How to Care for Calathea Zebra Plant?

Undoubtedly, Calathea Zebra Plant (Calathea Zebrina) is one of the most beautiful plants of the Calathea family. Calathea Zebra Plant with its beautiful and large leaves, lives happily in tropical rainforests. Continue reading this article in TooPlant in order to learn more about how to grow and care for Calathea Zebra Plant.

Introduction of Calathea Zebra Plant (Calathea Zebrina)

Before addressing how to care for Calathea Zebra Plant, please allow us to give you a brief introduction about this houseplant.

The Calathea Zebrina often grows under large trees. Its umbel-shaped leaves retain more moisture, so the plant stores more H20.

Following the introduction of Calathea Zebra Plant, the interesting point is that this plant opens its leaves during the day to absorb more sunlight and gathers them again at night before going to sleep. It is a little sensitive to the situation, but if you take care of it with interest, it will live with you with joy and freshness.

In this article, we want to provide you with information about how to care for Calathea Zebra Plant, so stay tuned with Tooplant.

Care for Calathea Zebra Plant

In this part, we will focus on the most important aspects which you need to take into consideration while treating this houseplant. The best methods of how to care for Calathea Zebra Plant include as follows:

Calathea Zebra Plant Light Requirements: What light is best for Calathea Zebrina?

Light is among the first important issues to care for Calathea Zebra Plant. Even if Calathea is in its original habitat, it prefers a place with relative shade. If you keep a Calathea Zebra Plant at home as a houseplant, you should provide indirect, low to medium light. Do not let the sun shine directly on it, especially in the afternoon, when it is the hottest part of the day. Otherwise, the leaves lose their color, brown spots of color appear on their surface or burn severely. So, make sure you sufficiently provide the Calathea lighting requirements.

Although it grows better in low light, if it is placed in a completely dark environment, it will lose its growth rate and produce withered stems. If this happens, move it to brighter places over time.

Above, we tried to discuss all the details related to the Calathea lighting requirements since it plays a significant role in order to care for Calathea Zebra Plant.

Calathea Zebra Plant Watering: How often should you water a Calathea Zebra Plant?

In the rest, concerning the tips of caring for a Calathea Zebra Plant, it is better to know that one of the most challenging parts of maintaining a Calathea Zebrina is that you can keep the soil moist without flooding. Therefore, watering is another important aspect in order to care for Calathea Zebra Plant. Calathea does not like to live in completely wet soil, but at the same time should not experience dryness. If the soil is completely dry, the plant will wither and the leaves will become tubular.

Try not to create such conditions for the plant, as this type of stress can cause serious damage to the Calathea.

While the plant is actively growing, that is, during the spring and summer, you should increase the amount of watering to keep the soil moist. With the onset of winter, the plant enters its dormant season and continues to grow at a slower rate, so you should also reduce the amount of watering.

The soil of this plant should be moistened several times a week, but this may vary depending on the weather conditions and ambient temperature. The best time to water this plant is when the top few inches of soil are slightly dry. Watering should be such that the excess comes out from under the pot and collects in the tray under the pot. Be careful that the water collected under the tray does not come into contact with the pot as it can cause the raw material to dry later and damage the roots of the plant.

Water that has reached room temperature is better for Calathea Zebra Plant than cold water. Cold water can shock the plant.

Calathea Zebra Plant is also sensitive to water quality. If your tap water is heavy and has high levels of fluoride and chlorine, brown spots will form on the tip of the leaf. We recommend using filtered water or rainwater to water Calathea Zebrina indoor plants. You can also pour tap water into an open container and let it stand overnight to remove excess chlorine.

In this way, to care for Calathea Zebra Plant, watering is considered to be of great significance.

Calathea Zebra Plant Soil: What is the best soil for a Calathea Zebrina?

Intending to care for Calathea Zebra Plant, the other crucial matter is soil. It is better to use fertile soil with coal composition and proper drainage for this plant. Do not use heavy soil, as this type of soil retains too much moisture and can make the plant sick. On the other hand, soil with a high amount of sand is not suitable for Calathea Zebra Plant, because it passes water very quickly and the plant does not have a chance to absorb it. The best soil composition for Calathea Zebrina is one part potting soil, two parts coal, and two parts perlite.

Thus, it can be said that, soil is another basic and important issue so as to care for Calathea Zebra Plant.

Calathea Zebra Plant Temperature Tolerance

Now, we come to temperature and humidity which are assumed to be principal to care for Calathea Zebra Plant in addition to light, watering and soil that are mentioned above. Calathea Zebrina belongs to the tropics, so the temperate temperature is suitable for it. Always keep Calathea Zebra Plant in the temperature range of 18-24 °C. It should not be placed near heating/cooling devices.

Calathea Zebra Plant Humidity: Does Calathea Zebrina like humidity?

Moisture is another thing which we need to inevitably pay attention to when talking about how to care for Calathea Zebra Plant. High humidity is essential to maintain the radiance of the leaves. Use humidifiers or a tray full of water to increase the humidity. If you have good lighting in your kitchen and bathroom, you can put Calathea Zebrina there as well. Always put plants that need moisture together.

Therefore, please do not forget to take humidity into consideration in order to care for Calathea Zebra Plant in the best way.

Calathea Zebra Plant Fertilizer: What is the best fertilizer for a Calathea Zebra Plant?

When you want to care for Calathea Zebra Plant, one of the important questions that may come to your mind is “what is the best fertilizer?” In what follows, we will address how to fertilize this plant:

During the growing season, fertilize it with liquid water every month. Use this fertilizer at quarter strength. Avoid over-fertilizing and wash the soil well several times a year to prevent mineral elements from accumulating in the soil.

As a result, we could say that fertilizer is regarded as one of the fundamental issues when someone wants to care for Calathea Zebra Plant.

Calathea Zebra Plant Toxicity: Is Calathea Zebrina poisonous to humans and pets?

In order to care for Calathea Zebra Plant, toxicity is considered to be a major issue because it directly relates to your health especially children. To find answer to the question “is Calathea Zebra Plant toxic to pets and humans?” we must say that Calathea is safe for cats, dogs and humans and is not toxic. So, you can safely keep this plant at home because no danger threatens you and your pets.

Calathea Zebra Plant Propagating: How to propagate Calathea Zebra Plant?

When you want to care for Calathea Zebra Plant, another important question that may come to your mind is “how to propagate it.” This plant should be propagated by dividing the plant. You can do this when changing pots and divide the plant from the roots into two or more parts and plant each part in a separate pot with new soil.

Place the freshly split plant in a warm, shady area and cover it with plastic wrap to keep it moist. Whenever you see new growth in the plant, you can remove the plastic from the plant and take care of it like an adult pot.

Can Calathea Zebra Plant Grow in Water?

Unfortunately, it is not possible to propagate this plant by leaf cuttings or stems. Cuttings from this plant can not retain the characteristics of the original plant and become a new plant by rooting, so the Calathea Zebra Plant can not be propagated by cuttings in water.

Caring for Calathea Zebra Plant: Common Problems With Calathea Zebra Plant (Calathea Zebrina)

After a description of taking care of a Calathea Zebra Plant, we will explain the problems and their solutions:

Why Are Calathea Zebra Plant Leaves Turning Yellow?

As “leaves turning yellow” is one of the common problems that you may face when you want to care for Calathea Zebra Plant, we will try to describe the reasons and the ways to solve it in details. Yellowing of the leaves of this plant is a sign of insufficient water intake. During the growing season, the soil of this plant should be moist and of course, you should avoid excessive wetting of the soil. Each time you water, make sure the excess water comes out from under the pot.

Why Are Calathea Zebrina Leaves Dropping?

The fall of the leaves of this plant is a sign that the ambient air for this plant is too cold. Excessive dryness of the air may also cause the leaves of the Calathea Zebrina to fall off. It is better to place the plant in a warm environment and away from heating devices or very cold winds.

Why Are Calathea Zebrina Leaves Turning Brown?

One of the most important reasons for the browning of the edges of the leaves of this plant is the quality of the water it receives. Water that is high in salts can cause the edges of the leaves to turn brown. Low humidity can also cause this to happen. Sometimes some pests can also cause this discoloration.

Since “leaves turning brown” is another common problem that you may face when you want to care for Calathea Zebra Plant, we tried to describe the reasons and the ways to solve it in details. 

Why Are Calathea Zebrina Leaves Curling?

Curling of Calathea Zebra Plant leaves is a sign of excessive water loss in the plant, and the plant reduces the leaf area to lose less water. Underwatering, lack of moisture and excessive heat are the reasons that lead to this. Root damage due to heavy watering, heavy soil and heavy fertilization can also be a factor. In this case, the plant can not use all the strength of its roots and absorb enough water.

Why Is Calathea Zebrina Dying?

Overwatering is one of the most common problems which causes root rot in the plant. The plant suffers from excessive soil moisture and needs light, slightly moist soil to allow air to circulate around the roots.

Other problems such as lack of moisture, pests, temperature stress and underwatering can also kill this plant.

Infographic Of How To Care For Calathea Zebra Plant

In this article, we tried to explain to you in an infographic the essential tips in the care of Calathea Zebrina, so that you can briefly and usefully learn the methods of caring for this plant.

In The End

In this article, we tried to provide you with the necessary information about the methods of caring for a Calathea Zebra Plant.

However, if you have any questions regarding this indoor plant or you need to get advice from our houseplant experts, please share your questions with us through the comments section below.