In this guide you'll learn: How & where to buy the calathea warscewiczii, how to care for your plant and answers to FAQs to keep your plant happy
About the Calathea warscewiczii
The Calathea warscewiczii is a strikingly beautiful tropical jungle plant from south america which is famous for its deep green, velvety oval leaves with fishtail patterns and purple undersides.
Also known as the Jungle Velvet Calathea and the prayer plant, this luxurious plant grows to 3-4 feet in height and width and adds a dramatic touch of nature to any office or home space.
The warscewiczii is a bit fussy and requires a higher than normal humidity, bright indirect light from a nearby window, and regular watering and feeding with a well-draining potting mix.
Its large leaves sport a distinctive reddish-purple underside that unfurls to reveal large foliage that traps dust from the air and releases humidity and clean oxygen to keep the air healthy, which is perfect for the bedroom or an office environment if you can give it the care it needs.
Relatively easy to care for with once-weekly watering, requiring no special equipment or growing mediums, if this is the tropical plant for you, see our buyers guide below, and our full care guide here.
Calathea warscewiczii In The House & Office
The Calathea warscewiczii houseplant needs consistently warm temperatures and bright, indirect light and will often need to be located within a few feet of most windows, and around 5 feet from a south-facing window. A well-lit room is ideal, but ensure that it doesn’t sit in direct sun else your plant will experience leaf burn.
A tropical native of Costa Rica and Nicaragua’s rainforests, these plants usually experience bright, but indirect light, often dappled by trees and other plants. The plant naturally does not sit in direct sun, and so will not be happy if pushed right up to south-facing window.
Your plant should be happy in the home or office if plenty of natural light is provided. Keep it 5-6 feet from a south-facing window, or a little closer to other windows, and adjust its location if it seems unhealthy.
If you’re unable to provide the right lighting, it would be worth investing in artificial lighting that provides 10,000 to 20,000 lux when measured against a light meter.
The plant’s large leaves help to increase the level of humidity in its immediate surroundings, produce oxygen and trap dust to keep the air fresh, which is often an issue especially in office environments.
Calathea warscewiczii Size
Height: 91-122cm / 36-48in / 3-4ft
Spread: 91-122cm / 36-48in / 3-4ft
Calathea warscewiczii Care
Light: Bright, indirect light for 6-8 hours per day. Do not provide direct light as this may burn the leaves. If the plant loses its lustre or leaf pattern, try moving it a little further away from nearby bright light.
Soil: Your Calathea warscewiczii needs well draining potting soil that is well-draining, fertile, a and organic. The plant needs moist soil but may experience root rot if it is too wet. You can add perlite or similar material to increase drainage.
Watering: You should water your plant about once each week, and can test the soil by inserting a finger about one inch to determine if the soil is dry or not. You should water using distilled water that does not contain too much calcium or other minerals as this could impede growth in the long term.
Humidity: The Calathea jungle velvet needs higher than normal humidity at more than 50%, which you can achieve by grouping it together with other houseplants. Alternatively, you can use a humidifier, mist the plant regularly, or sit the pot on top of a tray of pebbles with water. Your plant should do well in a bathroom.
Feeding: Calatheas don’t need to be fertilised much or often, so a half strength solution twice per month during spring and summer is enough. If the leaf edges burn, cut back on fertiliser. Do not feed outside of the normal growing season.
Temperature: The warscewiczii will thrive at 18-24°C / 64-75°F, which is around normal room temperatures. So long as the temperature does not drop to 15°C / 60°F, it should be happy and reward you with new leaves.
Ailments: Browning leaves suggest that your plant needs a higher level of humidity, while leaf pattern loss could be due to overexposure to sunlight.
Further Care: To help your plant thrive and keep its velvety leaves shining, read our full guide detailing everything your plant needs to grow into an impressive part of your collection, see our full care guide to the Calathea warscewiczii.
Where To Buy Calathea warscewiczii Online
- Ebay (UK) / (USA)
- Etsy
- Bloombox Club (UK) / (USA)
- Local Facebook Groups
You can find the Calathea warscewiczii online easily as it is not a particularly rare or expensive plant.
When finding the perfect plant, we recommend that you only buy from reliable websites that are known for selling healthy plants, or from highly-rated sellers on Ebay and Etsy where you can choose the exact plant that you want to buy.
Make sure that wherever you buy from has lots of five star reviews and have a good return / refund policy in case you are unhappy with your plant.
If you are unhappy with the plant you receive you should never settle for what you have. Lodge a complaint if your plant is damaged, has root rot or burned leaf edges, or is in otherwise poor health.
FAQs
Is the Calathea warscewiczii toxic to animals or humans?
Like all calatheas this plant is not toxic to you or your pets. However, we still don’t recommend to go munching on their leaves if you want a beautiful, healthy plant.
How much humidity does it need?
While this house plant will be happiest with the humidity level around 50-60%, it can still do well with less.
If your plant doesn’t seem happy in its environment and the humidity is a little low, try increasing it using a humidifier, a pebble tray of water or keep your plant together with other plants (as each plant will raise humidity levels).
Does it flower?
The warscewiczii will flower irregularly, but this is not going to be a large or impressive display. Keep in mind that this plant is well known for its strikingly beautiful leaves, and not for a bouquet.
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