata
To summarize, Calathea Ornata is a beautiful plant with pink striped leaves that can reach up to two feet in height/width. This plant loves humid environments, so you may want to put it in a bathroom with windows or near a misting system. This plant is relatively easy to care for once you understand it’s needs and where it best thrives in your home. Be sure to regularly water the plant, but only when it needs it. With these tips to care for Calathea Ornata, you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful plant in your home. Enjoy!
